anyone know how i can get my power windows working? i need all possibilities

5

Asked by Adam Oct 21, 2010 at 06:15 PM about the Mercury Topaz

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

2 Answers

115

The #1 thing before I start, if you get the door panel off and can't fit your hands in the access holes to get at the mounting bolts for the window motor, DO NOT TRY TO FORCE YOUR HAND INSIDE... Had a friend try that once and then NEVER AGAIN, lol.... So if you can comfortably get your hand in and out, COOL! but be mindful that some things in there might be a tad on the sharp side if banged against... ;) YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!! :) Check to make sure the window is on its "track"...If its not, you will most likely hear something resembling a clicking noise when you're holding the button down...(which also confirms that the window motor is working if you can hear a "humming" (window motor noise), lol)...Removal of the door panel is the next step, so if you are mechanically inclined, this should take around 5-10 minutes per window, just be sure to have removed all of the screws, if you are unsure of anything or have never touched anything more complicated than windshield washer fluid on a car before, I would seek professional assistance... but if you think you're up to it, go buy a USED Haynes/Chilton manual for $5-10(or borrow one from your local library) first to familiarize yourself with the basic door panel setup! If you can hear the standard window motor noise while holding the button down, but the window doesn't move, or appears to shift up/down ever so slightly, the gear in the window motor that pushes/pulls the window up and down may have become misaligned, which is often incorrectly referred to as the "window coming off its track"... No, the window itself is still on the track, its the gear in the window motor that drives the track that is not contacting the track properly, lol...Anyways, longer more boring story short...You test each issue easily enough... At first, be gentle with the window, if it really has come off the track, you may have to wiggle it back in place side to side or up and down... its pretty obvious if it has...as the window will most likely not was to go up/down(period), even with you pulling it up(or down)... If you've established that it is on the track, plus you can hear the motor while you're pushing up or pulling down on the window (while holding the power button), and the window starts to move in either direction, but only with your help, its probable that the motor is pretty much dead and should be replaced... [I suggest "Rockauto.com" for aftermarket car parts for our Topaz's, as they are the cheapest by far and have provided me with nothing but quality parts! To which I did have an issue once, but unlike other online retailers, they actually have a great team of customer service reps that can actually speak english or at the very least will try to solve your problem! :) ] (For the most part), these Topaz/Tempo window setups are pretty basic, so there are only so many things that can go wrong...the last possibility, as mentioned earlier... is that there is most likely an internal reason for the window motor GEAR being misaligned... In one case, I dissected the passenger side window motor to find out that the rubber gasket that prevents thick bearing grease from spilling out all over the place,had started to decay long ago, which had torn out chunks of rubber inside the bowels of the motor, causing binding and a lack of willingness to spin forwards or backwards! After a disassembly and cleaning of the motor internals with a grease solvent(make sure its electrical safe if you want to try the rebuild method), I repacked it with a Synthetic Multi-Purpose Lithium #2 bearing grease, (any general purpose grease will work, but I have never been impressed with what that black 2 cent sludge does with anything electrical)... Cut a new gasket to size and used some permatex sealer to adhere it, and presto, working window again! But realistically, I'd just suggest buying a new motor, rebuilding is a pain in the a$$ if you're not into that sort of thing... but you asked for "all possibilities", so I gave most that I am aware of!! :D There's silly things too, like that something could have become lodged in the window track,etc, like a large hard-shelled BUG or something, (stranger things have happened), but its highly unlikely, MUCH more likely that there's a mechanical deficiency of some form... Just LOOK carefully, for any parts in the door that look broken,or bent,etc, in which case, your options may be limited, as specific internal body replacement parts for these cars is limited, auto recyclers, boneyards,etc are VERY useful for that purpose, but many of these cars have already been picked clean...Loads to look through though! Again, if any of this was the least bit confusing...or you think is out of your skill set, ask someone for help, or go to a PRO for a second opinion! :) Good Luck! ~Matt

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