I am hoping the description below helps narrow down the search for the cause of a roll up failure in the passenger side window. Vehicle has power windows and door locks.

Driver side window rolls up and down fine. Door locks work fine from both driver and passenger switches.

The passenger side window will not roll up from either the driver or passenger side switches. But it will roll down from the passenger side switch.

Motor seems to be fine. I have been able to roll up and down without any issues by jumping from the battery.

So I took both the driver and passenger switches out and they both check out fine for continuity, getting continuity tone only when I press the switch up and down.

So where can the fault be narrowed to if power is getting to the motor because the passenger side switch can roll it down, but neither switch makes it go up and the driver switch can't lower it?

And this happened all at once. No trouble with either switch until just now. I don't think it could be a fuse or relay or else you'd have total failure, right?

Conceptually, I don't understand the wiring scheme well enough to make sense of that.

Any ideas?

 

Bump

 

Not sure what happened but my post disappeared

Power windows use DC motors, they have 2 wires, a red and a yellow wire usually

To get the motor to turn clockwise you need to have 12volts on red wire and Ground on yellow wire
For motor to turn counter clockwise then you reverse this, Red wire is the Ground and Yellow wire is 12volts

So window can roll up or roll down by reversing wire power

If either the 12volts OR the Ground is missing then motor will not move.


The switches do the 12v and Ground, and the reversing of the 12v and ground on the 2 wires.

So get out the volt meter and test the motor wires
make sure one is 12volts and the other a Ground when up or down is pushed, and then that they reverse when the other direction is selected.



Diagram here

In this diagram it looks like the passenger side switch gets 12volts directly and then Master switch provides the Grounds, on two different wires, one for up and one for down

 

This may be a situation where you just tell me to shut up and do what i'm told...

But I think I have tested the switches themselves by verifying continuity in both directions with the switches unplugged from power. There is a common post on the back of the switch and then a post for each direction. When I put my multimeter to it I am getting continuity in both directions provided I switch my probe back and forth from the up and down posts.

It just seems to me that the fact that the passenger switch can roll the window down only and the master cannot roll up or down should narrow it down to something.

Thanks for the diagram, BTW. It'll try and figure it out.

 

Unplug the passenger side motor's 2 wire connector
Put meter on the two wires that would go to the motor from the switch

Turn on the key

Press DOWN on passenger switch, you should get + or - 12volts
Press UP you should get opposite + or - 12volts

If that happens then that switch is OK
Test Master the same way, for passenger window.

If UP doesn't show Voltage then either the Ground path or the 12volt path is not connecting.
Connect 1 meter probe to a ground and the press UP, touch other probe to each wire to motor and see if one has 12volts, if not then 12volt path is the problem.
If one does have 12volts then Ground path is the problem.

You said you tested the motor.
Did you test it in BOTH directions, UP and DOWN?
A motor can fail in one polarity only

 

I'm having the EXACT same problem. Switch checks out. A brand new motor did the same thing as well.
I got mine to roll up by cross wiring the pigtail at the motor.
Though I have yet to find the problem. I just left the motor unplugged so a passenger doesn't roll it down and I have to do it again.
I would like to know if you figure it out and how you fixed it.

 

Same problem with mine and I replaced the motor on passenger side.so the switch will put it down but not up.master control won't move it up or down .could it be the switch and because its faulty the master won't work.? Don't want to spend 70 on a switch and find out it's not the problem.

 

Hello All. Let me give you my variation: Both windows work fine (up/down) from the driver's side. The passenger switch will roll the window down but not up. Doesn't even try. I tried another passenger switch, same result. So, the motor/wiring must be OK since everything works form the driver's switch. The switch must be OK since it tests good and another does the same. I also noticed my power door locks are often sluggish/not working. Could it be a weak battery?

 

What do the terminals on the plug that goes to the switch look like ?

 

Inside the grommet that covers the wires from the cab to the door you may well find a broken wire. Could be either side since passenger switch is slave off the driver side.
Mine had two broken wires inside the driver door and fixing them repaired the passenger side. Had to add a short length of wire to each and used wire nuts so the fix would stay together. Had to cut a hole in the grommet to be able to work on it.
Hope this helps.

 

They look really good, especially after I cleaned and tightened them. No corrosion, no broken wires.

