Bottom positions of door windows are different and one touch does not

[ievsdoma]

Hello, 

 

This issue needs a little bit of context, sorry for the lots of text.

 

I had a leak on the driver's side of my RHD 2005 Boxster 2.7 Manual. I brought the car to a mechanic, who raised the window with adjustment screws, and leak was gone for a month. I brought the car again, the mechanic raised the window even more, but that worked only for a week. I brought the car the third time, insisting that something needs to be replaced, and they replaced a rubber gasket. This helped with the leak, but now one touch window operation does not work on the driver side and windows are positioned differently. 

 

So the symptoms are: 

1. No driver side window one touch operation while door convenience feature works fine

2. No passenger window one touch operation with the buttons on the driver's door, but works fine when operated from the passenger door

3. Driver side window goes all the way inside the door and stops about half inch lower than the top edge of the door, while the passenger side window stops just above the edge

Here are the photos: 

Passenger side: 

 

Driver side: 

 

It's hard to see the edge of the window inside the door and even harder to take a good photo of it. Unfortunately, I did not have the car since new, so I do not know how it is supposed to be with a new gasket. 

 

I tried resetting the windows the same way I did after a battery was replaced, and that did not help. 

 

I went to the mechanic once more. They said the driver side window is this low because they lowered it to compensate for the new gasket. I expected something like that, but I thought the adjustment would be just few millimetres rather than half inch. 

Then they hooked up a KTM and discovered window module errors. After the errors had been cleared, one touch operation worked up, but not down. After few times that stopped working again and the errors were back. The mechanic told me it's something with the computer module on the motor and it cannot remember the positions. So entire motor assembly must be replaced. 

Also, water got inside the door through the place, where the side mirror is mounted. The mechanic assured me the water cannot harm the motor. 

 

I have reasons to doubt that, because it's hard to believe that a computer stops working just a little bit. I presume it's made on a single chip, so when memory on a chip goes bust, then everything wouldn't work. The most plausible explanation I can come up with is that the window mechanism is too low now, and the lowest position is beyond the computer memory range. That's why it has trouble remembering it. 

Could please someone tell me where was the lowest window position on a new car? Is it above or below the door? 

Do you have a better explanation for the issue than me? 

 

[wizard]

Hello.

I've a 2003 2.7, but I would assume that the window set up is the same. Just been out to check.

My windows are as delivered from the factory and, measured from the uppermost point of the window, they 'set' at 1mm below the top of the outer weatherstrip. I think that's about half an inch ?

Edited March 27, 2016 by wizard

[ievsdoma]

HI wizard, 

 

Thanks for the response.

Half inch is about 13 mm (inch is 2.54 cm). The glass is barely visible through the weatherstrip. So it's much more than 1 mm you wrote about. The passenger side glass is a bit above the weatherstrip, but it may have been adjusted before. Driver side glass was just like that before they started the "repairs". 

So this works toward my theory. 

[wizard]

Hi .... and apologies.

It's 1 cm, not 1 mm.

iPads and the auto correct !!!!

[ievsdoma]

Thanks, that's not a problem.

Indeed, 1 cm is something like I have now. I assume one touch works in your car, so that is not the cause of my trouble. 

I don't have a better idea though. 

[wizard]

On my car, there's a large, black connector between the door hinges which presumably carries the wiring loom.

Does that look in any way as if it has been disturbed / not fitted correctly?

Before considering a new motor, i'd look for instructions as to how to disconnect that connector and check that there hasn't been a water ingress / that the pins are as they should be and that it's clean inside.

[ievsdoma]

The wiring looks fine on the outside and checking the connector inside will require removing the door panel. But this sounds promising. The water did go inside the door near the hinge. If the door computer has trouble communicating with the outside world it would have trouble controlling the passenger side window, like it is. 

[wizard]

The black boot on my car appears to be attached with a small torx bolt at the bottom. I'll try to put a photo up of the one I'm referring to, which is on the body of the car and not the door itself.

On the assumption that the plug-in point is behind that black boot, it might be an idea to see if that is the case before looking at door panel removal, if that's necessary.

I'm just guessing here, but pin corrosion is a possibility.

Edited March 28, 2016 by wizard

[wizard]

[ievsdoma]

Thanks, I will check next time I'me near the car. 

[ievsdoma]

Looks like it's different in 2nd gen cars: 

 

 

No connector here, the cable goes inside the door. So it's not possible to check for water damage without removing the panel. 

 

[wizard]

O.K.

 

On the bottom of the (my) door there are 4 black grommets which provide access to the window adjusters. It might be an idea to remove and look inside to see if there's any dampness/corrosion on the inside of the door. You will, of course, need a strong torch to see right to the top inside.

 

If not, then I guess pin corrosion is not a likely cause.

 

I can't really suggest anything else. Sorry.

Edited March 30, 2016 by wizard

[ievsdoma]

Pin corrosion - do you mean water inside the connector? My first guess was that it is exactly what happened. I think the connector inside the door would not be as well isolated you the kind you have on your car. Could you please elaborate why you think it is unlikely? 

[wizard]

Yes, pin corrosion from moisture inside the connector. Dampness inside the door would show up in the form of corrosion. If there's no dampness or corrosion visible, it's highly unlikely that a sealed connector would have moisture inside.

One other thought has occurred. From what you explained, you have a switch on the driver's door which controls one-touch for both windows. The one-touch doesn't work for either window using that switch, but does work using the passenger side switch. The switch arrangement on my car is different.

If I've understood that correctly, maybe the problem lies in the driver side door switch?

[ievsdoma]

Actually, the switch was my first guess, because I know the water got inside it during all those months it took them to fix the leak. The mechanic shot it down, but I think I should be more critical of what they say.

On the other hand, the switch is designed to get wet, but there must be a limit to how much it can sustain. Also, it's not entirely dead and regular operations function. I would expect it not not work at all in case of damage. But who knows which kind of failure handling logic it has.

But it still makes more sense than the motor suddenly having computer problems. Also, it would be cheaper to fix.

Edited March 31, 2016 by ievsdoma

[ievsdoma]

Ha, it appeared the position was incorrect indeed.

The mechanic removed the plastic stopper for some reason and the window was travelling too far. I have noticed the door makes clanking noise when you close it with the window fully retracted. The car is supposed to raise it a bit to prevent the wobbling, which caused the sound, but it was not enough.

They've put the stopper back and the window is there like it was before. That hasn't helped with the one touch though.