milirx450h

I have a 2003 ES300 that has a slow-moving driver's side window (left front). Going down isn't a problem, but it is slow going back up and usually stops halfway, after which I have to wait a minute or two for the motor to agree to go finish the job. It seems like the window is hanging up or dragging on something. I have replaced the window regulator and the motor, and checked and lubricated the window guides. That didn't fix my problem so I hunted down the relay but realized that doesn't seem to be my problem either. The window switches on all doors work fine. I can't think of any other problems that could be causing the window to stop on its way up. Anyone have any suggestions / ideas? Thanks.

Mythotical

with the motor removed but still plugged in, look for voltage drop at the motor when under load. Use a clothesline clip on the gear and squeeze it slightly to produce a load. If voltage changes between up and down then look for broken or damaged wires in the harness that passes through the rubber tube in the door jam.

milirx450h

Interesting idea...I understand what you're saying about using a clothesline clip to produce a load but how/where do I measure a possible drop in voltage? I do have a voltmeter...where should I connect it to read the voltage? Thanks.

Mythotical

Push the probes into the back of the connector. You are watching for the difference in voltage at the motor and at the next connection upstream from the rubber tube in the door jam.

milirx450h

I couldn't get my voltmeter to read the voltage with the wiring harness connected to the motor. I was, however, able to get a reading of just under 11 volts when I disconnected the harness from the motor and pushed my voltmeter probes into the wiring harness connector and pushed the switch for up and down. Thanks for the help Mythotical.

mitmaks

Its simple, replace your motor, they get worn out after a while and unless you can rebuild one (why bother) replace it.

Mythotical

Eleven volts is a good indication of a bad connection or broken wire somewhere. Your battery when fully charged should be around 12.9 volts and even at the far end of the electrical system like the tail lights you should only see a drop of about 0.4 volts or so. one other thing you can try is to build a jumper circuit to the motor directly and take it to the battery with a switch. This will prove that the motor is not at fault. The way this problem develops is that every time you open and close a car door the wire harness in the door jam has to bend. After years of bending the strands of wires inside the jackets begin to break and with fewer and fewer strands left to transmit the amperage needed to lower and lift a window it becomes apparent when things begin to slow down there is a problem. The same thing can happen to the speaker wires, power door locks and sometimes power/heated mirrors. So the smart thing to do when electrical systems fail in a situation where wires are stressed daily is to check the circuit first. This will always be better than flinging parts at a problem until something sticks. Sadly there are a lot of backyard and professional mechanics alike who fail to realize this.

milirx450h

Hey mitmaks, I did replace the original motor with a remanufactured one (dealer wanted $500+ for a new one - ouch!) but my original motor was actually stronger than the remanufactured one.

milirx450h

I bought a new digital multimeter because I was being cheap and using a crappy analog one for my previous, inaccurate readings. With the new meter I found that my voltage drop from the battery to the window switch was about 0.5 volts so I think I'm ok there. I also looked at the wires in the wiring harness in the door jamb and didn't see anything visibly wrong there. All of the other windows work as they should from the driver's seat switch, as do the power door locks, power mirror, speaker, etc. I hate the idea of taking my car to the dealer to have them look at it but I'm just about to the point where I'm thinking about it.

mitmaks

Go ahead and totally ignore my post there bud, seems like you have more money than brain, that's why you'll be taking it to the dealer.

milirx450h

Mitmaks, thanks for the positive attitude and insight, very much appreciated.

TGJ

My Lexus did the same thing yesterday. When I got home I looked up solutions and come across this page. It was quite chilly outside yesterday and didn't really feel like pulling things apart, especially since I just got my second hip replaced in December. The wife got home from work and informed me that the window was down in the Lexus and I told her I knew that and that it wouldn't go up. She said, oh, well let me good that for you. I looked on as she went outside, hoped in the vehicle, started it up and proceeded to roll the window up. Then she turned it off, come back inside, flipped me the keys and said, There. I just looked at her and thought, ok maybe it say there long enough, like others have, and it rolled up. She said, sometimes the driver window does that and all you have to do is push down the wooden party where the switch is and it will roll right up. Since it is getting cold around here and I drive it daily, I want going to take the chance and roll it back down to see if it would work again, but anyways, it did work for mine. Not saying it will work for everybody else but, it's worth a try. Good Luck.

acarapella

Does your alternator put out 13.8 v or so?