Power Windows don't work intermittently ... ??

OK... I've tried the search feature and have several ideas, but none that I think are really my problem.

About 2 months back I had to replace the Drivers Side Door catch. No problems there as of course I had to take off the interior door panel and unplug the power locks/windows switch. After reassembly and plugging the switch back in the power windows wouldn't work, but the power locks worked fine. So I unplugged the switch and cleaned up the contacts (the little brass male parts on the back side of the switch) and plugged everything back in. After messing around a little more I got the windows to work. Thought everything was fine...

Then a couple days later the Power Windows wouldn't work again. Then after turning the ignition key off and opening and closing the drivers side door... they worked. There is not real pattern as to why they do or don't work, but every once in a while (say every 30th time the drivers side door is open) they quit working.

It's as though there is a short somewhere, but I can't tell where and doin't really have an idea where else to look. Perhaps I knocked something loose when I pulled the interior door panel and door speaker out to replace the door catch... but I don't know what.

Any suggestions? The windows work fine when they actually work (if that makes sense). Doesn't sound like the motor is going bad and it's not making any bad/strange noises.

???

i don't know a whole lot about wiring, but i'd say its a bad wire somewhere. I've got a speaker that does the same thing, and i've narrowed it down to that.

Same problem on my 2000 for about a year then finally gave up the ghost.

I took off the kick panel and the driver door panel and using a DVOM checked continuity of the wires. The main ground between the switch and C307 connector did not have continuity. BTW, check this with the harness disconnected from the door switch, if you don't the current will seek a path to ground, but there will be enough resistance so the windows won't operate. It's the same as when you see an oncoming car with one bright headlight and three dim ones. There's a poor ground and the current is feeding back through the filaments of the hi-beam. Not remembering this feedback situation caused me to spend more time on an easy fix than necessary.

Anyway, it was fairly easy to fish a 14g wire through, I taped it's bitter end to a section of coat hanger and started it from the body side. reached up through the hole from the removed speaker and grabbed the coat hanger and pulled through. Two scotch-loks later and windows work.

Boatwrench...

So are you saying there is a bad wire I should be looking for that has lost it's good ground? That would make sense but I'm a novice when it comes to electronics.

Do you have any pics or more details on the procedure? I'm thinking I must have split or loosened a wire that was pretty brittle when I did the work on my XJ a couple months back replacing the door catch... Funny thing is the power locks have never skipped a beat, just the windows. I know those are on two different plugs when you remove the switch f/the door so aparently the bad ground wire is on the window switch group of wires. Do you remember the wire color or place on the switch back? Thanks for your help.

What year XJ?

My problem mimic'd yours a bit. The window would not operate with the door open was the 1st sign. Anyway On my XJ the color wires were:

Ground: 16g Black
12V (+): 14g Tan
12V (+): 16g Red

My suggestion:
Remove door panel and disconnect harness from switch.

Take a test light & put the alligator clip on a known good body ground, like a screw or bolt into a body component. With ign in 'Run' position use the probe on a fuse to make sure you have a circuit and a good ground.

Next probe the Tan wire, it should light, while still lit grab the rubber boot between the door and the 'A' pillar and shake it a little. The light should stay lit. Then probe the Red wire it should also light, shake the boot again and there should be no change. If the light flickers that's a sign of lost continunity and a break in that wire.

Now, take the alligator clip and put on a fuse terminal, poke the probe abainst a body panel (where a scratch in the paint won't show) it should light. Next probe the 16g black wire at the harness and it should light, shake the boot and it should stay lit.

If any wire is broken you'll need to repair it. Remove the speaker from the door. The boot removes easily from the door so compress it & pull it away from the door. Take the panel off that holds the hood release, should need to remove two screws from the kick plate and one 11mm bolt head from the panel close to the firewall. Here you'll see where the wires come into the body from the door to a connector, on my 2000 that's the C307. Using a coat hanger fish the proper size and preferably color also wire from the interior of the body into the boot of the 'A' pillar, through the boot and into the door. Reach up through the speaker hole and grab it, route it up the inside of the door cavity alongside the harness, pull it back through the hole and using a scotch lock connector, attache to the proper circuit of the harness. To prevent the window from snagging, zip tie the new wire to the harness inside the cavity, 3-4 are sufficient. Re attach the boot to the door, gently pull the slack back and cut the wire tp proper length and using scotch-lok connect to harness at the connector.

Once diagnosed the repair took me about 25 minutes start to finish.

good luck,
Tom

Boatwrench... THANKS for taking the time to write/type that out for me/us.

BTW... sorry forgot to post that my XJ is a '96 Country Edition.

Funny you mentioned that your power windows didn't work w/the door was open and that was the first sign of problems for you... well my Power Windows have NEVER worked since I bought the XJ used about 6 years back and I just assumed that normal. Never liked it, but just thought that's the way Jeep designed it. Kinda like the useless fake front 1/4 windows on my '96 that you can't open and get in the way when you put the window all the way down.

I've got some tune-up work to do hopefully this weekend on my XJ so I'll try and work up something on the wires as well. What you said makes sense so I'll try and find the problems.