Car Window Won’t Close/Open how to fix

This video shows a simple fix for a power window that won’t move on a 2000 Chex Suburban. A general strategy for many vehicles with this problem is shown. Be sure you have the key at hand during this repair, since disconnecting the power door lock module with battery connected will trigger a car alarm that needs to be turned off by inserting the key and starting the vehicle.
This amateur demonstration is shown for free but with no guarantees as to safety or accuracy. Before attempting repair of your vehicle, be sure to read widely and verify important details from at least two sources. The best general resource is the dealers repair manual which is available online from many vendors. DIY auto repair is intrinsically risky and you need to be prepared to accept these risks before moving forward. Any misadventure you encounter if you decide to repair your vehicle is your responsibility.

[@april3097]

Honestly so many of yoir videos couldve helped me in the past, I'm so glad I've found them now!

[@spelunkerd]

Thanks for the sub!

[@bgregg55]

So essentially, you're extending the motor life by reducing the mechanical resistance in the drive mechanism. A dealer mechanic would've thrown a new motor at it & billed you $400US. I need to pick up silicone paste. Thx for the tip.

[@spelunkerd]

Excellent point! If a sticking or binding mechanism is ignored for too long the motor dies as a result of excessive current. Those motor windings have surprisingly thin wires, and they aren't designed to withstand the higher and longer current draw of a sticking mechanism. Starter motors die this way all the time, and for them the current draw is much higher when the rotor moves slowly. I've often wondered if fuel pumps die this way, too. When the filter is in the tank, nobody want's to change it, and when it gets clogged the motor duty cycle is much higher. Ultimately you need to drop the tank and swap out both the filter and the motor.

[@stuzman52]

Wow Dave! Filmed 3-1/2 years ago and still working. I believe that you fixed it for sure :) Sounds like it probably was in need of lubrication. Great work Dave!

[@spelunkerd]

Simple solutions often save the day, certainly within reach of everybody. Thanks for watching, Terry.

[@1weirddoe571]

Just slam the door a few times while pressing the switch up--frees the motor brushes from slightly in a dead spot.

[@spelunkerd]

You raise a good point! If the motor is the problem, the old 'bang on it' strategy can sometimes work. Unfortunately that trick is neither specific nor sensitive to help with diagnosis, since a bad switch or connector could behave the same way. In this case it was a purely mechanical problem, still fixed even today.

[@kyhomegarage3430]

Thanks for the tip my friend. I never used that type of lubricant it's time to get one. Cheers

[@spelunkerd]

For some reason it's not sold in many stores, though online it's easy to find. Thanks for stopping by!

[@RAJESHShah-vo1hm]

Excellent

[@curiosity2314]

I was concerned at first with adding lubricate but if it solved the problem then so be it. Sluggish may well be the key here, my 1994 Ford Taurus wagon had the same issue on the drivers side which gets used more often then the rest. It never got so bad that it would not close but it was annoying. Had better things to do being a service tech on the road so I did not investigate at the time. At 300,000 she went to Kar4Kids with allot of life left. Put many suspension parts in not due to design but rather bad roads. Wisconsin is not known for the best roads.. 4 years back moved to Illinois, some issues but the roads are good.

[@spelunkerd]

I know what you mean, it's easy to procrastinate and put up with small annoying issues. In the end I usually end up fixing it and then I wonder why I put up with it for so long! Often I rationalize fixing it by wondering if I would want to disclose the problem to a new buyer, balancing ethical considerations against resale value. Fixing it sooner takes those issues off the table, another reason to do it now. Thanks for stopping by!

[@zx8401ztv]

I would have asked you "does the window rocket up and down with 12 volts fed direct from the battery?.", but that was 3 years ago and your memory isn't as fresh with the fine details. I will have to become a "time lord" and nip back to ask you lol :-D. Obviously if the window went like a rocket with 12v direct, i would say open the gator between the door and body, it's possible the power wires will have most of there strands broken. But thats me jumping to conclusions lol. I don't like self fixing problems, i know it's just waiting for a bad moment to fail again.

[@spelunkerd]

Yes, good point, you get clues as you go along.

[@shawnmrfixitlee6478]

Great share man ! Thumbs up..

[@spelunkerd]

Thanks, Shawn!

[@fieldsofomagh]

Better to start with the simplest and end with the complicated. Unwanted friction can cause a lot of problems.

[@spelunkerd]

Absolutely, it's surprisingly easy to get things backward because of preconceived ideas. Thanks for watching.