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Power window problems - SOLVED!

2385 Views 4 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  Armby, 
billshoff2
My power windows are giving problems. It started after I removed the interior door panels to add sound deadening, so I can only blame myself. IMO the electrical plugs for the master power window switch and the power door locks are too fragile. The metal male/female connectors inside the plugs are made of soft metal (aluminum, maybe?) and they can't withstand multiple unplugging and re-installation cycles.

I know, I know. I shouldn't be unplugging the connectors too often but it an effort to make the windows operate correctly....

So, sometimes 3 of the power windows work but more often they don't. The driver's side rear window never works. My guess is the problem lies in the driver's door master switch. I think the connections should be tighter but I don't know how to do it. The tiny male/female connectors are impossible to pinch with pliers.

Would dielectric grease help? Should I try to bend the male pins ever so slightly to create more friction against the female connector?.. that could be risky. Any ideas?

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Z
The crimp contacts on most of these connectors is made from tin plated brass. They are typically good for a few dozen cycles.

Dielectric grease is actually an insulator. It helps only to prevent corrosion due to moisture.

I would try to bend the pins slightly to make more solid contact. Also make sure none of the wires have pulled out of their crimp contacts. If you break a pin, you can find them on Digikey and Mouser. Look for ".070 MULTILOCK" This is used on most the larger connectors on Subaru.
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billshoff2
Solved

Finally removed the driver's door panel today to check the wiring and the master switch. Turns out that one of the wiring pins was not pushed down enough to make contact. Using a very small flat head screw driver I pushed the pin further down into the female connector on the bottom side of the master switch and immediately found joy.

Hallelujah!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:
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2.5x_sleeper
@billshoff2 thank you for updating your thread with the solution! I'll add "SOLVED!" to your thread title.

Bobby...

['07 FSXT Member Journal] ['03 X Member Journal]
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A
I had a similar problem after I removed the door panel to replace what I thought was a broken mirror control switch. (Turns out the switch was fine. It had just popped out of its mount).

After I reinstalled the door panel, the right rear window wasn’t working. I removed the door panel again, checked the connectors, everything looked fine, so reattached the connector and reinstalled the panel. The right rear window still didn't work and but now the left rear went down but not back up and the auto up/down on the drivers door was broken.

It was at this point that I found this thread. Off came the panel again. Checked all the pins in the connectors. They seemed ok, but I pushed a few down as suggest by billshoff2. Then tried the windows before popping the door panel back on. It was still misbehaving so I tried wiggling and pushing down hard on the whole connector. That fixed everything except the auto up/down. I fixed that using the reset procedure in the manual.

It seems that the connector is a little flaky. The connector was ”clicked“ into the tab, but that was not good enough. It needed to be pushed hard past that point to have all the pins seat properly.
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