If a 1999 Town and Country drivers power window started out with intermittent problems going down and this escalated to both directions should you replace the motor and door switch or just the switch?

Answer 1

Sorry, I do not have the definitive answer, but maybe my experience will be helpful. I was plagued with the same problem on the drivers side window, though more pronounced with going up. Waiting a few minutes or longer, it would go back up a few inches, then stop again. I repeated the process until window was finally up. I later discovered that if you "grasped" the window and assisted it, you would have much better success. As Murphy's Law would have it, failures occurred at an in-oppurtune time usually. So it was hard to test for 12 volts at the motor when it was failing. I came to the conclusion it had to be the motor, theorizing it was already weak or had a winding that was shorting and made it overheat, making it work at first, then fail. After trying to overhaul the motor, I eventually replaced it.

Hooray, it worked... for 3 or 4 months. Arrgh! It is exhibiting that exact same properties. I have read on another site about the possibility that the motor is fine, that real problem is in the lifting cables. They are somewhat like the hand brake cable of bicycle, where a flexible cable slides within a tubular shroud. If these cables are insufficiently lubricated, they may cause too much mechanical resistance for the motor to overcome. Also if the cable shroud is not firmly secured at either end, it may be absorbing the movement of cable as the motor winds the cables.

I find it hard to believe the motor itself has failed again, although anything is possible. The replacement motor I used was new from a auto parts store, not an actual OEM motor. Before I tear back into it, I'm thinking about contacting a Service Manager at a Chrysler dealership. Perhaps there is a service bulletin on this.

I had problem with motor not working on the up switch on drivers door. Replaced motor and cables. When you replace both be sure that you have window all the way down before you take off cables. If not you will have a major head ache trying to remove cables. It is very easy if you have window all the way down. Use your own judgment on how far you want it down to remove cables. Took me about 2 hours for everything. Be sure to tighten all things back up so window does not bind in rail.