M-Class (W163) Produced 1998-2005: ML 230, ML 320, ML 350, ML 400 CDI, ML 430, ML 500, ML 270 CDI

Power window motor...

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Rate Thread
 
Old May 13, 2005 | 01:29 PM
  #1  
O Dogg's Avatar
Thread Starter
Member
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 106
Likes: 0
Power window motor...

I find that, lately, I have to really pull up hard on the switch to get my driver's side window to roll up on my '01 ML430. The auto-down feature is flawless, so I am wondering if it is possible for one "gear" to go out...that is, can the "up" component burn out, while the "down" component shows no sign of wear? Or could it simply be a contact issue with the switch? Something as simple as realigning the switch or cleaning off a contact, etc.? Can anyone help with this? Thanks.
Reply
Old May 13, 2005 | 02:02 PM
  #2  
O Dogg's Avatar
Thread Starter
Member
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 106
Likes: 0
The "Search" feature is a beautiful thing. I found this in another thread...

http://www.grill.org/rodney/mclass/mlswitch/index.html

Any other suggestions, or does this just about cover it Thanks!
Reply
Old May 13, 2005 | 04:17 PM
  #3  
paulzale's Avatar
Member
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 91
Likes: 0
Same symptoms for me, actually wouldn't roll up one day, replace the switches and everything works again!
Reply
Old May 13, 2005 | 06:02 PM
  #4  
O Dogg's Avatar
Thread Starter
Member
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 106
Likes: 0
What did that run you, paul? Thanks for the info.

Also, for anyone who has performed the aforementioned task...on a scale of 1 to 10, how hard is the repair? The reason I ask is that I am good at taking things apart and fixing them...not so much at getting them back together.
Reply
Old May 15, 2005 | 04:12 PM
  #5  
O Dogg's Avatar
Thread Starter
Member
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 106
Likes: 0
Okay...I must be an idiot. I followed the directions indicated in the link above and I can't even get past one of the first steps. The directions indicate that the shift knob should just lift up after removing the trim ring. I tried to pull it up, twist it, etc. It isn't moving...what am I missing? This is very frustrating.

Last edited by O Dogg; May 15, 2005 at 04:56 PM.
Reply
Old May 15, 2005 | 10:09 PM
  #6  
GregW / Oregon's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 6,778
Likes: 1,270
From: Lake Oswego, OR
2020 GLE 450; 2023 BMW M2 Coupe
Originally Posted by O Dogg
Okay...I must be an idiot. I followed the directions indicated in the link above and I can't even get past one of the first steps. The directions indicate that the shift knob should just lift up after removing the trim ring. I tried to pull it up, twist it, etc. It isn't moving...what am I missing? This is very frustrating.
Okay,, you're an idiot! Just kidding--I just followed those instruction to replace my switch module a few days ago. For the shift knob, rotate the ring below the knob counter clockwise (about 90 degerees, looking down) then pull up on the knob. it should just slip off.

I purchased the switch module for just under $90 (my mirror switch came apart, so I could not use the window switch repair outlined). The only problem I had was getting the wood panel out--I had to carefully pry with a screwdriver on one edge to get one of the clips released.
Reply
Old May 15, 2005 | 11:59 PM
  #7  
O Dogg's Avatar
Thread Starter
Member
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 106
Likes: 0
That's what I figured...however, my shift knob does NOT want to come off. I'll have to try again tomorrow...
Reply
Old May 16, 2005 | 02:34 AM
  #8  
ML God's Avatar
Member
 
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 236
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by O Dogg
That's what I figured...however, my shift knob does NOT want to come off. I'll have to try again tomorrow...
If your shift knob is wood it could be kinda hard to take off...just leave it on and put the shifter in "N" The shift wood will clear it
Reply
MB World Stories

The Best of Mercedes & AMG

story-0

Six Gift Ideas Your AMG Loving Dad or Grad Will Cherish

 
story-1

7 Craziest Things AMG Gas Ever Built

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

New Electric Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe Unveiled: 10 Things You Need to Know

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

6 Mercedes Models That Did NOT Age Well (But Are Somehow Still Cool)

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know

 Verdad Gallardo
story-9

Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know

 Verdad Gallardo
Old May 16, 2005 | 09:28 AM
  #9  
O Dogg's Avatar
Thread Starter
Member
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 106
Likes: 0


Thanks. I didn't realize the wood knob would be a different situation. I will attempt again today.
Reply
Old May 16, 2005 | 10:55 AM
  #10  
rizwan's Avatar
Junior Member
 
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 58
Likes: 1
From: San Francisco, CA
2005 SL55 AMG
Dont' worry about the shift knob, leave it on. Just take out the plastic trip around the gearbox, and then just lift up the wood, it will go cleanly over the shift knob. I had this exact same problem and following the directoins was able to fix it quickly.

Riz
Reply
Old May 16, 2005 | 11:19 AM
  #11  
Militant-Grunt's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,744
Likes: 1
From: New York City
95 Audi urS6 Quattro
heh I have exactly the same problem, its really annoying how I have to apply so much pressure. Will the warranty cover this, since it is technically a defect.
Reply
Old May 16, 2005 | 04:53 PM
  #12  
O Dogg's Avatar
Thread Starter
Member
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 106
Likes: 0
You know...I was thinking that the removal of the shft knob seemed unnecessary. Hopefully, I can get this done tonight.
Reply
Old May 16, 2005 | 06:08 PM
  #13  
GregW / Oregon's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 6,778
Likes: 1,270
From: Lake Oswego, OR
2020 GLE 450; 2023 BMW M2 Coupe
Window switch repair

