Totally stuck on window switch fix. Zero clue what to do here.

I'd appreciate any help anyone can offer. I have searched quite a bit on this topic, and can't find anything beyond superficial notes.
It's always some step that is just glossed over by the experts on these forums that makes a "1 hour" job into a 5 hour job. (Or leaves you dead in the water)

1) I have no idea how to deal with the door hinge boot wires. I peeled off one side of the boot with a needlenose, but the other will not give. Regardless, when I push aside the unclipped side of the boot, all I see is a thick loom of braided "straps". See photo. There are no wires visible at all. The taped up loom does not budge and there is zero play. I have no clue what I am even looking at. I was expecting to see broken wires here. There is almost zero room to work. Even if there were wires, it would be a trick to actually strip and crimp them back together. What exactly do I do now????


2) How do I test the switch? People keep saying "just test the switch". HOW? I did manage to unplug the 2 wire harness clips that go into the switch. On the plug, there are lots of little "boxes" where the window switch wire harness plugs into. However, I have not seen a single person on the internet explain how to test this. If I can't see a obviously snapped wire in Step #2, what do I do here? Please be as exact and precise as you possible can be, as "just test the switch then drink beer!" is only useful to an expert who has already done this fix. Where do I plug the probes? Onto the prongs of the switch? Into the blue harness? Exactly which prongs do I test?What do I look for? How do I know what result is good or bad, and what it means?


Thanks.

What year? My son's two XJs, a '95 and '96 have both had gremlins in the power windows, each stemming from wires breaking in the door-jamb snorkel. I don't know the pin-out (my XJs are blessed with crank windows!), but we ended up removing the entire harness-driver's door, of course-and repairing or replacing the offending conductors. Sure, it's a pain in the arse, but better you do it than pay hourly shop rates to someone who may or may not find the problem in a timely manner. My vote is to grab another harness from the yard, plug to plug, ring it out, repair as needed, and then swap it. Usually the problem is the driver's door harness, as it's the only door that gets 100% use every time the car is used.

I have a test for you: remove the driver's side kick panel(the one that surrounds the hood release). Behind it you'll see a 3-wire junction with tan, yellow, and black(iirc). Use a short piece of wire or paper clip to jump the yellow to the tan and then see if the windows work at each of their locations.

heyhar, it's a 1998. I would like to do what you've said, but have you seen my question above? Inside the door boot, there are no wires, just BRAIDS. Can anyone tell me what's going on with that?
Also, there are no junkyards left in NY. I need to repair the wires, but only if I can SEE them first. As of now, I only see a braid in the boot.

gradon, thanks for that, but this is a different issue. My driver's side window does not work. I believe the lockout button short only fixes the other 3 windows

I have found that on 2 of my XJs, the switch assembly needed to be taken apart due cracked solder connections, and resoldered.

The trick was to carefully disassemble the switch assembly as the connections were under the rear cover plate.

Has anyone actually ever tested their window switch? Does anyone have a wiring diagram for the window switch? I would like to test that it actually works. However, I have no idea what prongs to test continuity with. Or is it just smarter and faster to just spend $70 on a new switch.

It's in the FSM

I found the switch diagram.
I have seen dozens of window switch threads, and not a single one said anything beyond "test the switch, then drink beer" or told you how to bypass the lockout switch.
Hopefully, this will be the first and only thread on any Jeep forum since 2002 that shows how to test the window switch/.

Does anyone actually know how to read this?
How do I test the driver's side window switch?
Where do I put the red probe?
Where do I put the black probe?
What do I set the multimeter to?

The FSM is copyrighted material, and owned by Chrysler. It's not legal to be posted freely in the Internet. Nor will it be posted here, nor will links to pirated material

Okay, so I have a ton of experience with the power door lock and window system on the 1997-2001 models.

See my custom harness to wire them into any year XJ: http://www.nonamestudios.com/uploads/gallery/album_12/gallery_1_12_47695.jpg

For testing battery voltage set the multimeter to VDC, put the black probe to ground, and the red probe to the circuit you need to test.

For testing continuity set the multimeter to beepity beep beep mode. Does not matter what probe you put where then, but definitely do not use this mode of your multimeter on a live powered circuit. Beep = Continuity

Make sure to check the circuit breaker terminals in cavity 28 on the junction(fuse) block with a multimeter. It is the one on the left. If one of the terminals gets 12 volt, it is fine. Otherwise the whole system is not getting voltage. Also visually inspect fuse 18 for a break.

