Tried to open windows and car started smoking

[green95]

Yesterday, i opened my front windows and they stopped halfway down and i saw smoke on the right side of the dashboard. i shut off the car and upon restart, everything worked fine. this morning, the windows and sunroof wouldnt open and car started smoking again. i looked at the wires going into the door, and saw minor burn marks on them but nothing melted or burned through. What could this be? I'm ready to take it to Ford but cant afford a big repair bill and i hate doing electrical work.

 

[Eric VerValin]

Are they smoking as a result of you pushing the button, or all the time? And was it the top of the dash, or more so in the corner by the side view mirror? Anything pinch the wire or anything strange like that?


Gotta be careful with electrical crap in a car... those harnesses arent the easiest to put out if they catch fire.. When in doubt, or if your nervous about it, pull the positive cable on the battery. If I have a clue something could be funny, I leave mine loose so I can pop it off in a hurry if need be.

I would think those motors have a "thermal overload" that would kinda act like a circuit breaker, but maybe not... anyone here know?

 

[green95]

i think it was when i pushed the button and i saw the smoke between the dash and the door panel by the mirror. wasnt alot but none of the windows or sunroof opened. i didnt find any blown fuses. I towed it to Ford today. the advisor told me these cars are known for issues like this and it should be an easy fix. i hope so.

 

[green95]

in case anyone else has this same problem, ford found it to be the sunroof switch, sunroof motor, and relay. when they hooked the battery back up, the sunroof opened on its own. after unplugging the sunroof, the windows have worked fine since. Now i just need to find a motor and a new switch.

 

[LJRuddy]

Glad you got it all figured out. I couldn't help but laugh... Who else but Ford would make a wiring harness so that the sunroof controls cause smoke from the dashboard while rolling front windows down.

 

[Eric VerValin]

in case anyone else has this same problem, ford found it to be the sunroof switch, sunroof motor, and relay. when they hooked the battery back up, the sunroof opened on its own. after unplugging the sunroof, the windows have worked fine since. Now i just need to find a motor and a new switch.

You can use switches from contour's.