i dont have enough post to post in writeup or how to's, so im putting it here, if you own a 97 and up xj and you have problems with your power windows, such as only drivers control works to put windows up and down and so on the problem is not the lockout button and i think i have found out what the problem for most of you is,, iv been having problems with my windows only working from driver side control, then it turned into windows not even working, then only worked when drivers door was completely shut... so i could not take it anymore i started looking into it, i also used the jumper wire method for awhile, the jumper wire is not the issue neither is the child safety switch going bad all the time like everyone claims, the problem is the harness, now look at the picture of my harness, this is where it runs from door on drivers side into the jeep itself, the rubber looked fine the tape and Velcro underneath all looked fine.. long story short something went wrong when jeep ran this harness on 97 and up xjs, i replaced all the wires and made a new harness and bam all windows work from each door switch, and the child safety switch works as should, no wonder they didn't work LOOK AT THOSE WIRES!!

 

each wire was either broke or fully exposed, the doors have never been off my jeep sense factory, was never wrecked, and there was no sighs of getting caught or pulled anywhere you couldn't even tell they were messed up because the harness runs through the rubber tube from door to the inside, Im sure this will help some people out, i dont like seeing a harness like that on mine and figured i would share, because its not the window lock switch going bad, or the window switch itself, for some reason only this side door harness gets messed up on 97 and up xjs... I know there's not a lot out there on this topic and people are just dealing with this issue as i did, but it only got worse for me its winter and i couldn't even get my windows to go up

 

The wires going to my third brake light were the same on my 2000, had to solder new wire on all the wires.

 

I think this could be a problem with all xjs, when I took off my door panels I saw a lot of wire running past sheet metal edges.

 

yeah i dont like jumper wires, to me that is not fixing a issue its jerry rigging it, so i looked into it i couldnt believe i was riding around in my jeep with a wire harness like that with my 3 year old daughter. it could have caught fire. I believe the harness stock is to short and when you open and close the door it streches the wires, thats just my thoughts, i added 4 inches to my harness and my doorlocks, windows, lights on the switches, and everything work as they would brand new

 

This is a common problem with many vehicles. XJ, ZJ all years......if I had time I would list every make I know of.........nice that you fixed it the right way.

I can not tell you how many times I had to "undue" someones "fix" just to make it right.

 

Those look like they were getting pinched somewhere. It's a pretty clean cut and they all broke at the same area. Hopefully mine doesn't get like that.

 

hmm i was gonna do the jumper wire to fix mine now i might just pull the harness and check it out. kind of weird that the rubber and tape all looked to be just fine though hiding the broken wires under them.

 

yeah, if your having problems with power windows i would check your harness out... its pretty simple to take the harness out, you have 3 wire clips behind the kick panel inside, the harness has to be removed trough the door because the big power window clip does not fit through the hole for the cabin, never know what you'll find mine looked normal untill i unwrapped the factory harness

 

Moved to OEM Tech.

 

I had this same problem....I replaced the driver door switch and it solved my problem....all my window and locks work from each door now.....something else to keep in mind if all your wires look good going thru the door

 

checked on one of my xjs and the harness was just fine. must have been the switch so the jumper wire fixed it so its all good.

 

I had same problem but drivers door switch fixed it, but I had the wire problem with the stock speaker wires on my sons 99, ran new ones.

 

I've seen similar problems with different makes. Ford, GM, Chrysler, Jeep, etc. Usually starts to show itself once the vehicle is 10 years old or older.

It happens because the wires are bent and straightened each time the door is open. The insulation on the wires loses its flexibility as it ages, and slowly begins to crack and split. Once the insulation starts to fall apart, the wires are exposed to moisture and dirt and they start to fray and break as well.

The wires are not cut or nicked or damaged when they leave the factory. It is just simple wear and tear.

Sounds like you did a good repair on your's. Hopefully you will get many more years of use without trouble.

 

I have this problem on my 98. Thanks for posting. I am going to check this out before I put the money out for a new window switch.