This 1997 Ford F150 came in with three complaints. The power windows do not work. The wipers do not work and the interior lights do not work. Figuring that they were all related I decided to test the easiest system to access, the power windows. I pulled the driver’s side power window switch assembly up and checked for power at the light blue/black wire with the key on. No power.
I then went to the interior fuse box and removed the battery saver relay. It is the small relay second from the top left corner.
I checked for ignition power on the lower right terminal, 12 volts, good.
I checked for ground at the upper right hand terminal by first placing one lead of my voltmeter to a positive battery source, 0 volts, bad. That in itself is enough to show that the GEM module is faulty but I also looked at GEM data with a scan tool and saw that internal system voltage was 22 volts. Hard to do with a 12 volt battery. Diagnosis of a faulty GEM module. To see how to replace the module please click here.
This is the reading with a new GEM module across terminals 85 and 86. Just like it should be 12 volts. Another important note is that I asked the customer about water leaks on this side of the truck and also closely inspected everything as I disassembled looking for signs of water intrusion. Water leaks are a big problem with these modules.
Again with the new GEM installed there is now power on the light blue/black wire.
In case you have not already figured it out if the windows had to be operated to raise a downed window you could do one of two things if there is no power at the light blue/black wire. One, you could apply 12 volts to this wire with a jumper wire. Two, you could jumper terminals 87 and 30 together at the battery saver relay. The second will also test the wiring in the door jamb as well.
Assuming that the remote is part of a factory system, I would think that there are damaged wires in one of the door jambs. The driver’s would be the more likely since it is opened and closed more. If it has an aftermarket system more than likely there is a problem with the modules and/or wiring. There is also a possibility that there could be a faulty ground.
I have a 1997 f-150 4.6. my driver side window stopped working. I here a click when I push the button. My passenger side window works but is slow and when I push the button for the passenger window the side door lights come on dim. and the window is slow. I here a clicking while I push the button. Not sure whats going on. Yesterday the driver side window was working. I had the window down and went to lock it with the remote and the window went up about an inch every time I hit the button until it was all the way up and the window never worked after that. any help would be great. Thanks
After the key has been turned off, check the relays periodically to see if one is warm. Remove the one that is warm after about an hour of sitting. Your radio, windows & etc should turns off. Of course you need to start will a fully charged battery. If it is the same one that is shown in this article, do the tests associated with it. If another, let me know all the specs on your vehicle and the location of the relay in the fuse box.
sparky can u help please….. i have a 98 ford f 150 4.6 3 door and ive been having some issues like when i turn off the truck and take the key out i still have power to my windows and my radio stays on along with the door ajar chime.. i checked the key ignition pulled that out seem fine i read some of your comments on here and seen that u are very helpful, can u please help me out!!!! note: this has happen to me before in the past winter conditions but not like this where it actually stays on over night and kills my battery…
I would suspect that the window lock out switch is engaged or bad. Also the driver’s power window switch is likely faulty. A wiring diagram and a few quick tests should point you in the right direction.I know you stated earlier that you replaced the master switch. New or used? From the Ford dealership or aftermarket. You may want to have the part number rechecked. If all of the above is known to be correct and good, I would move onto checking the main ground wire for the master switch. It could be broken in the door jamb wiring.