I have a 4x4 '89 F250 with 7.3L diesel engine. Driving home yesterday, pulled up to our mailbox. My wife rolled down the passenger side power window. It then refused to roll up again.

Today I pulled the switch out of the door liner. With the ignition on I have power to the light blue wire, circuit 400. My Chilton manual shows the yellow with red stripe wire as the one going to window motor up. My volt meter shows 9.33 volts at this wire when I push the window up button. Not a peep from the motor. Similar with the down switch.

I tried running a 12 gauge wire directly from + battery terminal. I get a little spark when I touch the terminal of YR wire, but nada from motor. Same at RY wire to motor down.

i am concluding the motor is dead. A couple of years ago I replaced the power window motor on the driver's side. It was a real pain in the patooty, as I recall. The dang thing is down inside the door where you can't see what the hell you are doing, and you have to operate by feel and/or guesswork. I am not enthused about doing this again. But I'm also not happy about paying my local mechanic several hundred bucks. I'm even less happy about driving around during the rapidly approaching Wisconsin winter with my window rolled down.

Anybody have a quick/cheap/dirty fix to suggest? Is there a way to disengage the window actuator and raise the window by hand, then somehow bolt it in place?

The other Q&D fix I've done in the past is tape some plexiglass in the window opening; that's probably what I'll do if there isn't an easy way to get the glass closed.

 

Yeah, I hear you on the WI winter thing. Not looking forward to working outside for another one!

Anyway, on my 89 f250, I replaced the motor a lot easier by drilling out the 3 dimples with a 1/2" bit so I could unscrew the motor from the regulator without having to mess with the regulator at all. I kept the window up with a ~16" stick I found in the yard. Super greasy but it was definitely easier than plan A.

 

Yep. That’s how you are supposed to do the repair.

 

Update:
I fished around inside the door and found the plug for the wires going from the switch to the window motor. I unplugged it.

I hot wired the two wires to the motor, one directly to bat +, the other to bat -, the way I thought my Chilton manual's wiring diagram indicated should roll the window up.

The motor just made a few reluctant clicking noises, no hum or whir, no motion of the window. Then I reached inside the door and lifted up on the window lift mechanism. The motor made a tiny "whir" and the window went up a fraction of an inch. I just kept repeating this action until the window was all the way closed.

Then I disconnected the jumper wires and did NOT reconnect the plug. I taped up the plastic liner and reinstalled the interior door panel. It's November in Wisconsin, and I can live without rolling down my passenger window until warm weather next year... if the truck is still running then!

 

As you know the motor has two wires. One is power and the other ground when the switch is in the “down” position. The when you move the switch to the “up” position the wires reverse polarity. Now the one that was ground is now power and the other is ground. Sounds like you have a weak motor. It should only be a 30 minute repair. Remove the door panel, drill three holes to access the motor bolts, R&R the motor and reinstall the door panel.

 

Pull the motor replace the nylon bushings in it there busted up easy fix