Front Passenger window won't move
08-31-21, 04:24 PM
#1
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
Front Passenger window won't move
2003 ES300 with 360,xxx miles. It's been hot (at least for here) around SW Missouri for quite a while so we've used A/C just about all the time and haven't lowered the windows much at all. Today I tried to put them all down and 2 windows stayed up (driver rear and front passenger) while the other two went up and down as they should using the master control switch on the driver's side door. I checked the operating back window with it's own door switch and it worked fine. I tried the switches on the non-operating windows and could hear a "click" (inside the door) when trying to put window the down and a "click" when moving the switch to the up position.. This was while using the individual switches on their respective doors.
Remembering the TSB about pushing the switch as if lowering the window while slamming the door I first tried the rear driver's side door. 1st slam and bingo! The window started operating normally. Tried the same trick on the front passenger door and nothing. Tried it about 5 times in a row then let it rest for a while. Trided it again with the same results. The window does not move. I do still hear the "click" when I move the window switch up and down.
I thought I'd wait and try it again tomorrow when the temperature cools down a little but in the meantime, does anyone have any other suggestions?
Thanks,
Remembering the TSB about pushing the switch as if lowering the window while slamming the door I first tried the rear driver's side door. 1st slam and bingo! The window started operating normally. Tried the same trick on the front passenger door and nothing. Tried it about 5 times in a row then let it rest for a while. Trided it again with the same results. The window does not move. I do still hear the "click" when I move the window switch up and down.
I thought I'd wait and try it again tomorrow when the temperature cools down a little but in the meantime, does anyone have any other suggestions?
Thanks,
08-31-21, 09:20 PM
#2
Pole Position
Hello,
The "slam" trick only works for rear windows, which is a result of a design flaw, here you can find more information. As for the front, if you hear a click, there is probably a chance the motor is getting power, but the window may have gotten glued a bit while not in use. For starters, I would suggest to try and press the switch while also pushing the window down with your hands, see if it will free it up. Other than that, a dry Teflon lube works great for window guides, and silicone helps preserve rubber seals. With that, be careful not to get a flip effect of window not closing instead, like on moon roofs from some not unknown brands..
If that won't help, you will likely need to take the door panel off to check if the regulator functions as intended, and if the window would go up and down with no regulator in place, that will give you an understanding of where to head next.
P.S. 360,000 miles is an impressive figure, even for those cars! Shows how far you can go in one with proper maintenance..
Hope this helps and best of luck!
The "slam" trick only works for rear windows, which is a result of a design flaw, here you can find more information. As for the front, if you hear a click, there is probably a chance the motor is getting power, but the window may have gotten glued a bit while not in use. For starters, I would suggest to try and press the switch while also pushing the window down with your hands, see if it will free it up. Other than that, a dry Teflon lube works great for window guides, and silicone helps preserve rubber seals. With that, be careful not to get a flip effect of window not closing instead, like on moon roofs from some not unknown brands..
If that won't help, you will likely need to take the door panel off to check if the regulator functions as intended, and if the window would go up and down with no regulator in place, that will give you an understanding of where to head next.
P.S. 360,000 miles is an impressive figure, even for those cars! Shows how far you can go in one with proper maintenance..
Hope this helps and best of luck!
Last edited by Arsenii; 08-31-21 at 09:29 PM.
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bill5 (09-01-21)
09-01-21, 08:12 AM
#3
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
Hey Arsenii. Thanks for the reply. I now remember the "slam" trick was only for the back doors but in my backward thinking I thought it might jar something loose. Nope. Not on the front window. I did try this morning to move the window by hand (hands on both sides of window while the wife pressed the switch) with no success. Tried all kinds of ways to move the window but absolutely no motion whatsoever - up, down, forward, or back.
The next step, as you said, is to remove the door panel and see what's happening. That'll be a first for me on this car so I'll see if I can find some helpful hints and procedures on this forum.
I bought the car at 277xxx miles on it and it came with all maintenance records. Otherwise, I'd have not bought it. I was hoping to get an additional 100,000 miles out of it for the $3900 I paid and it looks like that will happen. As you said, proper maintenance is the key. I'm taking off for a 4000 mile round trip soon and have no qualms about taking this quiet, smooth riding car at all. Thanks to you, ORO, and others, I think I can get this one up to 400,000 miles.
Again, thanks for you help.
The next step, as you said, is to remove the door panel and see what's happening. That'll be a first for me on this car so I'll see if I can find some helpful hints and procedures on this forum.
I bought the car at 277xxx miles on it and it came with all maintenance records. Otherwise, I'd have not bought it. I was hoping to get an additional 100,000 miles out of it for the $3900 I paid and it looks like that will happen. As you said, proper maintenance is the key. I'm taking off for a 4000 mile round trip soon and have no qualms about taking this quiet, smooth riding car at all. Thanks to you, ORO, and others, I think I can get this one up to 400,000 miles.
Again, thanks for you help.
09-01-21, 12:41 PM
#4
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
Front Passenger window won't go down SOLVED!!!
With the help from the video in this thread: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...003-es300.html I got the door panel off. It's not too tricky at all. Just go slow and make sure all wire connectors are released along with the 2 cables that open the door and lock the door.
Then, I got out the mirrors and the flashlights, took out the speaker, peeled the plastic off the black mastic (worked from the bottom up and held it up with painter's tape), and took a look at everything. Tried to move the mechanism just a little and it was just too tight and did not move at all Not seeing anything obvious, and getting just a little frustrated, I figured out where the motor was located and gave that area one good whack with the meaty edge of a fisted hand.
Window works. Problem solved. Not a technical fix at all but.....
Then, I got out the mirrors and the flashlights, took out the speaker, peeled the plastic off the black mastic (worked from the bottom up and held it up with painter's tape), and took a look at everything. Tried to move the mechanism just a little and it was just too tight and did not move at all Not seeing anything obvious, and getting just a little frustrated, I figured out where the motor was located and gave that area one good whack with the meaty edge of a fisted hand.
Window works. Problem solved. Not a technical fix at all but.....
09-02-21, 08:21 PM
#5
Pole Position
Huh, also method in its own right, I guess...
Not sure about 4th-gen, but in my 2000 ES300, while a bit tricky, it is still possible to take a look inside of the regulator, clean it out, grease it and put it all back together in one piece, just something to consider for a next time.
In any way, thanks for sharing a solution!
Not sure about 4th-gen, but in my 2000 ES300, while a bit tricky, it is still possible to take a look inside of the regulator, clean it out, grease it and put it all back together in one piece, just something to consider for a next time.
In any way, thanks for sharing a solution!
09-03-21, 02:05 AM
#6
That's an interesting fix. The back window motor on mine only clicks but I never bothered to replace the assumed dead motor because it's incredibly expensive (last time I looked). I'll have to pull the door card again and give the motor a solid whack, kind of like smacking a starter or fuel pump to get it going. I wonder though how long the "fix" would last.
09-03-21, 03:06 AM
#7
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
FromFL: Let us know if it worked. I hope it does. And who knows how long it will last.
It's a fixation, i think, that most, if not all Lexus do-it-yourselfers have that if it doesn't work correctly it has to be fixed. Honestly now, how many times do you need to roll down a back window? Probably pretty rarely. But, if you know it doesn't work then it will probably bug you until you get it fixed. At least that's how I am.
It's a fixation, i think, that most, if not all Lexus do-it-yourselfers have that if it doesn't work correctly it has to be fixed. Honestly now, how many times do you need to roll down a back window? Probably pretty rarely. But, if you know it doesn't work then it will probably bug you until you get it fixed. At least that's how I am.
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