1999 Expedition Auto Down Power Window Help

Try spraying the window track with WD40 with the straw and also the moveable joints of the window regulator if you can reach.

If still does not work may have to replace window regulator.

The regulator was replaced at the same time as the motor.

Question the window motor that you put in was it new or used ? And does the window work if you use the passengers side window switch ? If so you may need a new drivers side window switch for the passengers side.

New. It's the "auto down" feature which isn't working. If I just keep clicking the switch for down, the window incrementally goes down, but I can't hold down the switch to make it fall. I've read about the GEM module, but that's a road I'm not interested in traveling.

Did you try replacing the switch ?

Here is something you can try that might work wiggle and giggle the wire around at the switch while holding the switch in the up or down position may have a loose wire to switch connection.

That's what I'm trying to ascertain, if others out there think it's likely to be the switch...

Yes I know that's why I suggested to wiggle and giggle the wires going to switch while holding switch if it starts to work correctly just may be a loose wire going to switch.

Sorry, I meant to mention I did that already.

My Ford Focus does the same on drivers side and drivers passenger side

I am wondering if its the obstacle stopping feature. Maybe this side is the weatherside and the window regulator is sensing resistance? Just bought this car second hand/

Replacing the switch did nothing. For me, this convo is moot now, though: I had to trade in the 99 and buy a new truck. For the record, she died (literally) at the dealer with 206,142 miles on her.