 

I'll check into that, thanks. But, since everything from the driver's switch feeds through the passenger switch and the driver's side operates the window just fine... ??? See what I'm saying?

 

On the passenger side switch check the 3 wires that do not go to the motor
White and Tan wires specifically, use OHM Meter from each to Ground in cab, key on or off doesn't matter, they both need to be 0 or low OHMs so good grounds
If one is not then drivers side switch is not passing on the ground to passenger side when its not in use

The wires are OK, just the drivers side switch is not passing on the Ground on one wire so you can only use passenger side window in one direction

Also check the Light blue wire for 12volts with key on, its a separate 12v wire that comes from the window rely not the drivers door switch, but I would doubt this is the issue since passenger window does work on one direction

 

That did it, RonD! I checked ground to both tan/blue wires on the master switch. One read near 0, the other about 50 ohms. Of course the 50 ohm was the passenger switch. Took apart the switch and cleaned the contacts - now have less than 1 ohm both sides and the windows work from both doors. The driver's side switch wasn't passing (enough) ground.

Anybody want to buy a passenger door window switch?

 

I am having the same problem (almost), I can operate the passengers side power window up & down smoothly from the drivers side switch but can only run the window down from the passenger side switch, it won’t go back up using the passengers switch. I am exhausted and frustrated. I have checked for proper voltage at the passenger switch in the up & down position and found it present at the right place at the right time. I can see the same voltages at those same places while operating the window from the drivers switch. I have checked for proper grounds from the passengers switch to frame ground and found all to be present and good. I have removed the switch and observed good continuity from the B+ terminal to the motor up or down terminal while operating the switch and observed that the respective ground opens when the power to the motor is closed. I have done the same with the driver side switch checking all switch positions for continuity and ground paths. Needless to say, both switches seem to be doing everything they are supposed to do but I still can not get the passenger side to go up from the passengers switch. HELP!

 

Welcome to the forum

What YEAR Ranger?

The passenger side window has its own 12volt wire

But its Ground comes from drivers door switch on TWO wires.

Unplug the passenger side motor's wires
Put Volt meter on its two wires, switch side
Turn on the key
Press the UP then the DOWN, you should see +12v and then -12v WHEN is working, or -12v and +12v, just depends on how the meter is hooked up

Do same test using drivers door switch for passenger side, you will see both +12v and -12v because its working

I assume the UP on passenger side switch will show nothing, test which is missing, the 12v or the ground

 

Thanks for your quick response. Before I start, I wanted to mention that it is a 2003 Ranger Edge and I got it bassackwards - passenger side runs up but not down (not that the direction makes any difference). I would have responded back sooner but I needed to have a beer, relax and get my head back in the game first. I spent most of the da6 today mapping out EXACTLY how each switch works, where the wires run between the two switches and draw myself a schematic (complete with color codes) to see how it works. Once I did that, I pulled both switches and ohm’ed them out to ensure they were working correctly and provided all the necessary connections. I then went into the wire harness and checked continuity of the two wire running from drivers to passengers switches. Everything passed with flying colors. Aliterate reading your response and comparing it to my schematic, I saw what it was that you were asking me to do - and now I know why. But, I did something slightly different and hopefully ended up with the same conclusion. Because the window operated fine in both directions from the drivers switch AND the ground supplied by the drivers switch to the passenger switch is the same ground path that is used for operation of the passenger window from the drivers side, it seemed to me that the problem could not be in the drivers switch or the wire between the two. I removed the drivers switch from the harness (thereby removing any ground path for the passenger side switch) I turned the ignition on and found the +12 supply on the passenger switches center pin. I then made a jumper wire and attached one end to a frame ground. I put the other end first to one of the two wires that go back to the drivers switch (one is white/yellow the other is tan/blue). By grounding the tan/blue wire I was able to run the window up but grounding the white/yellow still would not allow the window to go down. I could have taken it one step further and shorted both wires together and then tied both to ground but I think probably went far enough to prove the problem is in the switch OR possibly in the mechanical connection from the switch to the connector. As I was doing all this manipulation of the passenger switch, the window actually bumped down a time or two as if there was a loose intermittent connection somewhere in the assembly. I’ll check that out before I buy a new switch for sure as the switch and that particular circuit ohms out fine. I would appreciate your take on what I discovered. Did I miss something or do you think I figured it out? Any thing else you think I might do to be sure? Thanks again for heading me in the right direction. It all makes sense now!