Originally Posted by O Dogg
You know...I was thinking that the removal of the shft knob seemed unnecessary. Hopefully, I can get this done tonight.
You could probably lift the console panel enough with the knob in place to do it, but would be a whole lot easier to take it out. Knob should not be that hard to get off.
Reply
Old May 16, 2005 | 07:28 PM
  #14  
O Dogg's Avatar
Thread Starter
Member
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 106
Likes: 0
Well, I made the repair with the knob on (in Neutral position...thanks, ML God.) The window is better, although not 100%. Still better than paying the, undoubtedly, painful repair bill from the dealership. Took me a little over an hour. I did manage to lose the spring for my door lock mechanism and my light for the rear defroster is now off permanently (not sure if it is just the light or the defroster itself.) Oh well, it solves my problem temporarily. Besides, since it is summer I'll have the whole season to look forward to fixing that issue. The locks I can deal with...I just need to get another spring/cap combo. The main thing is that I know it is a relatively easy repair and that I can get into it at will now. Thanks for all the guidance everyone!

Reply
Old May 16, 2005 | 07:50 PM
  #15  
ML God's Avatar
Member
 
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 236
Likes: 0
Reply
Old Jun 13, 2005 | 10:18 AM
  #16  
99ML320's Avatar
Junior Member
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 44
Likes: 0
From: Silver Spring, MD
ML320 (Dead), ML55 (Sold), E500 (Sold), Cayenne S (Sold), E550 (Sold), Cayenne TurboS, GL550, GLS580
Thanks Guys

I have to say thank you once again forum members for saving my bum. It was Saturday night rain was coming Sunday morning and my window would not go up. Tried the plastic bag thing -- NO its a BENZ! -- tried the I will just leave it down thing -- HELL NO its a Benz! -- Tried the not think about it thing -- You guessed it -- NO its a Benz. I was at the end of my stick it was not 1am and I was tired. I knew there was nothing open Sunday to do the repair. An eBay purchase would arrive in aw 30 days! So I went online to see if there was a manual way to roll the windows up like the Llamella Roof, NONE. I found this posting and within 30 minutes my window was up and running again. Woke up at 6am just to make sure I was not dreaming started the car and it still worked. THANKS GUYS!!! Just as a heads up, if you do this repair and want it to be permanent as opposed to a temp fix try to push a small bit of tissue paper between the hook shape in the prongs it will keep it from bending inwards too much (thats what caused the up switch to fail no contact on the prongs) Since down actually pushes down the metal will always contact but going up there must be contact with that hook.

My time chart:

5 minutes prep time
5-7 minutes disassembly of the center console (no need to remove shift knob)
5 minutes to open switchbox and recontact the prong (with tissue insert)
5 minutes re-assembly
5 minutes testing all features (locks, front and rear windows, defrost, cig lighter)
Reply
Old Nov 1, 2006 | 11:28 PM
  #17  
bcaese's Avatar
Newbie
 
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
I followed the same tutorial and it worked. but I had a problem with the power lock button it doesn't work properly now

Does anyone know the answer? I tried adjusting the plastic socket many times and it seems it works fine before on put on the black plastic cover on.

I don't mind taking it apart but I just need to diagnose the problem before I do all the work.
Reply
Old Nov 22, 2006 | 10:37 AM
  #18  
Pottie's Avatar
Member
 
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 86
Likes: 0
From: Dallas TX
W163 & 203
Originally Posted by O Dogg
The "Search" feature is a beautiful thing. I found this in another thread...

http://www.grill.org/rodney/mclass/mlswitch/index.html

Any other suggestions, or does this just about cover it Thanks!
I finnaly did this window and when i look at it...it s simple cheap material that wont last long...i fixed the window now but will see how long it ll last
Thanks for the tip buddy i owed u one for this...
Reply

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 


You have already rated this thread Rating: Thread Rating: 0 votes,  average.


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 01:21 PM.

story-0
Six Gift Ideas Your AMG Loving Dad or Grad Will Cherish

Slideshow: Six gift ideas your AMG loving dad or grad will cherish.

By | 2026-06-03 17:26:18


VIEW MORE
story-1
7 Craziest Things AMG Gas Ever Built

Slideshow: Sometimes AMG builds fast sedans. Other times, it builds twin-turbo V12 land missiles and six-wheeled off-road monsters.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-26 17:59:58


VIEW MORE
story-2
New Electric Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe Unveiled: 10 Things You Need to Know

Slideshow: Mercedes-AMG's new electric GT 4-Door Coupe trades combustion for software, synthetic noise, and more than 1,100 horsepower.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-20 20:08:15


VIEW MORE
story-3
6 Mercedes Models That Did NOT Age Well (But Are Somehow Still Cool)

Slideshow: Not every Mercedes design becomes timeless, some feel stuck in the era they came from.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:09:07


VIEW MORE
story-4
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun

Slideshow: Yes, Mercedes built manual cars, and some of them are far more interesting than you'd expect.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-02 12:36:58


VIEW MORE
story-5
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren

Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 11:19:28


VIEW MORE
story-6
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine

Slideshow: Before curves took over, Mercedes mastered the art of the straight line, and some of those shapes still look right today.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-25 12:05:49


VIEW MORE
story-7
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction

Slideshow: The 190E Evolution II shows how a homologation necessity became a six-figure collector icon.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-22 17:53:47


VIEW MORE
story-8
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know

Slideshow: Mercedes is turning one of its core nameplates electric, and the details show just how serious this shift is.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:58:06


VIEW MORE
story-9
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know

Slideshow: Faster charging, longer range, and a controversial steer-by-wire system define the latest evolution of Mercedes-Benz EQS.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-15 10:35:34


VIEW MORE