97-2002 Expedition, Navigator, and F150 all commonly have this problem. Unfortunately, it is a COMBINATION problem of many factors, that add up that eventually leads to these exact symptoms. Sometimes updating one or more of the components will cure it (for a while in some cases), other times, all of them need to be replaced to cure the issue at great expense. The auto=-down and auto-up feature works generally in the following manner: The 5-button driver's side switch for the front windows really has two modes. Auto-up or Auto-down, and UP or DOWN (button held in). This function is not embodied entirely in the switch. Much of the function is actually implemented in the vehicles GEM module. Then you also have the Window Regulator, and the Window Regulator electric (which is part of the regulator, but which can be serviced separately.) Finally, there is also the lubrication of the window sliders at the front and back edge of the window, the cleanliness of the window itself, the lubrication of the window regulator (that is the hidden mechanical metal lifting lowering device in the door), and the lubrication inside of the window regulator electric motor gearing. All of these items age and experience various issues. 1. The window if dirty, will stick more on the lower weather stripping, forcing the window motor to work much harder. (We will talk about why that is important later). If you really clean both sides of the window, I mean REALLY clean it (with Windex) and get that thing clean, that is Step 1. Step 2, buy some Silicone Lubricant at Home Deport and actually wipe down both sides of the window. This makes the window slide past the weather seal much easier. 2. The side of the window slider tracks loose their lubrication over time, and that forces the window motor to work harder also. (Again will talk about why "working hard" matters here below.). Use the red straw that came with the Silicone spray lubricant (hardware store) and spray a bunch into each of the two front and rear window edge cracks. Let it ooze down, and spray in some more. (This is all you can do without taking apart the door, major service.) 3. You can replace the driver's side door switch. The switch contacts inside of the switch (not the connector), but the internal contacts get worn with age. The contacts get burnt (electrical arcing, a tiny little spark inside every time you use it) eventually cases the contacts to burn. The effect is the switch still works, but electical power passing through the switch has to overcome more resistance in the switch itself, e.g. the power amperage to obtain a moving window must increase, in order to overcome the additional electrical resistance from the burnt contacts. All you can do for this is replace the switch. But this switch is expensive. $100 for a 3rd party replacement, and $175 for the original Ford Motorcraft part. (And unfortunately, because of the nature of this PARTICULAR vehicle, I have to recommend ONLY the Motorcraft part, expensive as it is.) 4. The Window Regulator. This is the lifting and lowering mechanism for the window. You cannot see it, but it is inside your door. It has metal sliders in it, that are originally greased up. That grease gets dirty over time and works less well. The metal gets worn over time as well, and can get rough spots. This mechanism works somewhat like a scissors jack, only its more complicated. You can pull off the internal door cover, remove the plastic sheeting, pull out the stereo speaker, and these use a spray lubricant to attempt to re-lube the window regulator. Spray White Lithium grease works the best, but you can also use Silicone Lub, especially if you just bought a can for the above window lubrication. This will make the window go up and down easier, and thus the window regulator motor will not have to work as hard. 5. You can remove the window motor and/or the window regulator (with the motor). To do this, there are rivets that actually need to be drilled out (for the regulator + motor), or for the motor alone, you need to drill 2 or 3 access holes in the door panel, so you can access the motor mount bolts to disconnect it from the regulator track, and remove it. Then you can take apart the motor gear box, pull the C-clip, and clean the gear box and relube it with Lithium grease. That allows the gear box to work better, and this the electric motor has to work less hard to make the gear turn. --- There has been a theme here. Make the electric motor work less hard Why? Well because the way that the Auto-down and Auto-up circuit works, is that you activate it with the window switch, current flows, but the electric current is MONITORED by the GEM unit of the vehicle. On a properly working system, the motor works at a basic rate (pulling a low electric current). When the window gets all the way down (AUTO-DOWN), or all the way up (Auto-UP), the electric motor is pushing the window against the window frame, there is not any more free movement distance to travel. At these end points in travel, electric motor does know anything, it is a dumb device, it just keeps trying to put the window up more (AUTO-UP), or down more (Auto-down), but it cannot because the window is at the end of its travel. This makes the motor work VERY hard (on purpose) pushing the window against the frame, where it cannot go any further. When the electric motor works VERY hard like that, it pulls a LOT of electric current.. The GEM unit in the circuit has been designed to have a small (simplistic) electric current meter built into it. After you press the auto-up or auto-down feature button in the window switch (or even if you are holding the switch down in the go-up or go-down position), the GEM unit monitors the electric current flow. When the current goes "way up" above a preset threshold, the GEM unit turns off the electric motor because it believes that the windows is all the way up or all the way down, with the electric motor trying to work hard to push the window further (but there is no more to go). That is how the system is SUPPOSED TO WORK. What goes wrong. Well, what goes wrong is that the window motor pulls to much current as far as the GEM is concerned, even when the window is not all the way up (when going up), or all the way down (when you are lowering the window). The GEM unit falsely believes that electric motor is pushing against the stops, but it is not, and to protect the motor from burn-out, and to protect the window glass from being smashed against the stops, the GEM turns off the window movement (PREMATURELY). Thus you have to hit the button AGAIN, and you get a few more inches. And then again, and a few more inches, until the window is all the way down or up to where you wanted it. ANNOYING. So, all the items you are working on. Cleaning, lubrication of the window sliders, silicone lubricant wipedown of the window itself (lubrication at the bottom seal), lubricating the window regulator tracks, (or replacing the window regulator entirely, along with the electric motor) is all aimed at making the electric motor work less hard when moving your window, so it will not pull as much electric current, and go over the threshold that the GEM unit monitors for its "window at stops" cut-off function. Sometimes all of that works, or improves things enough that the window works correctly, sometimes it does not. The other problem is ELECTRICAL. The thing being monitored is the power current amperage pulled by the motor circuit, as perceived by the GEM unit. If that power current consumption as seen be the GEM unit goes to high, it thinks the window is at the stops, and it turns off the motor. This is where you have the interplay of THREE different items (four or five if you count your car battery, and/or your car alternator (generator)). Normally if the battery and alternator are starting the car OK, they are fine. So the three things are: The Window Switch, the GEM unit, and the window circuit electric RELAY. The Window switch's contacts get burned with time, and because resistive. This means they consume more energy as they allow power to pass through them. To the GEM, this looks just like the window motor pulling energy pushing against the stops, the GEM cannot tell the difference. Similar to the Window switch there is usually another "switch" of sorts, called a RELAY. It is in your fuse panel, or in your power distribution box (another fuse panel in the engine compartment). The RELAY takes a low power circuit and switch, to drive a miniature electro-magment that pulls a metal lever (with magnetism) to throw a switch on a high powered circuit. That is all inside the relay plastic enclosure. So, the RELAY has a switch inside it, and that switch is on a relatively high powered electric circuit (the one that drives the power windows). The switch contacts inside the RELAY will also burn over time (it just ages). And as it does, again the resistance goes up, in that circuit, consuming more current. (That additional current energy is dissappated inside the RELAY in the form of unwanted heat). The bottom line is, the RELAY uses pulls more electric power as well, and again the GEM unit cannot tell the difference between that power consumption, and the extra power consumption of the electric motor when it is pushing against the stops. So, the GEM turns off the power window motor again.... The WINDOW RELAY is relatively inexpensive to replace, between $5-$30 dollars depending on if you get a Motorcraft Ford Relay, or a perfectly acceptable generic 3rd party one. In this case, the 3rd party ones are fine, any autoparts store can look up the one you need. Replace that relay, and it can help, and might make the difference in getting the power consumption down, where the window works properly. You can try to replace the Window Switch, to get past the burned contacts. The window switch is expensive, and is often not the problem. (The RELAY is MUCH MORE often the problem, and is also cheaper). Finally, you can replace the GEM unit. (Which has the amperage monitoring components inside of it. Those are not seperately serviceable, and unfortunately, the GEM is EXTRMELY expensive to replace.) So to fix this I would do the following in this order: 1. Clean the window, and then wipe it down with Silcone Spray Lubricant. 2. Spray silicone spray lubricant into the window tracks front edge and rear edge. 3. Replace the Window circuit relay, which is the ACCY (accessory) Delay relay. I would also replace the Battery Saver Relay at the same time. Fuse Box and Power Distribution Box. 4. Remove the door panel, window switch, speaker, and plastic weather seal, and lubricate the window regulator slider track with White Lithium grease. ----- If that does not work, then: 5. Replace the window regulator (and electric window motor that is part of the regulator). 6. Replace the Master Window switch. --- If that still does not work then you need to replace the GEM: 7. Replace the GEM unit, which has all the monitor and cut-off smarts for the Auto-up an Auto-down feature and the power monitoring circuits to watch the motor power for cut-off. That is what causes the "false, early cutoff" when the window is not all the way up or down, and forces you to hit the button many times. The entirely functionality was not well designed by Ford to handle inevitable aging of the vehicle, and when components to do age, the window stops before getting all the way up or down. It can even stop when holding the button down, because the GEM believes the window is at the stops, when it is not. You can can see it is not, but the GEM "sees" this by monitoring the power pull, and it gets it wrong. Best of luck to all with this problem

Awesome response MesaGuy!