Need Detailed Info on Gen 3 Powered Window Master Switch

[LineInTheWater]

I was having problems with my driver's window being intermittent when going up. I followed the electrical checkouts in the Toyota manual, and it appears the master switch (specifically the driver's button on the master switch) is causing the problem.

I've opened up my master switch using the instructions on this DIY:

DIY: Power Window Master Switch

I've cleaned everything up quite well ... most of the soot is gone and the contacts are in much better condition.

I have one lingering issue/question that I was hoping someone might be able to answer. I was hoping someone may actually have one off these master switches handy to compare. Look at the image below (from the DIY), where the author annotates the "note 4 arrows ...". If the driver's window switch is "pulled up", the receiving contact indicated by the left-most arrow is pushed and "connected". Likewise, when the window switch is "pushed down", the receiving contact indicated by the right-most arrow is pushed and "connected". I'm hoping I'm making sense here.





Now, when I initially started cleaning, the left-most "up" contact was affixed to a plastic stand/separator. But after cleaning, it became loose, and now moves away from the plastic, with the actuating contact, when pushed. However, the right-most "down" contact was never affixed to it's plastic separator, but there is another plastic tab extension on it's plastic stand/separator that prevents the actuating contact from continuing to push it away from the plastic. I'm sure everyone is scratching their head at this point - hard to describe unless you have it right in front of you.

I'm trying to determine if those receiving contacts are supposed to be moving freely or are supposed to be affixed (glued or whatever) to their respective plastic separators. It is possible the "up" contact simply became fused to the plastic over time, and my cleaning simply made it release and go back to its normal function. Or it's possible both contacts need to be re-affixed to their plastic stands/separators. I'm also unclear why only one side (the down contact) has an extended tab. Did the same tab break off on the up side? It doesn't look like it.

I may have to take my own closeup pics and annotate it to show how the switch is behaving.

[LineInTheWater]

Ok, to make things more clear, I put together three quick diagrams of how the driver's switch basically works.

The first diagram shows the general layout, the second shows how it behaves when the switch is pulled "up" (to put up the window), and the third shows the switch being pushed "down".



As you can see in the 2nd diagram, the receiving contact moves away from the plastic stand (blue box) when it is pushed. Before I started cleaning, it didn't - it stayed attached/affixed to the plastic.



In the third diagram, pushing "down", the receiving contact was not affixed to its plastic stand, but there is a "stop" extension tab that prevents the two from significantly moving away from the plastic.

[LynchburgCSI]

Dude. Junkyard. Get a new switch. Problem solved. I may even have one I could sell you.

[LineInTheWater]

Originally Posted by LynchburgCSI

Dude. Junkyard. Get a new switch. Problem solved. I may even have one I could sell you.

I don't even know if anything is really wrong with this switch, besides perhaps the soot messing up the connection. That's why I posted my question.

Since I've already cleaned it up, why wouldn't I first see if it solves the problem?

[LynchburgCSI]

^ What are you asking? With a clean contact or a new switches the problem should be fixed.

[LineInTheWater]

Originally Posted by LynchburgCSI

^ What are you asking? With a clean contact or a new switches the problem should be fixed.

I can't make my question any more clear than I've already stated. If anyone out there has a functioning master switch in front of them, I'd appreciate a comparison to the contact diagrams I've provided above. Otherwise, I'm going to put this back together and give it a test as-is.

[LynchburgCSI]

i'll take mine is i can find it and take it apart for ya. i see what your asking, but i still think it's better if you just had it replaced. this reminds me of the time i spent $20 trying to fix my power antenna that i could have replaced with a fixed one for less. sometimes its just better to replace something than nit-pick over little things that caused a problem.

[LineInTheWater]

Originally Posted by LynchburgCSI

i'll take mine is i can find it and take it apart for ya. i see what your asking, but i still think it's better if you just had it replaced. this reminds me of the time i spent $20 trying to fix my power antenna that i could have replaced with a fixed one for less. sometimes its just better to replace something than nit-pick over little things that caused a problem.

Any help/comparison you could provide would be absolutely great!

I completely agree about not "nit-picking" over repairs that you can throw a little money at. That said, I do like to repair things and I haven't spent too much time on this - just the time to diagnose/confirm the original intermittent window problem and clean the soot (and put up this thread). Pretty easy so far. I've already picked out a new master window switch if my cleaning and tinkering doesn't work.

[Oddman]

Check the wiring between the master switch and the junction box inside the car ....... it could be a broken wire.

[LineInTheWater]

I just wanted to report back.

I still don't know if the contacts were supposed to behave as described above. But since they still seemed to be making a solid connection, I decided to move ahead without tinkering.

As a test, I decided to try to actuate the driver's switch without the actual plastic faceplate attached (just plugged in the white portion on the first pic in this thread). I used an insulated pointer to move the small white plastic tab back and forth. The window worked perfectly; I didn't see the intermittent behavior that was my original problem. So, this 100% confirmed to me that the switch (specifically the interface between the faceplate and circuitry) was causing the original problem. Anyway, to double check, I popped on the faceplate, and the "down" of the driver's window switch would not engage at all.

When I originally read the DIY thread posted in my original post, I saw the OP discussing filing down the tabs on the back of the plastic driver's switch (see his post for more details). After some inspection, my switch was also not rotating far enough any more. I'm guessing this is due to the wearing down of the internal plastic components rubbing on each other over the last 2 decades. So I took the DIY author's advice and filed down the tabs so that, from the backside, the plastic switch was clearly swinging the entire available distance. Hooked it back up, and the switch worked great!

Everything is all back together. Hopefully this permanently solves the problem.

[eyeball96]

Originally Posted by LineInTheWater

I just wanted to report back.

I still don't know if the contacts were supposed to behave as described above. But since they still seemed to be making a solid connection, I decided to move ahead without tinkering.

As a test, I decided to try to actuate the driver's switch without the actual plastic faceplate attached (just plugged in the white portion on the first pic in this thread). I used an insulated pointer to move the small white plastic tab back and forth. The window worked perfectly; I didn't see the intermittent behavior that was my original problem. So, this 100% confirmed to me that the switch (specifically the interface between the faceplate and circuitry) was causing the original problem. Anyway, to double check, I popped on the faceplate, and the "down" of the driver's window switch would not engage at all.

When I originally read the DIY thread posted in my original post, I saw the OP discussing filing down the tabs on the back of the plastic driver's switch (see his post for more details). After some inspection, my switch was also not rotating far enough any more. I'm guessing this is due to the wearing down of the internal plastic components rubbing on each other over the last 2 decades. So I took the DIY author's advice and filed down the tabs so that, from the backside, the plastic switch was clearly swinging the entire available distance. Hooked it back up, and the switch worked great!

Everything is all back together. Hopefully this permanently solves the problem.

Good move, and Congrats on getting it to work!

ASG14(the Gen 3 master) cleaned the contacts on the drivers switch on my coupe, and it worked great for a while, but then started acting up again.

I bought a new one on Ebay from "Switchdoctor". Bought another for my daughters 96 4dr too. Tho not OEM, they work great, and are of good quality. Amazing superfast shipper too. Reasonably priced. IMHO