The Driver Door Module(DDM/The driver switches) provides power to all window motors.

If NONE of power windows work from ANY switch, then a faulty DDM is power or the power to it. There are several connectors around the junction block that could have possibly come loose.

If the driver power window works, but not the rest it is either the same as above or a faulty wire past the driver switches. The power from the DDM goes to the left rear, over to right rear, and then to right front.

All I want to do is fix 2 possible things.

1) I would like to check for broken wire in the door boot.
BUT, I have no WIRES in the door boot, just BRAIDS.
Does anyone know why I can not see wires and only braids?

2) All my windows work fine, EXCEPT the driver's window. I will try to test connectivity between 5,9,12,8, as per the diagram. I just hold the probes onto the 2 prongs, and have a 3rd hand flip the switch, right?

Are the wires inside those protective braids? Looks to be a few braids, possibly a few conductors in each? Those braided covers are probably to help the wires slide easily when the door is open. I'll assume you pulled the door card. If so, have you peeked into the door to see what groups of wires are in each braid? Windows, mirror, speaker, etc.

I can not see any wires inside the braids. I only see the braids.

Ok, I've made progress! I tested the window switch using my multimeter (on the X10 ohms setting) and that connectivity diagram. To review my problem, the driver's side window doesn't move, but I can control all 3 other window's from the driver's control.

First, I verified the OFF connectivity readings. They all showed connectivity so I knew my multimeter was working. The driver's side switch is working b/c prongs 5&9 show connectivity when I press up, and prongs 12&9 show connectivity when I press down.

Since my driver's side switch is working, what is the next step?

1) Can broken wires in the door boot cause the driver's window to die? Even if the switch itself is fine...Like a wire carrying power?
Is this what I need to test/examine next? Test connectivity of every "hole" in both ends of the wiring harness?

2) I am unsure how to test the window motor, b/c I can't really see it. After removing the door panel, there is 90% metal covering everything up.

IF you have power in the door, and IF the three other windows work (both ways?), and IF the switch for the driver's window seems to 'ring out' OK, then the problem must be with either the wires to the motor, or the motor itself. You mention the VOM on X10 ohms. Better to have it on X1, or if it's auto-ranging, try to manually put it to a normal setting. Does the meter beep? Saves looking at it if it does.The motor is probably on a piece of metal. that may be riveted into the door frame. You may have to drill out the rivets to remove it and gain access to the motor. If you can get it out, test it with 12V power to see if it even runs. I'm unfamiliar with the particular layout of the Gen2 doors, but the wiring should follow the same principles.

Not sure what difference changing the VOM setting away from X10 will do. Do you think I got a false reading on X10, and the switch is really dead? The needle would be PINNED on the X10 setting when testing for the continuity on prongs.

However, my guess is that a wire broke, so I will pull the entire harness out since there is nothing but BRAID in the door boot. IF nothing looks busted there, I will look up how to test and/or remove the window motor.

Alexia said:

Make sure to check the circuit breaker terminals in cavity 28 on the junction(fuse) block with a multimeter. It is the one on the left. If one of the terminals gets 12 volt, it is fine. Otherwise the whole system is not getting voltage. Also visually inspect fuse 18 for a break.
.

Click to expand...

Driver can open 3 passenger windows. Driver can not open his own window. Does this mean fuse 18 is working fine?

Does a shorted out LOCK button disable only passenger windows, or also the driver's window?

What is the junction(fuse) block?
Are you referring to the fuse panel in the kick panel?
How do you test to see if something is getting 12V?
Red probe on the connector, and black to ground? VDO set to V= (DC)

Typically when you are testing continuity, you use the normal, or lowest setting. Other, higher units of measurement are for when you are looking for specific resistance values. You mention a needle, so you have an analog, not a digital VOM. It's best to have both kinds, as most digital meters will beep when reading a continuous circuit, making life easier. The analog comes in handy when reading the sweep of a TPS or O2 sensor.

You've got my curiosity with these braids. Please let us know if they are some sort of fancy wire insulation, or an extra protection for normal wires.

The switch assembly can be tricky.

