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2001 Nissan Quest - Power Window Troubleshoot


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jczeroman
Novice

Jul 1, 2014, 2:51 PM

Post #1 of 14 (2549 views)
2001 Nissan Quest - Power Window Troubleshoot Sign In

2100 Nissan Quest
145k miles

Hi all,

I purchased a 2001 Nissan Quest for my growing family and within 24 hours the passenger-side power window froze. The window can be operated by switches on either the passenger or driver's side, neither are working for the passenger-side window. ALl other windows are working. The power locks are working from both switches.

It seemed to me like this meant that the motor was likely broken so I bought a replacement and went to install it today. Before taking the old one out, I plugged in the new one to test it, but it is not operating.

I am now convinced that it must be a wiring problem but I have no idea whether I am actually correct about this. Furthermore, I am unsure of how to go about testing the various wiring components.

Does anyone have any advice on how to proceed?

Many thanks,

Colin


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Jul 1, 2014, 3:22 PM

Post #2 of 14 (2542 views)
Re: 2001 Nissan Quest - Power Window Troubleshoot Sign In

You're trying to guess at an electrical issue and that's just not how it's done. It's done through electrical testing by following a wiring diagram. You coulds be right about it being a wiring problem but it couls just asd easily be a bad master switch. It needs to be diagnosed.









~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Jul 1, 2014, 8:38 PM

Post #3 of 14 (2533 views)
Re: 2001 Nissan Quest - Power Window Troubleshoot Sign In

Check for power and ground at plug and back thru that diagram (can't read HT's diagram so well with my sight and screen) and usually if dead at just one some can break inside wiring insulation inside door jams hidden by a rubber snorkel most likely so if suspect remove kick panel and check from inside door for the color that doesn't have continuity.


If found only splice in wire made to bend some or a lot. Most isn't made for that and will have fine strands of copper not larger gauge. If need be buy a high quality jumper clip wire is the right stuff usually.


That is much more likely to happen on a driver's door than passengers though?


T



jczeroman
Novice

Jul 2, 2014, 11:11 AM

Post #4 of 14 (2521 views)
Re: 2001 Nissan Quest - Power Window Troubleshoot Sign In

Hammer Time,

Thanks for the reply. I do have a copy of this wiring diagram and I can (mostly) read it. My main problem is that I do not know where most of these wires and switches are physically on the car. Do you know of a resource which will tell me this or is there a rule of thumb that I can use to understand how this wiring diagram translates to physical locations in my vehicle?


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Jul 2, 2014, 11:16 AM

Post #5 of 14 (2519 views)
Re: 2001 Nissan Quest - Power Window Troubleshoot Sign In

How can you not know where the window switch is?

The wires are connected to the switches. That's where you will do your testing from until you confirm something is broken in between.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



(This post was edited by Hammer Time on Jul 2, 2014, 11:16 AM)


jczeroman
Novice

Jul 3, 2014, 6:58 AM

Post #6 of 14 (2505 views)
Re: 2001 Nissan Quest - Power Window Troubleshoot Sign In

HT, certainly I know where the window switch is, but there is a lot going on between that and the fuse.

For example, I do not know where to find the 'power window relay control' or the 'power window relay'.


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Jul 3, 2014, 7:44 AM

Post #7 of 14 (2501 views)
Re: 2001 Nissan Quest - Power Window Troubleshoot Sign In

We can locate that if necessary but a simple power check at the switch will tell you if we even need to find it. Do some basic testing to narrow the problem down.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Jul 3, 2014, 8:22 AM

Post #8 of 14 (2498 views)
Re: 2001 Nissan Quest - Power Window Troubleshoot Sign In

jczeroman: Test light first. Near all DC motors that are made to go both up and down or say reverse what they do alternate the power and ground so you need to check for power at the switch and ground available using test light backwards and go from there.


Switches on doors do go nuts themselves and you'll see it by test light. If good then move on,


T



jczeroman
Novice

Jul 3, 2014, 10:27 AM

Post #9 of 14 (2494 views)
Re: 2001 Nissan Quest - Power Window Troubleshoot Sign In

Thanks to both of you.

