How To Roll Up A Power Window With A Broken Switch?

As an owner, you never want your car windows to get stuck, doesn’t matter whether they get stuck up or down. If it happened on the upper side, don’t think of buying a coffee using the drive-through option again. But if this has happened on the bottom side, things will get worse when you face a rainy environment. Also, it doesn’t matter whether you have manual or power windows, it’s easy to figure out why your car’s windows got stuck. And you can roll the power windows up also using a broken switch.

A regulator is used to raise or lower the power windows inside channels. If you talk about manual windows, regulators are directly connected to cranks. Once you turn the crank, you will be able to lower or raise the window. In power windows, regulators are connected to motors, but the basic principle of working is the same.

Even though both kinds of windows have different components, there are multiple reasons for them to fail. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

· Power windows

The power windows of your car use a motor attached to the regulator for raising or lowering the window glass. There may arise a problem related to the motor, wiring, and switches. Or the regulator itself can fail at times which you will have to resolve as soon as possible.

· Manual windows

In manual car windows, a hand crank is used along with a regulator to get the job done. The gears in the crank may strip or the regulator may stop working because of friction. This may lead to bigger problems which is why you must resolve it quickly.

Before starting to roll up a power window with a broken switch or with any other tool, you must know which part of it has failed. If the switch is not broken but there is an issue with the motor, you can manually roll up the power window by holding the switch in an up or down position. Here’s how you can do it without the use of tools.

1. Steps to roll up the power window without any tool

• First of all, start by turning the ignition key to the “ON” position. You may also use other windows if they are okay.
• Press & hold the “Window Switch” in the up or down position. Keeping the button pressed is really important as this is what will help us. Also, ensure to push the side that will close the window.
• After pressing the “Window Button”, open the door of your car and slam it. Try it multiple times if it doesn't work in the first place. If the button is being pressed for long, the window will be rolled up.
• Don’t try to roll the window back before fixing the issue. Otherwise, the temporary fix will provide you with more harm than good. But if the window doesn’t seem to roll up, shut the door and look for a place where it looks like the door panel is connected to sheet metal.
• Start striking that location with a heavy object. Make sure that you don’t end up damaging the door. If it starts to roll up, resolve the issue first and then start using the car again.

All these steps will give you an idea of how you can roll up the power window without the use of tools. But if you don’t end up rolling the window even after several attempts, see if the fuse or motor is in a better condition or not.

2. Roll up the window with a broken switch

The motors and switches of the power windows can fail at any moment, even because of wear and tear, and if ignored for long periods of time, can cause long-term issues. So, it’s better not to take any issue lightly and start to troubleshoot as soon as you get to know about the issue.

The vehicles having “Power or Electric Windows” are equipped with a lockout switch. It is usually located close to the main panel. Some vehicles have it on the driver’s door, while some have it in the central part. The power windows of your car may stop operating because of the toggling of this switch. That’s why it is recommended not to let the children or animals open the windows when the car is in motion.

A broken lockout switch won’t let the windows of your car roll up or down. In such a case, a repair is mandatory since that will be the only way left for you to reuse the windows again.

If one of your power windows isn’t working, you can just remove the switch and replace it with the other switch (of the opposite window) in order to close it. After that, you can take it back to where it actually belongs. This is a temporary solution that will work for that time only. But you can’t keep removing the switch repeatedly as it will create more problems. So, you can just install a new one for the broken switch.

This is an easier way of rolling up the power window since you have a temporary solution available as well. But if both the power windows of your car stop working, you will have to rely heavily on the mechanic to get the job done or else, you will end up facing a worse situation which is not what you actually want as the owner.

There are three major things that can cause the failure of your power windows, fuses, bad switches, or “blown-out motors”. Window regulators may also cause this to happen. Some of these issues can be fixed easily while others require the use of tools to do it.

Here are some of the tips you can use to troubleshoot the power windows if you can’t roll them up.

• Check the lockout switch

An activated lockout switch won’t let the power windows roll up or down. Check it in the first place because this is one of the things you can fix easily.

You may also listen to the switch after pushing it up and down. If there is a sound, that means the switch is good but there is an issue with the motor. So, act accordingly. Also, see the voltages while pushing the switch to see if that is the problem with the motor.

• Take a look at the fuses

Take a look at the fuses if both the power windows are not rolling up or down. If any of the fuses is blown, replace it with a new one. But if this method doesn’t work, see if there is any issue with the short circuit. Using bigger fuses than normal will do more harm than good.

• Swap the switches or replace them

If the door switch isn’t working properly to roll the power windows, you can try using the main switch because the switches are centralized at that point. Swapping them is another thing you can do. But this is a short-term solution which isn’t effective.

The above-mentioned methods may not require you to use some tools because they are too easy to fix. However, that’s not the case with the motor. In order to know if the Window Motor is working well or not, you can use the following steps:

1. Turn on the key to activate gauges and lights. Push the window switch then.
2. See whether the voltmeter’s needle is moving or not. If it does, that means the motor is working.

In that case, you may look for other parts such as the regulator or fuses. That’s the only thing you can do to try to make things work.

There are multiple reasons for your car’s power windows to stop rolling up and down, and there is no need to be worried about it. It may be due to the failure of a certain part, such as a fuse or regulator, or something like that. And in most cases, you can resolve the issues yourself. But when it comes to the hard part, such as the motor is not working or there is heavy rain with the windows not rolling up, you may face bigger problems. In order to avoid any such situation, it is better to keep the check and balance of every single part of your car before time.

Rolling the power windows up with a broken switch is an easy way but you must know how to remove the switch and how to replace it. Or you may contact some automotive company to help you in this regard. And if you don’t, you will end up paying a hefty amount which is not what you want as an owner. Take all the factors into account and then see whether you have succeeded or not.