QuestionQUESTION: Hi there Ben! My left power window started to fail from one second to the other...the window wont go up but it does go down. The motor works (i can hear the sound of it when i press the switch) and all the cables and other components are ok...I took the system off the door and when operated it with out the glass (window) it worked (up and down) but when putting them back together (window included) it still only goes down...i cleaned the grease from the rail and put oil but still does not go up. Thanks in advanced for the help.
ANSWER: Hi Adrian,
Sounds like you have a window switch problem. The switch button that controls the window movement has two contacts: one to make it go down and one to make it go up. Assuming you used a power source other than the window switch to test your mechanism when it was out of the door, you have already proven that the window mechanism is functioning properly, so it's pretty likely that the "up" contact in the switch for this window has failed.
I could give you more specific information if you would let me know the make, model, and year of the vehicle.
Ben .... the power window guy.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thanks for the quick response...it is a 1994 Hyundai excel hatchback. I used the window switch as the power source to operate the mechanism and it functioned up and down except that the window was off...it seems the mechanism has lost power to push the window up. Cheers
AnswerThis is a little difficult since I can't see or hear what's happening, but we can probably figure this out with a few more "what if" scenarios.
If you can use the window switch to move the regulator both up and down when the regulator is out of the door, then we know it's not the switch.
The fact that the regulator moves up and down when it is disconnected from the glass leads me to think we have a "power" issue. I suspect that the gearing in the motor may be slipping when the regulator is installed and has some real work to do. I don't have a mental picture of this particular regulator since I haven't worked on many Hyundais as old as this one. The ones I do work on typically are built with a removalable (3 screws) motor. If yours is built this way, here is how I would check out the motor.
1. Remove the motor from the regulator. Some regulators will "spring apart" when you remove the motor, so be careful to keep the regulator in tact when removing the motor.
2. Place a medium size pair of visegrips on the drive gear of the motor.
3. Hook the motor's electrical connector into the car's wiring system.
4. Brace the motor against something solid and get a good hold on the vicegrips.
5. Activate the window switch up and down in a few short bursts.
If the motor gears are okay, you will not be able to stop the rotation by holding the visegrips. If the gears are failing, the motor armature will turn, but you will be able to prevent the drive gear from moving by holding the visegrips.
I hope this helps. If I have made some incorrect assumptions, don't hesitate to let me know.
Ben .... the power window guy.
