OT: automotive electrical connector loose, power window

In Virginia you fail annual inspection for the driver's power window, thoug h none of the others have to work.

Of course that is the only switch that doesn't work. After disassembling, cleaning, and polishing, I got it to work intermittently. Swapping with a known good switch I finally found the real problem: the connector doesn't stay on the pins tightly. Slight finger pressure will make good contact an d the window works fine, but otherwise not. It's a 1991 Volvo if that make s any difference.

Does anybody know a way to tighten these connectors? They just push on, th ere are four sockets in the connector and four fat pins on the switch. I'd swap with one of the other three, but the four switch connectors are all s haped uniquely and can't be repositioned.

Reply to
TimR
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ugh none of the others have to work.

, cleaning, and polishing, I got it to work intermittently. Swapping with a known good switch I finally found the real problem: the connector doesn' t stay on the pins tightly. Slight finger pressure will make good contact and the window works fine, but otherwise not. It's a 1991 Volvo if that ma kes any difference.

there are four sockets in the connector and four fat pins on the switch. I 'd swap with one of the other three, but the four switch connectors are all shaped uniquely and can't be repositioned.

It is not clear where you need to apply the "slight finger pressure" so it's a little hard to offer a solution. Could you clarify that and maybe even post an image at an image sharing site so we know what we're dealing with?

Some possibilities include bending the pins for a stronger contact, a shim in between the mating parts to put pressure on the pins, a zip tie looped around the mating parts to hold them tighter together, etc.

As you can tell, the solution depends on where the "slight finger pressure" needs to be applied.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

hough none of the others have to work.

ng, cleaning, and polishing, I got it to work intermittently. Swapping wit h a known good switch I finally found the real problem: the connector does n't stay on the pins tightly. Slight finger pressure will make good contac t and the window works fine, but otherwise not. It's a 1991 Volvo if that makes any difference.

, there are four sockets in the connector and four fat pins on the switch. I'd swap with one of the other three, but the four switch connectors are a ll shaped uniquely and can't be repositioned.

I've had success with that. Just bent the male pins in various directions, slightly, so they will hopefully push tighter against the mating surface. There are electrical contact cleaners worth trying too, any auto parts store would have them. Also there are contact "enhancer" type products available too.

The final issue though is if it's really a problem where the contacts mate or is it a problem on one end or the other where the connector is crimped to the wire. If it's that latter, the above isn't going to work. He might be able to find the appropriate connector on Ebay from a salvage car, where he could splice the wires.

Reply to
trader_4

though none of the others have to work.

ling, cleaning, and polishing, I got it to work intermittently. Swapping w ith a known good switch I finally found the real problem: the connector do esn't stay on the pins tightly. Slight finger pressure will make good cont act and the window works fine, but otherwise not. It's a 1991 Volvo if tha t makes any difference.

on, there are four sockets in the connector and four fat pins on the switch . I'd swap with one of the other three, but the four switch connectors are all shaped uniquely and can't be repositioned.

Sorry, didn't explain very well, but I obviously misdiagnosed this when I f ixed it last year, and succeeded by luck.

The switch assembly is in the door. It contains four power window switches as well as several others (mirror adjustments, child locks, etc.) Vertica l finger pressure downward operates the window. Press down on the back of the switch (it's a rocker) and the window goes down; press on the front of the switch and it goes up.

The individual switch has four pins that extend downwards inside the door. The connector has four female sockets that mate with the switch. The wiri ng harness has 7 connectors. If I pull the entire switch assembly out of t he door panel, and press lightly upwards on the bottom of the connector, th e switch will work.

Last year I assumed the problem was internal to the switch. That's because I found a Volvo web site that explained in detail how to disassemble the s witch and clean corrosion and said this was a known failure mode for that c ar. And it did seem to work. This year I cleaned the switch contacts AND swapped it for a known good switch, and the symptom remains. Pressure on t he connector makes it work. The "bad" switch works fine in the new locatio n.

It could be the pin not mating with the socket, or it could be the wiring h arness wire loose on the socket connection. If the latter is the case this will be a pain in the butt to work on, it's a large wiring harness buried deep in the door panel with almost no slack.

