Power window issue in 95 240SX SE

[StaticX27]

So my driver side window does work and everyone is happy there. Passanger window doesn't want to work and has not since I bought the car. I finally broke down today to try and fix it.

First thing is first, follow the step by step progression of the service manual for their troubleshooting type deal. I'll name the wires by color, assuming they're universal and consistant. I tested voltage to the white/black wire that goes to the battery, nice 12 volts. Next I tested voltage to the red/black (up) and red/white (down), and got a nice 12v from there. I tested the continuity between all 3 wires from the passanger side to the driver side, all good there. Finally I said "duh" and tested the motor by wiring it directly to the battery via the blue and green wire. The motor works just fine, window rolls up and down with no hesitation.

I checked the relay inside the door. I can hear the contact moving back and forth for the driver side, but I can't hear that for the passanger side at all. I'm completely lost from this point. I'm checking out the passanger switch, but that's pretty much me running out of things to check. Anyone have any ideas?

[Evo34wd]

if all power works.. check for your ground
see if when u switch the window up.. if if one of the red/black or red/white wire goes to ground.. like if your switching up (red/black) wire check .. the red/white wire and see if its getting ground.. one lead to the red/white wire and one to car ground and see if its continuous
if its not continuous then your ground side is mess up

[blv2xlr8]

i had a similar problem a while back where my passenger side window would work fine but my driver side wouldn't. i bought a power window amplifier from courtesy parts and everything worked perfect after that.

[StaticX27]

if all power works.. check for your ground
see if when u switch the window up.. if if one of the red/black or red/white wire goes to ground.. like if your switching up (red/black) wire check .. the red/white wire and see if its getting ground.. one lead to the red/white wire and one to car ground and see if its continuous
if its not continuous then your ground side is mess up

Not sure where to check that actually. Funny thing about the wiring diagram, it doesn't seem to include the relay behind the door panel in the equation. So I see on the master door switch side that the same red/white and red/black wires are there, but how they go to the power window relay is completely beyond me. So it seems like the red/white and red/black wire go directly from one switch to the other, and from the master pw switch, there's a black wire that goes to ground, and that wire seems to be working fine.

Sorry, electronics are seriously my weak point. As far as I can tell, if there's continuity and voltage, it should work, and my experience stops there.

However, my dad and I tried another test, which was to eliminate the red/black and red/white from the circuit and go directly from the white/black to the wires for the motor, then ground the red/black and red/white wires. That didn't work either, which kinda leads me to believe either the harness is bad or the switch is bad. Though when we tested the switch, everything was just dandy. Current evidence goes to the harness, but again, this is getting beyond my current knowledge ><

[Evo34wd]

theres 2 wires going to the window motor right?
i'm guessing that it is red/black and red/white which controls up and one controls down
those 2 wires come from the switch and goes to the motor
and you should have one power wire that goes to the switch and one ground wire also..
the power wire should give 12v to red/black as you switch up and the red/white should be ground
and in reverse if your switching down the window the red/white should be getting the 12v while the red/black should be grounded
.. in another words the switch makes one have power while the other have ground to make the window go up .. and then when you go down it should be reversed..
so i'm thinking it might be your switch not giving ground correctly

[Evo34wd]

and looking at the diagram there should be a white/black wire .. that wire is the ground wire that is used on the passenger side switch
so if u can test it while everything is plug
test for continuous on white/black wire with red/black when your switching your window down
and then do white/black wire with red/white while your switching window up
on passenger side.
once you confirm if its working
check to see if the white/black wire goes to ground with the continuous setting by just putting one lead to the white/black wire and the other lead to chassis ground and see if its continuous

[projectRDM]

I love confusing threads like this. I swear I've typed up a dozen window troubleshooting posts, but here's one more.

The window amplifier in the driver's door has nothing to do with the passenger side. Nothing. It's a relay pack that drives the driver side window only. For the people who suggested that as a fix, go home.

The passenger side switch is relayed through the driver's master switch, so if the driver side switch rolls the window up/down hen both switches have to work. If not, the passenger side switch is bad.

[StaticX27]

and looking at the diagram there should be a white/black wire .. that wire is the ground wire that is used on the passenger side switch
so if u can test it while everything is plug
test for continuous on white/black wire with red/black when your switching your window down
and then do white/black wire with red/white while your switching window up
on passenger side.
once you confirm if its working
check to see if the white/black wire goes to ground with the continuous setting by just putting one lead to the white/black wire and the other lead to chassis ground and see if its continuous

Okay I'm going to test that one out, thanks alot. Also going to do another test on the window switch. The contacts appear to be all good and doing what they're supposed to be doing, but that's not to say the contacts aren't messed up. So I'll play around a bit.

R240NA, while I'm not disagreeing with you, I am kinda confused, because there are two relays inside that amplifier box in the driver door. Looking at it, I assumed one was for the passanger side, and the other was for the driver side. So now I'm guessing one is for the auto down feature and the other is for the up and down control?

[projectRDM]

Okay I'm going to test that one out, thanks alot. Also going to do another test on the window switch. The contacts appear to be all good and doing what they're supposed to be doing, but that's not to say the contacts aren't messed up. So I'll play around a bit.

R240NA, while I'm not disagreeing with you, I am kinda confused, because there are two relays inside that amplifier box in the driver door. Looking at it, I assumed one was for the passanger side, and the other was for the driver side. So now I'm guessing one is for the auto down feature and the other is for the up and down control?

One for up, one for down. Just like any other motor it's a reversal rest at ground, one side of the motor leg has to see a ground while the other sees 12V, that's why you have one relay for each operation. The auto feature is built in to the switch.
If you still doubt it, get the passenger side window fixed, then unplug the amp. The passenger window will still work.

[S14klares]

make shure the window lock isnt on cuz u wont be able to move the widow from your side either.

[StaticX27]

One for up, one for down. Just like any other motor it's a reversal rest at ground, one side of the motor leg has to see a ground while the other sees 12V, that's why you have one relay for each operation. The auto feature is built in to the switch.
If you still doubt it, get the passenger side window fixed, then unplug the amp. The passenger window will still work.

Cool, thanks for the clarification on that. Like I said, I'm still learning about how this stuff works, and consider myself pretty dumb in this area, I wasn't doubting you at all, just seeking explanation like you gave :D.

Monday I'm gonna pick up a new switch from the dealership and hope that solves all my woes. I did a couple tests this morning and proved to myself that the switch is the cause (remove the red/black and red/white wires, and hook up the motor wires directly to it, and ground the other two. ) Theoretically that should have given 12v directly to the motor lines and caused at least some kind of reaction, but it didn't. I'm just glad its a $30 window switch and not a $500 motor :P

[projectRDM]

If your dealer is charging you $500 for the motor he's $200 too high. Try again.

[StaticX27]

Surprising, since WestCo Nissan is usually much better on pricing than that ><

For the driver side I just went to a junk yard and got one for $50 instead. I was short on cash