Passenger window goes down okay, but slow to go up and close?

BUMP26

MEMBER
1996 FORD PROBE
2.5L
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
96,000 MILES

It has been doing it since 1998, but it always worked. I finally decided to fix it.

window is frameless, so there's not much to lubricate except the internal track, which I did.

there is no binding. You can stop the window, and you can grab it and move it about an inch w no power. It is always smooth and extremely free.

I doubt if it's the switch, it does it whether you do it from the driver control or passenger control. Seems unlikely that they'd both have same problem, and the passenger and driver controls are different designs.

Doesn't seem like a power issue because the driver side goes up fine.

for those reasons, I thought sure it's the motor. Maybe the brushes are getting dirty/worn out. But's kind of sealed, so I bought a replacement.

Now it runs worse than before. Sometimes it won't go up at all unless you give it a push. It also runs unevenly.

What the heck is the problem here?

3 Replies

KEN L

MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
48,363 POSTS

This happens when the window regulator goes out.

Here is a video of the job being done on a similar car with instructions below for your car:

https://youtu.be/oNxstjcA25k

Check out the diagrams (below).

Images (Click to make bigger)

SPONSORED LINKS

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Saturday, August 20th, 2022 AT 3:02 PM

BUMP26

MEMBER
11 POSTS

So, I got a new motor, but that didn't change anything. If anything, it's even worse than before.

If you grab the window at every elevation and jiggle it, you can feel a small amount of play in the regulator rails, which tells me that it isn't binding or excessively tight anywhere. It feels very similar in resistance to the driver door which never has any problems.

The cables are neat and tidy.

I measured continuity at the switch, and it checks out ok.

I get a bit over 12 volts on a direct connection straight from the battery and a stitch under 12 volts after the switch and before the window motor when the button is pushed (either way). In any case, it doesn't seem to do much better wired straight from the battery.

So, it's not the motor, the movement in the rails seems free enough, the switch is good, the cables are good, the current feeds seem okay. I don't get it - it's still slow going up. It feels like it's barely going to make it and sometimes if it's too hard to move, it just stops completely.

It just doesn't make any sense.

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Saturday, August 20th, 2022 AT 11:01 PM

KEN L

MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
48,363 POSTS

Nope it sure doesn't. The new motor should have fixed it, good job getting the motor and installing it so quickly. Try lubing the rails or see if there is an obstruction, also you can try to remove the motor and regulator and see if it works outside of the car.

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Sunday, August 21st, 2022 AT 1:18 PM