They don't just turn on power with one connection, they use that rocker to switch polarity also. Each switch is a DPDT switch, but not simultaneously activated.

Here are the pin outs of the Drivers side switch.

C1 5 is common on 1 switch pole - goes to one side of the motor.
C1 12 is common on 2 switch pole - goes to the other side of the motor.

C1 8 is ground
C2 8 is plus

When in the center position, both C1 5 an C1 8 are connected to C1 8.
The only reason I can think of why they did this is for motor braking.

Polarity reversal is done as per below:

Pole 1:
When switched one way, C1 5 is connected to C1 9 and C1 12 remains connected to C1 8.

Pole 2:
When you want the window to go the other way, C1 12 connects to C1 9, and C1 5 remains connected to C1 8

Connections at C1 9 and C1 8 are common to both front windows, so if you have passenger action, but no drivers side action, you have eliminated the fuses and grounds. C2 8 is the connection for the rear window switch power though the lock out.

If you know you have power (other windows work), and you ohm the motor from the harness with the switch removed, you have switch issues.

When I took mine apart a while back, it had 3 cracked solder connections. Repairing the connections solved all issues. Thus, my 1st post.

WB, I'm not qualified to understand what you just said.

Here is what I know:
1) I can control the other 3 windows from driver's switch.
2) I can NOT control driver's window.
3) Driver's window switch DOES show connectivity.

Either there is a busted wire, or a busted motor.
Next, I will remove the entire wire harness and look for a busted wire.
Then, I will explore testing the window motor, somehow.

WB9YZU said:

The switch assembly can be tricky.

They don't just turn on power with one connection, they use that rocker to switch polarity also. Each switch is a DPDT switch, but not simultaneously activated.

Here are the pin outs of the Drivers side switch.

C1 5 is common on 1 switch pole - goes to one side of the motor.
C1 12 is common on 2 switch pole - goes to the other side of the motor.

C1 8 is ground
C2 8 is plus

When in the center position, both C1 5 an C1 12 are connected to C1 8.
The only reason I can think of why they did this is for motor braking.

Polarity reversal is done as per below:

Pole 1:
When switched one way, C1 5 is connected to C1 9 and C1 12 remains connected to C1 8.

Pole 2:
When you want the window to go the other way, C1 12 connects to C1 9, and C1 5 remains connected to C1 8

Connections at C1 9 and C1 8 are common to both front windows, so if you have passenger action, but no drivers side action, you have eliminated the fuses and grounds. C2 8 is the connection for the rear window switch power though the lock out.

If you know you have power (other windows work), and you ohm the motor from the harness with the switch removed, you have switch issues.

When I took mine apart a while back, it had 3 cracked solder connections. Repairing the connections solved all issues. Thus, my 1st post.

Click to expand...

Let's try this:

Imagine that to control the motor you have two switches on a board:

One switch is connected to the motor on the (-) side and switches between (-)(C1 8) and (+)(C1 9) power leads.
The other switch is connected to the (+) side of the motor and switches between (-)(C1 8) and (+)(C1 9) power leads.

*** The switches normally are set to attach both leads of the motor to the (-)(C1 8) power lead. (Center position on the Jeeps window control).

When you want to move the window up, you set the switch on the (+)(C1 5) side of the motor to the (+)(C1 9) power and the window goes up. (UP position in the Jeeps window control)
When you let go, the switches return to the (-) power lead and the motor stops.

When you want to move the window down, you set the switch on the (-)(C1 12) side of the motor to the (+)(C1 9) power and the window goes up. (Down position in the Jeeps window control)
When you let go, the switches return to the (-)(C1 8) power lead and the motor stops.

Got that? Both motor leads are always connected to the (-) power lead and you simply decide which side of the motor you want to connect to the (+) lead to make it move.

If only 1 switch is doing it's job, No power will get to the motor.

Now instead of 2 physical switches on a board, imagine it is all one switch with 2 sides that are independent from each other on the same rocker. You will need to test this as if it is 2 switches. The chart you posted only makes sure that the switches work in 1 position, center. They do not check to make sure each switch connects to a positive power source when selected.

To test the motor continuity, simply put a meter between C1 5 and C1 12 on the harness when the switch is removed.

You posted a picture of the connectors, that should help you.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!

-Ron