Just bought a '93 LE - Driver's window doesn't go up but the other windows work fine

[eilros]

I just bought my first Toyota today - a 1993 Camry LE with 152K miles.

All of the windows worked when I test drove it but when I got home, the driver's window wouldn't go all of the way back up. I could completely open it but it would only go back up about 3". Now it won't even do that. It's stuck completely open. Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix that?

Thanks
Dave

[papariccardo]

Lets hope it's the Camry window ghost. Mine does the same, try holding the button down for 10secs, see if it works then. Mine has gone out on me twice in 2 weeks, and before that for the previous owner. However, it comes back and works fine again afterwards.

Either that, or the switch or actuator are stuffed.

Welcome to TN, btw! Camrys are generally the most reliable of rides, don't fret too much.

[eilros]

Originally Posted by papariccardo

Lets hope it's the Camry window ghost. Mine does the same, try holding the button down for 10secs, see if it works then. Mine has gone out on me twice in 2 weeks, and before that for the previous owner. However, it comes back and works fine again afterwards.

Either that, or the switch or actuator are stuffed.

Welcome to TN, btw! Camrys are generally the most reliable of rides, don't fret too much.

Hopefully it's something simple and cheap. It's frustrating because the other windows all work fine.

[eilros]

Is there any way to manually close the window until I can get it fixed?

[Kep]

Hmm, the word "search" comes to mind...

Check out DIY: Power Window Master Switch

There are others.

If you're lucky and it isn't the motor you can over ride the switch once you dismantle it or you can run power to the motor to raise the window and then disconnect the wire connector to keep from lowering it until you fix it.

Kep

[eilros]

Originally Posted by Kep

Hmm, the word "search" comes to mind...

Check out DIY: Power Window Master Switch

There are others.

If you're lucky and it isn't the motor you can over ride the switch once you dismantle it or you can run power to the motor to raise the window and then disconnect the wire connector to keep from lowering it until you fix it.

Kep

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate it. I did search and spent over an hour reading through posts and didn't come across this one.

[J708]

If you know of a good mechanic who's decent enough to tell you whether its the motor or something simple which can be fixed without replacing the motor. Go for it. But if its the motor, then get ready to spend about 135$ for a new motor. The good news is the window motors my Camry only stop working about 7 or 8 years. Mine -back right- broke down after 10 years. So to avoid headaches. Just get it replaced if the mechanic gives you a hard time.

[eilros]

I cleaned all of the connections and it didn't fix my problem. It's amazing how much crud is on the connections. At least I eliminated one potential source of the problem.

[Your Uncle Moe]

^I was about to tell you that its most likely not the fault of the Power Window Master switch. Do another search and you will find some threads started by me.

The problem most likely is in the rubber boot connecting your door to your chassis. Take off your interior door piece and try to remove that rubber boot. You cant really remove it but you can move it around enough to inspect the wiring inside them. I am sure that you will most likely discover several broken wires inside. The wires have been crushed and frayed over the many years and eventually broke. cute off the broken ends and re-attach the wires. I tied, soldered then taped them together. Now it works fine.

To test if this is your problem try holding the window switch in the "UP" position and jiggling the rubber boot around for a minute or two. Eventually the wires will touch and raise the window up.

I am 100% sure this is your problem. It seems that it is very common.

[papariccardo]

Originally Posted by Gridlyne

^I am 100% sure this is your problem. It seems that it is very common.

Excellent! I'm gonna go check mine now too. Thanks for the very useful tip.

[eilros]

Originally Posted by Gridlyne

^I was about to tell you that its most likely not the fault of the Power Window Master switch. Do another search and you will find some threads started by me.

The problem most likely is in the rubber boot connecting your door to your chassis. Take off your interior door piece and try to remove that rubber boot. You cant really remove it but you can move it around enough to inspect the wiring inside them. I am sure that you will most likely discover several broken wires inside. The wires have been crushed and frayed over the many years and eventually broke. cute off the broken ends and re-attach the wires. I tied, soldered then taped them together. Now it works fine.

To test if this is your problem try holding the window switch in the "UP" position and jiggling the rubber boot around for a minute or two. Eventually the wires will touch and raise the window up.

I am 100% sure this is your problem. It seems that it is very common.

Thanks for the advice Gridlyne. I'm going to try that tomorrow. Do you have any pics of the area that causes problems?

[Kep]

While I would agree that there might be a broken wire in the door boot if there were multiple doors having window or lock problems (or an individual door other than the driver side) I can't figure out why only the driver side door would be affected if one of the door boot wires is broken. I believe all of the functions share the hot and ground wires going to the master switch. I am pretty sure that the wires going from the switch to the driver side window aren't routed through the driver side door boot.

While checking the door boot wire wouldn't hurt I would expect the problem would be inside the driver side door. My favorite will always be the switch since I had the same problem with two Camrys. However, the motor and in-the-door wiring would also be suspect. It will be interesting to see what eilros determines that the problem is.

Kep

[gladis]

My rear left door has been broken for years.

The window doesn't open (both switches) and power lock doesn't work anymore either (mechanical lock works)

The locking system seems to be a problem with Toyotas (at least for me). Our newer Sienna (2000) also has a broken power lock (passenger side)

[dc_98_cam]

Originally Posted by eilros

I just bought my first Toyota today - a 1993 Camry LE with 152K miles.

All of the windows worked when I test drove it but when I got home, the driver's window wouldn't go all of the way back up. I could completely open it but it would only go back up about 3". Now it won't even do that. It's stuck completely open. Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix that?

Thanks
Dave

If you have the driver front door panel removed, locate the red and green wire going between the PWMS and the window motor/actuator.

Get a voltmeter and see if there is voltage on either the red or green wire as you activate the master switch up and down controls. If you do not observe any voltage in the red and green wires, then the PWMS is internally defective. If you do see voltage on the red and green wires, then the motor is defective.

Congratulation on cleaning the PWMS contacts ... always a good place to start. ... even if it didn't work.

[eilros]

The motor is shot. Hopefully it's an easy replacement. My Toyota dealer wants $250 to replace it so I'm going to attempt it myself. Are there any tricky spots I'll need to keep an eye open for?