Window not closing

[Green Fly]

Off side window has decided to not close even when setting alarm. Door will open so ecu knows door is shut. Any ideas will be appreciated.

[rens914]

have the same thing
it's the window encoder
sent it to somebody to fix but it's taking age's
best thing is to order a new one
they are about 35 quid (ex vat)
racing green sell's them
rens

Edited by rens914 on Monday 3rd May 07:31

[Big Al.]

Happened to me once when in France, it turned out to be the little circuit card gizmo in the door that got damp and decided to throw a wobbly.

All was OK later during the day when I'd got some sun on the door.

[Green Fly]

I had a suspicion that water might have had an input in this problem, I will take the door cards off and get the hair dryer out.

Thanks for the advice.

[piquet]

as a newby, can i just ask, how do you get the door cards off? do they just pop off or are there screws i've missed?

[SP6 Animal]

piquet said:

as a newby, can i just ask, how do you get the door cards off? do they just pop off or are there screws i've missed?

Look in the door handel.

[rens914]

there are 3 screws (bolts) pointing down in the door schelf
get them out and the door card can be pulled out
rens

[Green Fly]

rens914 said:

have the same thing
it's the window encoder
sent it to somebody to fix but it's taking age's
best thing is to order a new one
they are about 35 quid (ex vat)
racing green sell's them
rens

Edited by rens914 on Monday 3rd May 07:31

Where about in the door is the encoder?. Panels off cleaned connectors still can not get window up.

[S6 Devil]

Encoder is on the window mechanism held on by a screw.
You might want to try taking the silver door latch panel off and tweaking the microswitch, this was the problem with mine.

[Green Fly]

S6 Devil said:

Encoder is on the window mechanism held on by a screw.
You might want to try taking the silver door latch panel off and tweaking the microswitch, this was the problem with mine.

Thanks, I will try the switch first. Would the switch needing a tweak effect the window being closed by setting the alarm? or using the window button in the car?. If it is the encoder I presume the window would have to be taken off the runners to access it.

[rens914]

it's direct on youre window motor. fixed with 1 tiney screw. it's very small.
1,5 cm wide and about 6 cm's long.
be carefull taking it out
the sensor (2 little lips)go's down into the motor
remove the screw and lift it up
if it's the drivers side you could exchange it with the other side
if this encoder is broken
window doesn't close fully anymore by itself
when you open it it drops halfway and you'll have to push the button again.
then it will drop all the way before the door opens.
closing the door, the window will only shut halfway.
gr rens

[Green Fly]

rens914 said:

it's direct on youre window motor. fixed with 1 tiney screw. it's very small.
1,5 cm wide and about 6 cm's long.
be carefull taking it out
the sensor (2 little lips)go's down into the motor
remove the screw and lift it up
if it's the drivers side you could exchange it with the other side
if this encoder is broken
window doesn't close fully anymore by itself
when you open it it drops halfway and you'll have to push the button again.
then it will drop all the way before the door opens.
closing the door, the window will only shut halfway.
gr rens

Thanks, all useful info. At the moment the window is wide open and not moving. I will try the micro switch tomorrow, I am not sure by your description that it is the encoder.

[S6 Devil]

Green Fly said:

S6 Devil said:

Encoder is on the window mechanism held on by a screw.
You might want to try taking the silver door latch panel off and tweaking the microswitch, this was the problem with mine.

Thanks, I will try the switch first. Would the switch needing a tweak effect the window being closed by setting the alarm? or using the window button in the car?. If it is the encoder I presume the window would have to be taken off the runners to access it.

I'm no expert but when the door closes the latch hits the microswitch which tells the ECU or decoder or whatever that the door is closed and the window can go up. I cleaned the encoder but still nothing (you can do this by stretching across from the passenger seat with the drivers door closed and window up, no need to take the window off the runners)

This may help, I copied and pasted it from a fellow Pistonheaders post:

Just for those who need or want to know.

