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    Help, my tailgate hates me...

    ... seemingly. So, the car is a 88' Colony Park, with a long dead tailgate window. I got a spare motor some time ago, installed it, but the window did not respond to the dashboard panel, so I left it for a more suitable moment. It turned out to be today, so I spent some 3 hours cursing, trying to get things done.

    The initial situation was: tailgate nonoperational, engine replaced, but the window is stuck in the "fully extended" position.
    So far, I got this:
    -> window works perfectly when on external power source, goes up and down as expected;
    -> the "fully retracted" position means a ~1cm of glass seen over the tailgate (with plastic cover removed);
    -> tailgate can be opened "in a second way" easily in that position, closes also easily;
    -> window works moreover ok when plugged into the car's wiring harness;
    -> turning the key to the right lowers the tailgate;
    -> turning the key to the left does not have any effect;
    -> dashboard steering buttons seem to have no effect sometimes, only if the window was fully retracted;
    -> sometimes fiddling with the "door lock" button on the armrest helps, and the tailgate is operational again;
    -> sometimes it has to be raised a bit with an external power source, and then it can be operated by the dashboard switch;
    -> all accessible mechanical elements have been greased with a huuuuuge load of mechanical grease;
    -> all electrical connectors seem to be present and plugged in, with the exception of one connector that seems to be a twin of the window heating line;
    -> the 6-pin connector seems to have already seen better days;
    -> the window itself has two distinct "lines" where it was scratched, these are not new.

    My guess is that:
    --> the 6-pin connector is the main source of electrical problems, and I should check the voltage/replace it/repair it. Does anyone, maybe, have some hints which pin is for what?
    --> the window moves not entirely freely, but probably does retract in a proper way ("not a bug, but a feature" regarding the "leftover" glass);
    --> no idea why the heating line connector is "dual".

    Could someone please check my inputs and inferences and give a helping hand? Will really appreciate

    #2
    If I remember correctly... There's an interlock in the tailgate to keep the window from going up when it's open. One of the hinges is bad enough to keep this interlock from closing and allowing the motor to work in the up direction. The hinges going bad is a common issue on the wagons. I don't remember the fix as I've never owned one myself. I'm just regurgitating what I remember from others here.

    Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
    rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
    Originally posted by gadget73
    ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
    Originally posted by dmccaig
    Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

    Comment


      #3
      These may help.









      I think I’d try bypassing that tailgate open switch to see if that improves your situation.

      My key operated switches don’t work the best. I have to turn them very hard to get the up function these days. They used to work better, so I expect the contacts in the switch are in poor condition. Never had a problem with the in car switch, yet.


      Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
      1990 Country Squire - weekend cruiser, next project
      1988 Crown Vic LTD Wagon - waiting in the wings

      GMN Box Panther History
      Box Panther Horsepower and Torque Ratings
      Box Panther Production Numbers

      Comment


        #4
        Tiggie that's some great stuff, may even help me one day! I have similar electrical issues with my rear window that bnw does, plus my lift gear itself is bad. I had two motor assy's (the original and the one from the tailgate I got the glass from when I replaced it), and both ran, but neither lifted/lowered the window without "help". I know that's an easy fix, but I wasn't motivated to do so at that time. Right now I just have some "jump" wires that I plug into the 12V source at the rear dome that hangs down from the roof (reverse the polarity for up/down), and I help the window with my hand! Can you say "jerry-rig?" Anyhow, thanks for sharing.