Reply to
TimR

w, though none of the others have to work.

mbling, cleaning, and polishing, I got it to work intermittently. Swapping with a known good switch I finally found the real problem: the connector doesn't stay on the pins tightly. Slight finger pressure will make good co ntact and the window works fine, but otherwise not. It's a 1991 Volvo if t hat makes any difference.

h on, there are four sockets in the connector and four fat pins on the swit ch. I'd swap with one of the other three, but the four switch connectors a re all shaped uniquely and can't be repositioned.

fixed it last year, and succeeded by luck.

es as well as several others (mirror adjustments, child locks, etc.) Verti cal finger pressure downward operates the window. Press down on the back o f the switch (it's a rocker) and the window goes down; press on the front o f the switch and it goes up.

. The connector has four female sockets that mate with the switch. The wi ring harness has 7 connectors. If I pull the entire switch assembly out of the door panel, and press lightly upwards on the bottom of the connector, the switch will work.

se I found a Volvo web site that explained in detail how to disassemble the switch and clean corrosion and said this was a known failure mode for that car. And it did seem to work. This year I cleaned the switch contacts AN D swapped it for a known good switch, and the symptom remains. Pressure on the connector makes it work. The "bad" switch works fine in the new locat ion.

harness wire loose on the socket connection. If the latter is the case th is will be a pain in the butt to work on, it's a large wiring harness burie d deep in the door panel with almost no slack.

Once again, all you have told us is that "Pressure on the connector makes it work."

Pressure from where? From the side, from the top, from the bottom?

What do you think the "pressure" is moving in order make it work?

Can you do something to make that "pressure" permanent? A zip tie, a shim, Gorilla tape? All we can do is keep tossing out possibilities until you tell us what you mean by "Pressure on the connector makes it work."

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Still no photo to go by, but just from your description it sounds like the female ends of the connectors are loose.

Usually, the individual sleeves or pins can be extracted from the connector block and be made to fit tighter and then reinserted back into the block. You may have to fashion an extraction tool to depress the barb which holds the female connector in the block.

Reply to
FromTheRafters

w, though none of the others have to work.

mbling, cleaning, and polishing, I got it to work intermittently. Swapping with a known good switch I finally found the real problem: the connector doesn't stay on the pins tightly. Slight finger pressure will make good co ntact and the window works fine, but otherwise not. It's a 1991 Volvo if t hat makes any difference.

h on, there are four sockets in the connector and four fat pins on the swit ch. I'd swap with one of the other three, but the four switch connectors a re all shaped uniquely and can't be repositioned.

fixed it last year, and succeeded by luck.

es as well as several others (mirror adjustments, child locks, etc.) Verti cal finger pressure downward operates the window. Press down on the back o f the switch (it's a rocker) and the window goes down; press on the front o f the switch and it goes up.

. The connector has four female sockets that mate with the switch. The wi ring harness has 7 connectors. If I pull the entire switch assembly out of the door panel, and press lightly upwards on the bottom of the connector, the switch will work.

se I found a Volvo web site that explained in detail how to disassemble the switch and clean corrosion and said this was a known failure mode for that car. And it did seem to work. This year I cleaned the switch contacts AN D swapped it for a known good switch, and the symptom remains. Pressure on the connector makes it work. The "bad" switch works fine in the new locat ion.

harness wire loose on the socket connection. If the latter is the case th is will be a pain in the butt to work on, it's a large wiring harness burie d deep in the door panel with almost no slack.

If you need to take the door panel off, they typically aren't hard to do. Like many things, the internet has been a big help. Check youtube for videos on how to do it for your car. The big thing is knowing where the screws are that you need to remove.

Reply to
trader_4

Well, I did try. Upward pressure on the bottom of the connector block, in the same direction that the connector block inserts into the switch assembly. Once done, downward pressure on the rocker switch operates it normally.

Given the multiple wires in the wiring harness, it is not possible to be sure whether the connector block itself is moving, or wires being moved within the connector block.

Flat terminals have a locking tab that you can depress to remove, but these are round ones. I'll have to see if there's a way to pull them out one direction or the other.

Reply to
TimR

Absolutely true, I've done it a number of times.

However, putting them back on is often a different matter, as the little clips have rusted or decayed and always break. So I'll do it if I have to but it's a last resort.

Reply to
TimR

OK, so is there any place that you can place a zip tie around the connector and something "above it" to make that upward pressure more permanent.