Problem started with a window not lowering when opening the door. After arming and disarming the alarm it works fine but only the first time I opened the door. When closing the door the window goes up but not fully closing (sometimes it did). After about 10 times fizzling with the doorcontrollerbox (disconnect and connecting) everything seems ok.

But then, when I disconnected for maintenance reason the battery the problem came back and worse.
What stayed is that after disarming the alarm everything works as should, but only once. After that it's a mess. Pressing the door button (inside or outside) the window didn't lower at all or just one inch. Sometimes the window was lowered more then usual end after the was opened is was further lowered.
Resetting by disconnect the battery or doorcontrolbox didn't work anymore.
The alarm was also beeping three times when arming, but this occurred long before the window problem came up.

What was the cause of this : There is an encoder mounted at the windowmotor. The connector of the encoder (three pin) had one badly corroded pin. After fixing this all problems solved !

My explanation :
The encoder measures only the travel of the window, not the location. By measuring the travel the door controlbos assumes the position.

After disarming the alarm, the doorcontroller assumes that the window is closed fully. So by opening the door a fixed time the window is lowered. After that when closing the door the window goes up, but the doorcontroller doesn't get the right travel information and therefore doesn't know how long to set the relais. Because window-travel information after the first lowering is never correct the doorcontroller doesn't know at what height the window is. Wrong lowering/closing decisions are taken.
Obviously the doorcontroller knows that it isn't getting right travel information. It tells the alarm that things are not OK. The alarm tells me by beeping three times.

I hope is a story that can help someone and hope my explanation is correct.

ALSO:

http://www.mytuscan.co.uk/problems_main.php#window...

[Green Fly]

To update the fault so far, if the window will only lower and not close the answer is the door and window ecu. After checking everything else, swopped encoders, cleaned all connectors, removed window it was the door and window ecu located in the center console which is held in place by 2 screws, 1 under the ashtray and 1 under the rear air vent. Now does anybody know where I can send the ecu for repair?.

[rens914]

sorry but wasn't that the first thing to check ?
thought you had done that
rens

[Green Fly]

rens914 said:

sorry but wasn't that the first thing to check ?
thought you had done that
rens

I checked the encoder first, but it was behind the glass so I removed the window and swopped them over to no avail. I cleaned and tidied it all up whilst I was there, it was surprising how dirty it all was. I hope somebody else benefits from my efforts.

[rens914]

quote: I hope somebody else benefits from my efforts : unquote

i think everybody else will check his window ecu first (by swopping them) and after that the window encoder.
but the good thing is
you know youre car a little better, its clean from the inside and the window works again
rens

[Basil Brush]

No need to take the glass out or lean across inside the car. If you close the door latch with a screw driver or similar with the door open, you can raise the glass to the top and get at the motor & encoder. Push the button to drop it again when finished. Simples.

[Green Fly]

Basil Brush said:

No need to take the glass out or lean across inside the car. If you close the door latch with a screw driver or similar with the door open, you can raise the glass to the top and get at the motor & encoder. Push the button to drop it again when finished. Simples.

If the window/door ecu fails as mine has the window will not raise. It will lower the window to the bottom of the guide and that is where it stays. I tried your method as above but to no avail. Until I swopped the ecu`s I could not raise the window. It is all simples now.

Edited to add the boot switch is also managed by one of the door/window ecu`s. I have also located a repairer of associated parts.

Edited by Green Fly on Saturday 15th May 12:06

[Basil Brush]

Sorry if it sounded smug - it was more meant for anyone else reading this thread as an easier potential approach to encoder access.

The windows on my car have caused me more grief than anything else over the years. It's great fun when you're doing 70 in the pouring rain and the window decides to lower to half way as water has got into a multiplug inside the rear quarter panel, resulting in you getting p*ss wet through. Even better when, at the side of the road, you realise that there's no way of getting to said plug without dismantling half the inside of the car, so having to carry on getting wet until it decides to work again. Happy days.