        Originally posted by bnw View Post
        ...I spent some 3 hours cursing, trying to get things done..
        bnw, that would have been my first suggestion. Did you try throwing $#!+? Those two things usually work for me, but since that didn't help, we had both better try the strange methods that sly and Tiggie have suggested of process of elimination and reading wiring schematics and such!!!
        sigpic
        United Socialist States of America
        (occupation government)

        Comment


          #5
          The switch is in the latch, but wonky hinges and missing plastic sleeves on the latch pin can mess it up, so can just the switch being bad or crusty.

          getting those hinges set right is a real pain in the ass. Its easy to make it work perfectly in one direction or the other, getting both to work seems to end up with neither working all that well, but still working. The window mechanisms also usually need a good cleaning and lubing for the window to have much hope of working. Between friction and all the voltage drop from the mile of 30 year old wire and switches its a wonder they work at all.
          86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
          5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

          91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

          1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

          Originally posted by phayzer5
          I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Tiggie View Post
            These may help.
            Oh, thank you very much! I'll try bypassing as soon as I am done with the shifter indicator. I also think of cutting the whole 5-pin (thought it was a 6-pin, but seemingly it is not) connector from both sides and putting a new "universal", 5-pin one. Before that, I will probably just measure the voltage.
            BTW, where do you have these photos from? It is the vacuum and electrical systems manual? Is it available as an ebook for purchase, or as a scanned copy?


            Originally posted by Quincy View Post
            bnw, that would have been my first suggestion. Did you try throwing $#!+?
            \

            Like, throwing stuff? Doable, but usually only adds to the mess + results in a regretful aftertaste.

            Originally posted by gadget73 View Post
            The switch is in the latch, but wonky hinges and missing plastic sleeves on the latch pin can mess it up, so can just the switch being bad or crusty.
            Given the fact that the t-gate works quite lazy, it might be that hinges etc. are worn off. We'll soon see...

            Comment


              #7
              Yes, from the EVTM. I have an extra 1988 version available with the body/chassis/electric manual for sale. $15 plus shipping if you want it. No idea how shipping works to Poland.
              1990 Country Squire - weekend cruiser, next project
              1988 Crown Vic LTD Wagon - waiting in the wings

              GMN Box Panther History
              Box Panther Horsepower and Torque Ratings
              Box Panther Production Numbers

              Comment


                #8
                Hey, bnw - can you share some good Polish curse words that I can try next time I'm working on something?

                I'm tired of re-using the same ones over and over (as are my neighbors, most likely), although my dad (a former USMC drill instructor) did teach me some doozies!!!
                sigpic
                United Socialist States of America
                (occupation government)

                Comment


                  #9
                  @Tiggie --> that would be turbo awesome, but yeah, I too, don't know what would be the best option. I guess that USPS has some kind of an international package that costs ~25 dollars, this being a sensible price actually, and the payment itself can be done via PayPal. But how big/heavy could this kind of package be? Hell knows...
                  Anyway, if there would be a chance to acquire this book, that would be really great. I don't see myself coming to the US soon, unfortunately.

                  @Quincy --> that's not a problem at all, but... are we actually allowed to say cursed words here? These two should give you some basic information on the matter:

                  https://ci.memecdn.com/6216074.jpg
                  and
                  https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qim...0f636ec6f55a6e

                  The second word is probably most popular, and is quite well known in the outside world. Like, Polish ppl usually use it all the time, and with the power of suffixes and prefixes one can build lengthy sentences revolving around one or two different words.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by bnw View Post
                    https://ci.memecdn.com/6216074.jpg
                    and
                    https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qim...0f636ec6f55a6e

                    The second word is probably most popular, and is quite well known in the outside world. Like, Polish ppl usually use it all the time, and with the power of suffixes and prefixes one can build lengthy sentences revolving around one or two different words.
                    Noted!
                    sigpic
                    United Socialist States of America
                    (occupation government)

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Not sure if Media Mail works out of the US, but using that you can ship printed media fairly cheaply within the US. There are some restrictions but generally a printed manual would qualify. Basically it can't have advertising and such like that, so magazines don't qualify.
                      86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                      5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                      91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                      1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                      Originally posted by phayzer5
                      I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                      Comment


                        #12
                        From looking at that diagram, first thing I would check is that ground. Whenever I have a few electrical problems in a small area of the vehicle, I always check grounds first. A single bad ground can affect multiple circuits, if those circuits have a common ground point.
                        Not saying that is your problem, but just something I learned over the years that has saved me a lot of time.
                        Good luck, electrical problems can be a pain in the ass
                        ..

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