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k5 rear power window wont go up

muddybuddy

muddybuddy

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the rear power window in my k5 wouldnt go up after i put the top back on after almost an entire summer with the top off. when i hit the switch to go down (the window is already down) it window does the quick short jerk and moves so im pretty sure it will still go down, but when i try to put the window up it doesn't do anything, almost as if there is no power going to it. one of my latches on the tailgate doesn't engage all the way on its own, so i just have to move the latch every time before i put the tailgate up (otherwise it wont close completely and the safety wont let the window go up), but its been like that for years and the window has always worked. the window worked perfectly right before i took the top off. i dont think its a safety issue cuz with the tailgate down i engaged both latches all the way and the window still wouldnt go up.

any ideas? sorry for the long post, im pulling an all-nighter studying for an exam in the morning and needed a break haha.:doah:
 
muddybuddy said:
<snipped a bunch>

any ideas? sorry for the long post, im pulling an all-nighter studying for an exam in the morning and needed a break haha.:doah:
Click to expand...

First of all, get back to studying and quit worrying! :haha:

Second of all, I don't know sh*t. Never have, probably never will. I will always be the perpetual newbie around here. BUT, it does sound like a wiring issue to me. Clean the connections, clean the grounds, lube the regulator and other moving parts and then give it a whirl. If I am not mistaken, power windows have different feeds; one for up, one for down. It could very well just be a dirty connection that isn't making decent contact.

Just trying to help you rest easy so you get your a$$ back to the books! Study break is over! :wink1: BTW, good luck on the exam.
 
Maybe the power motor went? If you have to get it closed, you can take the cover off the tailgate and unscrew the wire that goes into the tailgate motor. You can hook up a power drill to that end, and the window will go up or down.
 
well this issue happened back in the middle of august. for now its got a tarp over it so it should be fine for now (back at home). when i get a chance to get home for a weekend im going to look more into it.

could the motor just go bad w/o any warning? it used to go up and down pretty fast and never showed any signs of struggle
 
The saftey switch could have gone bad. The window would still be able to go down but not up. You could remove the inner panel and temporarily bypass the switch to verify if the switch is bad.
 
Sounds like the safety switch. It's designed so that say for example you are loading the groceries and the kids power out the window from the dash switch and the window goes out while the gate is down. Boom! the window blows because it has no support and it can't take it. GM designed the switch with this in mind. Sometimes the gate doesn't close properly and either the left or the right gate side latch isn't fully latched. If you hit the key and the window wants to go down there is nothing wrong with the motor because it's designed to run in a loop. Hit the down button and power flows one way. Hit the up button and the power flows the opposite way. So if it moves one way ,it's still good.
Try tricking the gate into thinking it's closed. First open the gate fully. Two, using your hands(and fingers) flip the latches on the ends of the gate closed. Make sure that you close the latches all the way. You'll hear two clicks than you'll know it's closed all the way. Third stick the key into the switch and give it a try. If it's working properly,it'll move both ways. Make sure to support the glass with your free hand. If it moves both ways than your tailgate isn't closing properly and both latches have to click when you close the gate inorder to have the glass move properly. Many times one side latches good and the other side only 'clicks' once and either the striker needs adjustment or the center latch inside the gate is bent. Removing the latches and cleaning them in a solvent tank helps but they need to be lubricated before you reinstall them. If you try and close the gate now it won't like it, so make sure the window is all the way down and reach inside and grab the handle and you'll hear the latches click open.
Usually the center latch is bent because the gate isn't meant to be opened unless the window is fully down. It's built this way so that if your driving down the highway and little Johnny is roaming around in the back and inadvertantly tries to open the gate....he doesn't fall out. But if you roll the window down (not all the way) and leave it up a little bit the center latch that's connected to the inner handle will actually bend and give and you can open the gate up. Look closely and if your inner handle is not sitting properly and is sticking up slightly you can bet the inner center latch is bent. To fix this, remove the inner access panel and unbolt the latch and unhook all the rods. You'll see that a rod goes out to each latch and the center latch itself probably is slightly bent, usually where the rods hook on. Clean it up with solvent and lube it with white lithium grease and tweak it back into shape and re-install it. Usually that will fix it and you'll be back to normal in no time....
 
just to add one more...yep its the safety switch, i just bypassed mine when it went.just dont put ur window up when the tailgate is down :wink1:
 
shaun89 said:
just to add one more...yep its the safety switch, i just bypassed mine when it went.just dont put ur window up when the tailgate is down :wink1:
Click to expand...

what exactly do i have to do to bypass it? i hate electrical:mad:
 
ya, i just took an inch long piece of wire,stripped both ends and put 2 male blades on it,then stick them in the slots. i was going to but the wires and butt connect them, but i figured this way i can go back if i ever needed too and i still have the factory clip for the wires still attached.
 
put your workboots on, get in and put your back up against the window and tail gate and kick until you see daylight. Then start bending tube....

:D I couldn't resist
 
shaun89 said:
ya, i just took an inch long piece of wire,stripped both ends and put 2 male blades on it,then stick them in the slots. i was going to but the wires and butt connect them, but i figured this way i can go back if i ever needed too and i still have the factory clip for the wires still attached.
Click to expand...
Do you have any pics of this?
 
stan1688 said:
Which wires are the ones for the safety mechanism?
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they r near the latch inside the tailgate on the driver side. it is a 2 wire clip.just take off the access panel and reach in to the left. or u can even just put a flashlight in there. ull see a little white clip. unplug it and do the little wire connection trick i was talking about.
 
Trust me the latch is bent and it's not fully turning off the switch. The switches do go every once in a while and are not serviceable you gotta replace it. But what's happened is the gate was probably forced open when the window was sticking up an inch or two. Pull it all apart and check continuity with a volt meter on the switch. If when activated it does'nt drop to zero than the switch is toast. You can bypass it and open the gate even if the window isn't fully rolled down. But check to make sure that with the window all the way down that it actually shuts off the switch. If it does and it's doing it's thing and nothings bent than check where the wires pass thru the body to the gate sometimes they break there too.
 
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