Something like shown in the image below. I understand that you probably don't have a connector that is "open" on both ends like in the image, but as long as you have (or can fashion) something "above" the connector portion, you can use a zip tie to keep the upward pressure constant.

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Reply to
DerbyDad03

The car's 25 years old. I think I'd just cut the plug off the harness and direct solder wires to switch.

Reply to
Buck

Auto supply stores often have those little clips. Or the dealer will have them. I've put them back on with a few missing and they fit OK too.

Reply to
trader_4

hough none of the others have to work.

ng, cleaning, and polishing, I got it to work intermittently. Swapping wit h a known good switch I finally found the real problem: the connector does n't stay on the pins tightly. Slight finger pressure will make good contac t and the window works fine, but otherwise not. It's a 1991 Volvo if that makes any difference.

, there are four sockets in the connector and four fat pins on the switch. I'd swap with one of the other three, but the four switch connectors are a ll shaped uniquely and can't be repositioned.

d direct solder wires to switch.

That's not a bad suggestion, although he did say:

"it's a large wiring harness buried deep in the door panel with almost no slack."

If the connector just reaches the switch now, the wires won't once the connector is cut off - unless the individual wires are either pulled out of the harness and re-routed (might work, might not) or "extensions" are soldered on first.

Of course, the switch itself also has to be amenable to having wires soldered on to it. Access to the connection points, room for the wires, etc.

Like I said, the suggestion has merit but the implementation may be troublesome.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

and direct solder wires to switch.

This could be done. There are only 4 wires. They are short but could be s pliced.

The switch though has 4 male pins that are in a recessed cavity. It would not be simple to solder directly to them. I think I would have to crimp fe male terminals on the end of the wires, and maybe even solder those to the pins to avoid them vibrating off.

I've found some good videos by googling "repin terminal." There are tricks for getting these out, some of which might work.

But first I'm going to try shimming the connector in place and see if that helps. Maybe something as simple as a rubber band will get a couple more y ears out of it.

Reply to
TimR

s and direct solder wires to switch.

d not be simple to solder directly to them. I think I would have to crimp female terminals on the end of the wires, and maybe even solder those to th e pins to avoid them vibrating off.

ks for getting these out, some of which might work.

t helps. Maybe something as simple as a rubber band will get a couple more years out of it.

A zip-tie would probably last forever. I'm sure that with some creative zip-tieing, perhaps with multiple zip-ties and/or a strategically drilled hole to run the zip-tie through, you could secure the connector in the correct position.

I solved a "self acceleration" issue in my daughter's Taurus with a single zip-tie. The cable housing at the throttle body end of the cruise control cable is known to crack, causing the cable to fall out of the mounting bracket, introducing slack. Once that happens, the cruise control doesn't work and the vehicle's idle slowly increases. You don't really notice it unless you take your foot off the gas while traveling under 20 mph and just coast. You suddenly realize that you don't slow down and in fact that you are slowly gaining speed. One zip-tie near the end of the CC cable prevents it from falling out of the bracket. It's been >60K miles since I added the zip-tie and the problem has never returned.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

When thsame thing happened with the heater switch on my Mystique I just soldered the wires to the switch.

You might try just tinning the switch pins to make them a bit bigger - might do the job. If not, the solder job is already half done.

Reply to
clare

It's pretty obvious what the problem is, and Zip ties or gorilla tape are NOT the answer. Either crimp the connector (temporary) or solder

Reply to
clare

here is a tool made to extract the connectors. - out the back of the connector block. I have resorted to cutting the wires off the block and soldering the wires directly to the switch. Not bad if the window switch wires are in a separate block. If not, pull the connectors out and feed the wires through the block where the connectors were, and solder to the switch. Sometimes soldering extra wire to the switch and then wire-nutting or soldering them to the harness is easier as it gives you some flexibility.

Reply to
clare

Usually a few plastic clips - with the right tool they VERY seldom break. A few screws hidden in handles etc too.

Reply to
clare

Nope - definitely not the solution - and the connector will just heat up and burn. The "connection" needs to be "repaired". Ford and Volvo had the same problems. The other solution is a connector from the wreckers (if you can find one that doesn't have the same problem) - cut the old one off and solder the reclamed one in i's place

Reply to
clare

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