With a multimeter, I established that there is connectivity everywhere connectivity is supposed to be on both the driver and passenger side switches. I was able to test the wire connections from the motor through to the driver side switch. The one connection I could not test (or at least had no connectivity on) for both switches was the smaller loop that is made by the Pink and Pink/Black wires (it spans both diagrams), but I think the symbol means a light, so it might be irrelevant? I also am not sure what to test next.

I also checked the 30A fuse in the engine compartment, which also worked.

I also, and almost certainly foolishly, tried a version of this to at least see if the motor would turn [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aygFAErvuY]. It did work, although my ad hoc connection to the battery was so tenuous that it did not want to risk trying to get the window up this way.

This next part is especially idiotic and I believe that I have now made the problem worse. I was trying to see if a full 12 volts were traveling through the circuit. I pulled a cover off of the drivers side switch so that I could have access to the copper connections while the car was running (I did not see another way to test). At several points, the multimeter ends touched multiple copper connectors and now none of the windows or power locks will work. Did I short something? Pressing the power lock switch just gets me a clicking noise (which sounds as though it is coming from under the steering wheel).

Feel free to chastise me and tell me if I need to just admit defeat and pay several hundred dollars to get this fixed. I certainly feel quite the fool...


Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Jul 3, 2014, 11:02 AM

Post #10 of 14 (2493 views)
Re: 2001 Nissan Quest - Power Window Troubleshoot Sign In

No clue what you are checking and how but now nothing works so you screwed up something. All you needed was to test for power and ground arriving at switch or plug while unplugged at the motor and find where either drops out.


Test light! Like this......... If pic shows....
[won't show. A scratch awl with wire and clip and handle lights up thing.....]







Whole motor and regulator suggested for most if you find it's at fault just power one wire with bat+ and other with bat- and it will work or not. Swapping power and ground to just the two wire connection on the bench would make it move one way or the other - polarity swaps and cancels the other with the switches.


You are working too hard to diagnose this and no telling what is blown now but in looking for motor it does list a relay that might have fried or master switch or who knows now?


Whole regulator with motor looks like this.........



Hope pics show but see it only has two wires? Some motor only jobs are fussy vs whole regulator. Some rivets that hold assembly are larger than the common one and quite expensive.


Check fuse again for now and see if relay (probably inside car) is burnt or swap with same one if possible for something else if exactly the same. I have no idea why locks are now a problem which should really be all separate except sharing ground someplace. Doors use a ground wire not counting on contact of metal of hinges in all I know of,


T



(This post was edited by Tom Greenleaf on Jul 3, 2014, 11:07 AM)


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Jul 3, 2014, 11:20 AM

Post #11 of 14 (2482 views)
Re: 2001 Nissan Quest - Power Window Troubleshoot Sign In

OK, lets get some basic testing methods.

The first thing you need to do is scrap the multimeter and get your hands on a test light that will read both power and ground. You have to understand that the way these motors reverse is by reversing the polarity and you have to be careful with applying power because some of these circuits rest at ground. You need to use your test light on the 2 output wires of each switch so you can read what the wire does when the switch is activated in either direction. Once you can determine which function is not showing up where it should, then you can start tracking it back to find out where it was lost.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



jczeroman
Novice

Jul 4, 2014, 2:03 AM

Post #12 of 14 (2471 views)
Re: 2001 Nissan Quest - Power Window Troubleshoot Sign In

HT, that seems simple enough. I'll pick up the light from walmart today.


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Jul 4, 2014, 2:09 AM

Post #13 of 14 (2470 views)
Re: 2001 Nissan Quest - Power Window Troubleshoot Sign In

I seriously doubt WalMart will have this type of light. We are looking for a two function light that has both positive and negative wires to attach.



http://www.tooltopia.com/equus-3420.aspx




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Jul 4, 2014, 2:35 AM

Post #14 of 14 (2468 views)
Re: 2001 Nissan Quest - Power Window Troubleshoot Sign In

Actually WallyWorld at least used to have a decent LED one but not the clip and 12v power port which would make it easier. Shows red or green for power + or power - in handle, ~5 bucks not long ago and about the same at NAPA.


Can be a bit "creative" but sometimes if needed use a cheap set of jumper cables to have access to 12v from battery at some other place not handy for certain things but careful what you empower and not good while an item is connected most of the time,


T







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