 

I am NOT the grammar police but your one LONG sentence was hard to read

Yes, I think the problem is in the Drivers side switch, one of the 2 ground wires going to passenger side switch was NOT a good ground when driver's switch was "in neutral" position.
So wires themselves were fine, the fault is inside the switch itself,
You could test if BOTH wires at passenger side switch are grounds with drivers switch plugged in, they should be
From your test 1 will not be a good ground

 

Sorry I got a little long winded there, I was thinking it through and writing at the same time. Here’s the bottom line. I checked for good grounds on both return wires at the passenger switch - they were fine. In fact, all my investigation shows that the drivers side uses one of those ground paths when operating the passengers window and then, when it’s in the neutral position, adds a second ground path for use by the passenger switch. I’m sure anything is possible, but I can’t see the drivers side switch ever being the problem if it can operate the passenger window in both directions. Anyway, I observed the 12v across the window motor, first - then +, as I ran the window up and down from the drivers side. From the passenger side, I was only able to see it running up, no voltage with the “down” button. I found the 12v supply at the switch but did not get it at the + side of the motor when I pressed the down button. Pretty strong case for a bad passenger switch. For my own sanity, I went one step further. While holding the button down, I jumped the +12v to the + side of the motor and it ran the window down! The part that has me nuts, is that the switch ohm’s out fine. I can see the contacts from the 12v to the motor, open and close as I actuate the switch - but, it just won’t pass the 12v to operate the motor - however jumping the contacts makes it work fine, go figure!

 

Still got that switch? I know I need one !

 

The same issue happened to my 2008 Ranger, it was a problem with the wiring harness. Don't go out and buy a window motor or a master switch for the drivers side door unless you have too. No matter what you will have to take off a door panel to troubleshoot, so start with the drivers side. Take the door handle off, unplug the wiring, pull off the panel, and remove the speaker. There is a boot that protects the wiring from the door to the body frame. Reach in through the speaker hole, slide the boot along the wiring harness into the door. In between the door and the truck body, you will see the exposed wires, look for multiple broken or cracked wires. That where my problem originated.

 

The same issue happened to my 2008 Ranger, it was a problem with the wiring harness. Don't go out and buy a window motor or a master switch for the drivers side door unless you have too. No matter what you will have to take off a door panel to troubleshoot, so start with the drivers side. Take the door handle off, unplug the wiring, pull off the panel, and remove the speaker. There is a boot that protects the wiring from the door to the body frame. Reach in through the speaker hole, slide the boot along the wiring harness into the door. In between the door and the truck body, you will see the exposed wires, look for multiple broken or cracked wires. That where my problem originated.

 

Thanks for your reply. After some intense study of the wiring diagram of the power window circuit it was clear to me that if you can operate the passenger side window up and down from the drivers side switch but not from the passenger side, then the problem is in the passenger side switch. The drivers side uses a pair of wires running to the passenger side window (one for up direction - one for down). The passenger switch uses those same two wires as a ground return for the up and down operation from the passenger side. In fact, two additional grounds are offered to the passenger side switch when the drivers side is in the relaxed position. So, if you can operate the passenger side window from the drivers side, all wiring between the two sides must be good. I removed the passenger side switch and checked it out and, to my surprise, it passed all the continuity test but would not pass 12v through the contacts that control the up function so I bought a new switch and all is well now - $40 later.

 

Good stuff

Thanks for the update

 

Hey Rond I have a weird situation on my 2002 Mazda B3000. 3.0L. The driver side window won’t roll up or roll down. I replaced the motor and the switch and still same issue. It used to be the window would only roll down when the door was closed. It wouldn’t roll down when the door was open. And now the power locks are starting to not lock when the door is open. Only when the door is closed will the passenger side lock but the driver side won’t. Both power mirrors are working and the passenger window rolls up and down fine with both instrument clusters. Also when I go to roll down driver side window I hear a audible click so something is working but the window won’t roll down. And every time I take the door apart and put everything back together the window rolls up and down no issues. For a day. It’s very frustrating..