Power windows not getting power

[Warren99]

As far as I can tell these two wires (pink and red) are all that powers and grounds the loom that hooks up to the power windows and locks. I was about to install my new powered guts into my doors, but first I hooked up the connectors to test them and nothing works.(not sure about the locks, but a few months ago I had jumper cables right to the window motors and they both seem to work fine). 
 

Are the two wires on the fuse block the proper way to power everything?

If so, where do they get power from?

[eaglescout526]

Where is the ground?

[Warren99]

No clue, I assumed the red wire was a ground

[Warren99]

The harness I got from the 87 parts Comanche consists of the pink and red wires in the fuse panel, which then go right to the harness.

For the driver side there is the 3 pin black connector, and 6 pin white connector.

Then the loom shoots straight to the passenger side where it has the same two connectors, but both are black, and the 6 pin has only 5, missing the pink colored one.

[Warren99]

I’m now wondering if it grounds via the speaker connector, it’s part of the same harness for the door switch panel

[eaglescout526]

Nooooo. Red is power with the breaker. That pink i don't know what it is for. That’s probably why there aren’t working. If I recall the ground for a full power door set up is a small place wire that grounds out in the door to where ever you like or on the speaker but I didn’t see it officially attached there when I pulled a full door harness. 
 

No it won’t ground out with the speakers. That’s separate ground on its own. There should be a ground wire with your harness tucked away. 

[Warren99]

Interesting. Well I did the same thing but connected the speaker wire plug from the cab to the connector that goes to the switch panel on the door and it worked. Sorta. So the driver side window goes up and down, and the passenger side window goes down but not up. Neither lock mechanisms work. I’ll need to test them with jumpers to see if I have a problem with my switches or the mechanisms themselves 

[eaglescout526]

You’ll need a really good ground and not the speaker ground. You will probably blow out your whole sound system if you do that as that will probably tax the ground for that. 
Put some motor oil on the lock actuators and they should move up and down pretty easy with the Jeep on or off. Power windows will operate much better with the Jeep on as well. You might need to do relays for the power windows as well. 

[Warren99]

These 3 connectors go to the door panel switch. The top one is the one I’m calling the speaker plug.

I did just find these two cut wires which match two of the ones on the speaker plug.

So I’m guessing those are for the speaker, and the third wire from the speaker plug, which is black, is the main ground, or one of them

[eaglescout526]

I’ll have to look at the manual when I get home but I’m pretty sure the black wire is the ground for the whole thing, locks and windows. The speaker wire inside is only two wires to the speaker(obviously), I just don’t want ya to ground the speakers and the doors together and risk harming your radio set up. 

[Warren99]

Yea I see what you mean. 
 

So I just ohmed out the switches, or at least right where the plug is going to the lock actuator. Both sides switches appear to be working, it’s a constant ground, which then goes away when you use the switch (or at least the multimeter no longer sees it as basically no resistance.) for the driver side, flipping the switch to lock also sent 12 volts to it according to the multimeter, but didn’t send any voltage when on unlock( less than .2 volts). Is that how it works normally?

 

either way, when set to lock, the lock actuator still doesn’t work. I’ll use jumper cables to make sure but it seems like it just doesn’t work.

[eaglescout526]

When the switches are in resting position they should have power on one prong and ground on another. When the switch is moved up or down, it sends power and ground to what ever it is your using. If you look on the back of the switch plane, you’ll see one of the prongs shares the same connection, that should be the ground prong. 

[Warren99]

Ah ok. I’m testing my actuators with jumpers now, but other than that I’m done for today 

 

[Warren99]

unless for some reason putting 12 volts directly to the contacts on the lock actuator isn’t the proper way to make it work, then this one is fried.

can I buy them new anywhere, or will I have to search in a junkyard for some?

[eaglescout526]

They can be had new and honestly they are very serviceable. If you remove the cylinder housing on the actuator, inside is a motor that basically rotated when power and ground is put to it. Looks like that can use a bath for cleaning. I’d suggest cleaning it up and servicing it first before going aftermarket since we all know and agree aftermarket is hit or miss. Orrrrr find a genuine GM one as those are from a GM car of the same time period. Pretty sure my trans am has the same ones that I need to service. 

[Warren99]

Ok thanks. I’ll try servicing them both first. They did come from a Michigan MJ which was literally rusted in half, so I’m sure they could use some cleaning.

Once I get those fixed, I’ll be figuring out why the passenger window motor only goes down. Any guesses for now?

 

Also, both window motors just seem a little weak in general. Can I improve them by also taking them apart and cleaning them, or are those a little harder to restore, to the point where I should just look for another pair?

[eaglescout526]

As for the window motors, I am unsure. You can always lubricate the snake that’s inside the tube to help with travel. I can take a look at one of my power window motors and see if there serviceable but they may not be. I’d imagine poor ground and lack of power to the window would cause it to barely operate. Chrysler moved to a later set up to where the windows used a relay as did the power locks that guarantees 12v all the time at the motors to operate. Renix, not so much. @Minuit could always chime in as he’s done more research on this and I only have learned from him as how to improve the Renix set up. 

[Warren99]

Yea I'll try lubing it up when I get to that point.

As for the pink and red wires going to the fuse panel, according to the service manual, the pink one going to "power accy" is to send constant power to the locks no matter the key position. As for the windows, "With the ignition switch in RUN, voltage is applied through the power window circuit breaker VIO wire to the master switch assembly and to the passenger's window switches." Idk what VIO means, but I assume this is the red wire going to the fuse panel.

[eaglescout526]

Sounds like it to me. I found out there’s two styles of window motors but looks like both are riveted in place. You might be able to service them pretty easy be removing the assemblies and taking the motors off seeing how you said it was from a Michigan MJ and judging by that lock actuator, I’d imagine the window regulators are just as bad. 
 

VIO makes me think vehicle in operation but that’s probably not correct. 

[Ωhm]

 

[Warren99]

Yea all of the assembly’s are still out luckily, I’ll probably take a look at the motors once I get everything working first, then I’ll put everything in the doors.

 

You said I could get lock actuators from chevys from the same era, what about window motors? Asking incase I go to clean the motors and they turn out to be impossible for me to restore back to original power.

[Eagle_SX4]

Make sure you have a good ground. Both the widows and the power locks share the same ground. I just did the 97+ full size power window swap into the original doors and took the power widow door harnesses and switches out of a Cherokee (don't remember the year pre 96). I had to make a harness to connect the two sides. I ended up grounding the harness to the body under the driver side tread panel where the wire harness is bolted there. I unbolted the wire harness retainer and put the ground there. Not sure where it was grounded from the factory but it works well there.

[Warren99]

Yea I may just add extra grounds to the ground wire on either side.

[eaglescout526]

Ummmmm well if you find a GM with power windows, snag them. Chances are AMC probably used them. 

[Warren99]

Alright