91 Volvo power window switch

In Virginia you fail annual inspection for the driver's power window, though none of the others have to work.

Of course that is the only switch that doesn't work. After disassembling, cleaning, and polishing, I got it to work intermittently. Swapping with a known good switch I finally found the real problem: the connector doesn't stay on the pins tightly. Slight finger pressure will make good contact and the window works fine, but otherwise not. It's a 1991 Volvo if that makes any difference.

Does anybody know a way to tighten these connectors? They just push on, there are four sockets in the connector and four fat pins on the switch. I'd swap with one of the other three, but the four switch connectors are all shaped uniquely and can't be repositioned.

Tim R > wrote:
>In Virginia you fail annual inspection for the driver's power window, thoug=
>h none of the others have to work. =20

Yes, because that's the one you have to open to talk to the police officer.
If the window doesn't open, you'd have to get out of the car and the police
don't like that.

>Of course that is the only switch that doesn't work. After disassembling, =
>cleaning, and polishing, I got it to work intermittently. Swapping with a =
>known good switch I finally found the real problem: the connector doesn't =
>stay on the pins tightly. Slight finger pressure will make good contact an=
>d the window works fine, but otherwise not. It's a 1991 Volvo if that make=
>s any difference.

So, crimp the connector socket contacts slightly with needle-nose pliers,
and clean with DeOxit or some other slightly reducing contact cleaner.

You should also be able to buy replacement contacts from the dealer or from
a good auto parts store.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On Thursday, September 22, 2016 at 9:09:56 AM UTC-4, Scott Dorsey wrote:
> So, crimp the connector socket contacts slightly with needle-nose pliers,
> and clean with DeOxit or some other slightly reducing contact cleaner.
>
> You should also be able to buy replacement contacts from the dealer or from
> a good auto parts store.
> --scott


Any idea how those connectors attach? There are four socket contacts buried in a piece of plastic, and almost no slack in the wiring harness. If I have to cut wire to remove I'm pretty much screwed, but if I can crimp sockets back on to the same wire maybe it can be done. Or are they soldered?

Tim R > wrote:
>On Thursday, September 22, 2016 at 9:09:56 AM UTC-4, Scott Dorsey wrote:
>> So, crimp the connector socket contacts slightly with needle-nose pliers,=
>=20
>> and clean with DeOxit or some other slightly reducing contact cleaner.
>>=20
>> You should also be able to buy replacement contacts from the dealer or fr=
>om
>> a good auto parts store.
>
>
>Any idea how those connectors attach? There are four socket contacts burie=
>d in a piece of plastic, and almost no slack in the wiring harness. If I h=
>ave to cut wire to remove I'm pretty much screwed, but if I can crimp socke=
>ts back on to the same wire maybe it can be done. Or are they soldered? =

The sockets will pop out of the plastic body if you put a feeler pick into
the right place to open the latch on the socket. But I'd first use the pick
just to retension them and see if that will work.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Tim R wrote:
> In Virginia you fail annual inspection for the driver's power window, though none of the others have to work.
>
> Of course that is the only switch that doesn't work. After disassembling, cleaning, and polishing, I got it to work intermittently. Swapping with a known good switch I finally found the real problem: the connector doesn't stay on the pins tightly. Slight finger pressure will make good contact and the window works fine, but otherwise not. It's a 1991 Volvo if that makes any difference.
>
> Does anybody know a way to tighten these connectors? They just push on, there are four sockets in the connector and four fat pins on the switch. I'd swap with one of the other three, but the four switch connectors are all shaped uniquely and can't be repositioned.

You can buy or make pin removal tools. I usually make my own.
Search on Google for "Contact Insertion/Extraction Tools".
Often I use the Scott Dorsey feeler pick method.

On Thursday, September 22, 2016 at 8:16:25 PM UTC-4, Paul in Houston TX wrote:
> Tim R wrote:
> > In Virginia you fail annual inspection for the driver's power window, though none of the others have to work.
> >
> > Of course that is the only switch that doesn't work. After disassembling, cleaning, and polishing, I got it to work intermittently. Swapping with a known good switch I finally found the real problem: the connector doesn't stay on the pins tightly. Slight finger pressure will make good contact and the window works fine, but otherwise not. It's a 1991 Volvo if that makes any difference.
> >
> > Does anybody know a way to tighten these connectors? They just push on, there are four sockets in the connector and four fat pins on the switch. I'd swap with one of the other three, but the four switch connectors are all shaped uniquely and can't be repositioned.
>
> You can buy or make pin removal tools. I usually make my own.
> Search on Google for "Contact Insertion/Extraction Tools".
> Often I use the Scott Dorsey feeler pick method.

After watching the mechanic struggle to make some lights work, I think I now know the cause.

The male pins on the switch itself are solidly molded and can't move.

The female pins on the connector block (on the wiring harness) are loose in the plastic.

When the connection is pushed together the female pins slide back in the block.

I'm not sure crimping new pins will help in a worn block.

Tim R > wrote:
>After watching the mechanic struggle to make some lights work, I think I no=
>w know the cause.
>
>The male pins on the switch itself are solidly molded and can't move.

This is good.

>The female pins on the connector block (on the wiring harness) are loose in=
> the plastic. =20

This is good too, they should be able to wiggle back and forth.

>When the connection is pushed together the female pins slide back in the bl=
>ock. =20

They have a little barb on the side of them to prevent them from sliding
back and coming out. If that barb is damaged, this can happen, and you can
pull the contact out, bend the barb out properly, and slide it back in.

However, this is not something that gets damaged on its own, it's something
that gets damaged when people manhandle it. So I would wonder how it got
that way if that is really what is happening.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Tim R wrote:
> On Thursday, September 22, 2016 at 8:16:25 PM UTC-4, Paul in Houston TX wrote:
>> Tim R wrote:
>>> In Virginia you fail annual inspection for the driver's power window, though none of the others have to work.
>>>
>>> Of course that is the only switch that doesn't work. After disassembling, cleaning, and polishing, I got it to work intermittently. Swapping with a known good switch I finally found the real problem: the connector doesn't stay on the pins tightly. Slight finger pressure will make good contact and the window works fine, but otherwise not. It's a 1991 Volvo if that makes any difference.
>>>
>>> Does anybody know a way to tighten these connectors? They just push on, there are four sockets in the connector and four fat pins on the switch. I'd swap with one of the other three, but the four switch connectors are all shaped uniquely and can't be repositioned.
>>
>> You can buy or make pin removal tools. I usually make my own.
>> Search on Google for "Contact Insertion/Extraction Tools".
>> Often I use the Scott Dorsey feeler pick method.
>
> After watching the mechanic struggle to make some lights work, I think I now know the cause.
>
> The male pins on the switch itself are solidly molded and can't move.
>
> The female pins on the connector block (on the wiring harness) are loose in the plastic.
>
> When the connection is pushed together the female pins slide back in the block.
>
> I'm not sure crimping new pins will help in a worn block.

Ah ha! I've seen that happen. There is a "tab" on the female part that will
lock into place in the connector. It could be bent or broken or the connector
lockin places is worn out... but those things would only happen after considerable
movement. Take the female parts out of the connector, rebend the tab,
and slightly crimp the female parts, too. That's what I would do, anyways.