Removing & Fixing rear door PW switch

For several years now the passenger side rear-door power window switch has intermittently worked...often going down, but not back up without tapping, banging, trying different combinations of using the master switch and rear door switch at the same time, and dumb luck!!!

I finally got around to pulling off the door panel and taking a look at the switch itself. But not before a quick search here and youtube for how to remove the switch and possible common issues/fixes....surprisingly, I didn't find one thread/vid on actually removing just the switch itself. And as I'm sure most of you know, if you are not careful removing switches or panels, you are sure to snap a weak ass plastic retaining clip.
So I went at it.... turns out, as far as I can figure you cannot remove the switch without taking off the door panel...

Step 1: pop off the roughly foot long piece of black trim along the rear of the window.

Step 2: remove 2 screws; 1 at the bottom of the "pull handle" pocket thingy, and 1 behind a little plastic cover (that you need to pry open with a small flat screwdriver) located next to the door lock switch. There is also a retaining clip towards the back of the door that, I believe you pop the center in and it should easily come out (mine was already missing?)

Step 3: there are about 8 pop pins (for lack of a better term) along the bottom and up each side that are holding the door on. Start at the bottom and with a larger flat screwdriver or other suitable tool and start carefull prying the door off.
Be Careful because the window switch wire harness is still attached and not very long.

Step 4: reach in behind the door and remove the wiring harness pin connecter from the switch then the door panel will be completely free from the door.
Remove the switch from the door panel by pressing on the little metal retaining clip and pushing the switch up and out from the door panel.
If there is an easier way to remove the switch I don't want to hear about it!!! haha!

Step 5: remove the white pin connecter from the switch by carefully prying on either side with a small flat blade. Be careful because there are two little pieces that are loose inside and will fall out.

The contact points and the pins on the connecter showed some signs of corrosion so I gave them all a brush and cleaned them up. I had read that moisture getting down onto the switches can cause a problem and this was the door that my dog would always hang out of so it surely saw its fair share of drool on the regular basis. I can only assume that this was the problem.

Step 6: putting the switch back together... note that the two little loose pieces have to go back in a particular way.... i'm not going to describe it in detail but just look at the photos.
Now holding the switch over top of the white pin connecter, fit the white pin connecter up into place and snap it back into place. If you do it the other way around, trying to fit the pin connecter down into the switch then the little loose pieces will fall out.

Now without putting the switch back in the door panel, plug the switch directly back into the harness and make sure it works properly then grab another beer, you just saved yourself probably $80-$100 for a new switch from the dealer.

 

Good post!

 

Yeah, thanks! I think it may have told me what my PW problem is.. the windows have been intermentently no working, either up or down. First was the other night, then a fee hours later after having truck off, it rolled right up~ then just now. Found something on YouTube that said to hold both driver & passenger buttons in "up" position simultaneously & it worked! Wondering WHY?? Perhaps it has gotten wet?