kiffer27

I have a 2000 Cherokee Sport 4WD 4 door and owned since new. My problem is the power windows don't work. Seems like a common problem, but none of the answers seem to help me. The symptoms.......started by power windows not operating from anywhere but the drivers door. Locks and mirrors worked fine. Then passenger side mirror stopped working up & down (I suspect a remote motor failure). Then the drivers door window stopped (about a year later). Now locks work, mirrors work (except as above) and lights come on in the drivers dor switch, but go out if any of the buttons are activated. I have replaced the door master switch twice with switches form The Switch Doctor....same results, except when the driver window is activated, a loud buzz comes from the switch for about 5 seconds (I thot I had a defective switch and TSD replaced it). Have had car to mechanic and he said there is power to the door and all windows operate if a jumper is used in the switch block, terminal to terminal. I have checked all fuses in passenger footwell with a meter and they are ok. I have visually checked all fuses under the hood and they look OK, but being a Canadian vehicle, the manual says there are none there relative to the windows.....in any case I have power at the door. Any help would be appreciated.

BlueRidgeMark

First, I suggest you try applying power directly to the motor to see if your problem is bad motors or something in the wiring or switches.

It's easy to do, but you have to take the door panel off first. You'll find the power lead going to the motor pretty easily. There are two wires running into a connector.

You'll need to make up a long jumper so you can get power to it. You can pick up some speaker wire (18 gauge or better) and some alligator clamps (to connect to the battery) from your local parts store.

You'll also need some insulated connectors to connect to the motor. The older Jeeps used .250 connectors, but my 97 uses .187, so yours is probably the .187. That's just a guess, though. You'll need to figure that out when you get in there. Whatever the size is, you want insulated connectors so you don't fry anything. Here's the kind I mean:

http://www.delcity.net/store/Fully!i...inals/p_801991


Don't worry about which connector goes where - if you're wrong, the window will try to go up, so just swap them to go down.

If you can't figure out the right size connectors, you could just cut the two wires, do your test, then splice them back together. Just make sure you splice them back the same way they were!

If the motors work when you apply power, you know your problem is in the wiring or switches. If they don't, you know the motor needs to be replaced.

If the motor works, next check for voltage at the power lead when you operate the switch. Check it with a meter. If you see voltage, don't assume the wiring is all good. Now you need to test it with it plugged in to the motor. You'll need something sharp to pierce the wire's insulation when you test it. The idea here is to see what voltage you have when there's a load on it. If the voltage is really low when the motor is plugged in (that's the load on it), you probably have some corrosion somewhere in your wiring.


Give that a shot and let us know.

ch45x7

That sounds like you have a broken wire. Most likely in the rubber boot between the door and frame. You didn't mention checking those wires.
When you say the mechanic said they work when using a jumper did you mean the common power window fix? Take off the kick panel and jump the two wires to bypass the window lock button?

kiffer27

Thanks for the replies. BlueRidgeMark, but I am not sure what I would be testing here. The door panel is off, and the switch removed on the drivers door. If the power terminal is attached to the appropriate terminal in the switch terminal block via a jumper, the windows will go up/down depending on the terminals. This would tell me that all motors are functional and are getting power to them. Am I missing something??

ch45x7...I haven't bypassed the window lock button, but by the very fact that 3 separate switches don't work, would tell me that it isn't the window lock button.

ch45x7

I think there is some confusion. "Have had car to mechanic and he said there is power to the door and all windows operate if a jumper is used in the switch block, terminal to terminal." From this it sounds like the mechanic has done the bypass which caused the windows to work. Maybe he did the bypass at the plug that goes into the master switch. Here is the link for the common fix to power windows not working

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/win...working-13287/

The fix I linked to above works because the circuit that the window lock button works on on the circuit board has become damaged (usually a bad solder connection) and the windows are now locked out from any switch other than the master. The fix bypasses the window lock circuit, effectively making it so the window lock button is never pressed.
This is a simple fix to try first. If it works, great, if not then on to the next common problem.

Second common problem, and the more likely one considering none of your switches work including the master, is a broken wire in the rubber boot that goes between the door and the frame of the vehicle.
Here is a link to a youtube video that shows how to get at those wires.


Don't let the guy fool you, it can be a pain in the *** getting the boot stuffed in the door frame.

If neither of these solutions work then I'm at the end of my knowledge.
Make sure to update what finally solves the problem.

Hope this helps.

kiffer27

Thanks ch45x7....I will try the paperclip bypass solution and see what happens. It is still a mystery as to why 2 new switches still don't work. I'll also check for broken wires in the door boot because (mysteriously enough) I don't have any sound from the front speakers. Just thot it had been my kid listening to head banging music that blew them. I will repost here to let you know the resolution. Might take a day or two since we are in the throws of our first winter days @ 5 below and I am working outside. Thanks for the help.

ch45x7

Not a problem, hope it's just some broken wires. After trying 2 new master switches I'm guessing it's probably broken wires.
I have to take a look at my wires too, power lock switch not working right, and it just started snowing here today as well. It may just have to wait for a random warm day.

Best of luck.

kiffer27

Well, I tried the paperclip bypass solution, jumping between the brown and yellow wire behind the drivers side kick-panel and still no windows. I don't think it's the window lock-out button. Here's a recap of what I have....power at the window switch block in the driver's armrest (lights on door switch on, locks work, power mirrors work). Mechanic can get the windows to function by jumping terminals in the terminal block that plugs into window switch, so motors are good. Have tried 3 separate door switches (2 new, and the old one) and results are all the same except for a buzzing (about 5 seconds) from the new switches when the drivers window is activated. Any ideas??