Drivers window won't go up or down.

Tiny
KANAKANAKA77
  • MEMBER
  • 2000 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE
Hi there,
My drivers side window won't roll up or down, and if it does it only goes for a moment and I spend the rest of the time pulling it or pushing it while pressing the button (inch by inch). The only two components I'm aware of are the window motor and the relay switch but am not sure how which test best isolates the issue. Any help is appreciated.
thanks again
Wednesday, August 24th, 2011 AT 6:27 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,879 POSTS
It sounds like everything is working but there's too much resistance. When it moves hard, the motor will draw excessive current and cause the thermal cutout inside the motor, (if there is one), to break the circuit. It will reset when it cools down in a minute or two. Most cars also use an auto-resetting circuit breaker instead of a fuse because it's considered a safety system. Whereas a blown fuse would leave the system dead, an auto-resetting circuit breaker will let you have another shot at rolling down one of the windows.

Three things come to mind to check. The first one is physical resistance between the window glass and the rubber channels it rides in. Bug juice and other gooey stuff will make the glass hard to move. Spray both channels liberally with Silicone Spray Lube. It goes on like water, then evaporates and leaves a bunch of "slippery" behind. It works real well for sliding rubber hoses onto metal pipes too. You can find this product at any Chrysler dealer's parts department or most auto parts stores.

Most window regulators today consist of cables and cheap plastic pulleys. The wires fray and the pulleys crack. No surprise there. Any idiot, other than the guys designing cars, would know to expect failures. You might be able to look inside the window opening when the glass is down to see or hear if wires are wrapped up, twisted, or frayed. If everything is relatively quiet, the regulator is probably okay.

If there's a thermal cutout inside the motor, the contacts could be pitted or arced. GM has a lot of trouble with their truck window motors. The thermal cutouts develop electrical resistance between their contacts which reduces current flow and reduces the motor's power. Anything else that increases circuit resistance will also cause the motor to lose power. That includes pitted contacts in the window switch or relay, and frayed wires between the door hinges. A problem with the window switch will affect just that one window. Frayed wires can affect all of the windows, depending on which one is about to break.
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Thursday, August 25th, 2011 AT 8:19 AM
Tiny
KANAKANAKA77
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  • 44 POSTS
Thanks again caradiodoc, always so informative. After posting this yesterday I went out and started tinkering and pulling stuff apart so that I better understood the placement and components of my power window assembly, and what do ya know, the wire on one of the pulleys is frayed. I'm assuming I'd have to buy the whole regulator assembly? I tried to pull it out with the motor yesterday so I could bench test the motor but am having trouble removing it. Is there a tutorial anywhere online that shows removing one from my make/model? Are they basically all the same? I looked online but can't find anything for mitsubishis.
Thanks again!
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Thursday, August 25th, 2011 AT 4:03 PM
Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,879 POSTS
I'm not aware of a tutorial. Your best bet is the original service manual from the dealer. There might be rivets that must be drilled out and replaced with screws. If you do an internet search, there are places that rebuild this type of regulator or provide new ones. I can't remember the names of the companies but I have run across them before.
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Thursday, August 25th, 2011 AT 4:30 PM

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