Rear Window Stuck Open

markym · 11-18-2009, 03:16 PM

85 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, The key will not turn the motor to close the tailgate window. It is stuck open now and almost impossible to get to the motor now that the window is in the way. Tried to pull it manually and it will not come up. Any suggestiongs on what to do to get window up.

WaveHunter · 11-18-2009, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markym

85 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, The key will not turn the motor to close the tailgate window. It is stuck open now and almost impossible to get to the motor now that the window is in the way. Tried to pull it manually and it will not come up. Any suggestiongs on what to do to get window up.

It is probably the key switch or more likely, the safety switch. Does it still work from the dash switch? If not, then it's probably the safety switch. Open the tailgate and pull the safety switch arm back a little and try the key again and see if the window moves. It's on the top area of the driver's side of the tailgate and gets pushed back against a post on the door jamb when the tailgate closes. They are infamous for going bad, and very easy to bypass by using a jump wire across the plug that connects to the back of the switch.

markym · 11-18-2009, 06:54 PM

hey WaveHunter ,,,well i actually got it to go up.. just by chance i guess..it worked by the switch on the dash tahat never worked before lol..now the window is up but wont work at the tailgate or switch at dash..but i'll try to bypass that safety switch..doies it have a relay?? if so do they go bad???
thanks,,

markym · 11-18-2009, 08:01 PM

well i just tried to jump the saftey switch and still nothing from either switch dash or key....

WaveHunter · 11-18-2009, 08:03 PM

No relay that I know of, just a regular fuse in your fuse panel. It sounds like you have some corroded connections, but it's really hard to guess until you do some testing to try to isolate the problems. You could bypass the safety switch and see if that helps. They can be troublesome. The wiring is really simple, but getting the window out is a little tougher. You can do the wiring with the window in, but you need to be able to raise it to get to the key switch area. What I did when I had my window out to re-do the wiring was tee into the motor wires with a couple of 12ga wires and drop them out and below the cargo area with the rest of the wires so that I would always have a couple of hot wires to work the window that I could run from the battery or another one. I just coiled them and tie-wrapped them up out of the way.

Here's a general wiring diagram I made.

markym · 11-19-2009, 04:14 PM

well i tried to jump the safty switch still nothing but i hot wired the motor and got it to go up or down..so it must be the switch..anyone know what the relay is for that is bolted to the gears there is a plug going to it it has 3 prongs?? could that be my problem...

WaveHunter · 11-19-2009, 07:46 PM

Could be. I don't think there is a relay in there for the window until '88, and it was mounted in the key switch area, but I'm not sure. Could someone have swapped in later wiring? Got a pic of the relay? It might be a relay for the defroster, whether you actually have one or not, and wouldn't affect the window.

My '81 doesn't have anything like that. It has wires and a plug for the defroster, but is not hooked up because I don't have a defroster. When my key switch didn't work, the dash switch still worked, and visa versa. When the safety switch didn't work, nothing worked.

markym · 11-19-2009, 08:07 PM

well the relay in the back that i wasn't sure about.. is for the rear defroster..i got that far.. and also at the fuse panel there are 2 circut breakers one for the front switch and one for the key switch..well the same day my window got stuck down.. my power locks were going crazy kept locking by them self.
so i pulled the circut breaker...i just went out to the jeep put back the circut breaker turned the key and the window went down.turn the key the other way and dam it window wont go up...this is nuts and driving me nuts

.... and once and a blue moon the dash switch will work..like one out of a 1000.. so it's not the safty switch or the motor it self..
but i don't know what.. just shoot me now....

WaveHunter · 11-19-2009, 08:19 PM

You'll get it. The wiring gets really frustrating.

If your window went one way with the key switch and not the other, then it is probably the key switch. The dash switch and the key switch have different power sources so that the key switch works all the time and the dash switch only works when the ignition switch is on run or accessory.

There is a plug for the tailgate wires under the cargo area that you can use when you start probing for juice from the dash switch, but with your door locks going crazy it sounds like you might have a short somewhere. It might be easier to start at the fuse panel and dash switch and work your way back. You might want to check inside the door panels where the door harness and locks are also. Look for a bad ground.

Edit: If all your door locks are going crazy at once, that could be your driver's door window/lock panel going bad, shorting out, or just the one lock switch in the panel. You can find used ones and replace them individually. I don't think it's on the same circuit as your dash switch, but I'm not sure.

carnuck · 11-20-2009, 01:17 AM

Tom 'Oljeep' Collins homepage for tailgate rewiring diagrams

Patriotic_Giant · 11-20-2009, 08:16 AM

I bought a Grand Wagoneer that doesn't have a door key ....... can I use the same principal to override the key switch?

carnuck · 11-20-2009, 08:52 AM

Door and ignition were the same key from the factory. If it's a daily driver, get a key made from the number code on the passenger door lock

Patriotic_Giant · 11-20-2009, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carnuck

Door and ignition were the same key from the factory. If it's a daily driver, get a key made from the number code on the passenger door lock

My key works in the ignition but not the doors.....doesn't even seem like it fits right. It's a 1986.

WaveHunter · 11-20-2009, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patriotic_Giant

I bought a Grand Wagoneer that doesn't have a door key ....... can I use the same principal to override the key switch?

I'm not sure what you mean. The tailgate key part on the outside of the tailgate just turns a square shaft that works the tailgate switch.
It looks like this (back side):

The switch part on the left can be substituted with a door panel window switch. May not work quite as good, but better than nothing. For mine, I just looked until I found a used one from another FSJ'er. BJ's carries them but there must be a problem because there is no price info on their page.
View the Tailgate Window Switch in Tailgate 78-91 at http://www.bjsoffroad.com

Have you tried to clean the posts/contacts on the tailgate key switch? Doubtful it would help, but it may be worth a try if you can get to it.

megajeep · 01-24-2010, 07:14 PM

I wonder what happened? I've had the exact same symptoms as markym. The window functioning got intermittent. The key switch stopped working altogether, and now it's stuck in a partially open position and I can't close my tailgate. Sometime it will get to working if I bang on the upper left side of the tailgate. That usually worked so I thought it was the switch. I bypassed the switch and it still won't move.

The stupid window is about 4 inches up. Too hight to close the gate and too low to reach anything inside. and now its not being intermittent at all. Now its just not working. Its going to rain tomorrow. All day.