I've got a 1997 XK8 coupe with a window gremlin. Sitting in the drivers seat, I put the shifter in park, turn of the car & remove the key, then move the inside door handle to get out. The window drops down a half inch or so. Yes, I know it's supposed to do this, but when I get outside, close the door and push the lock button on the key fob, the car locks (eventually) but the window stays put.

If I instead close the door, leave it unlocked, then move the outside handle up just a bit, the window goes down even further, an inch at a time each time I do this. I can stand there and move the handle up and down repeatedly till the window is all the way down (when the car is unlocked). No amount of fiddling with the key or key fob will make it come back up again.

I've tried re-programming the window but this made no difference. The window motor works fine otherwise, up and down. I don't have an owners manual so I'm not sure if there is some feature I'm missing here.

Is this an easy fix, and if not, is there any way to just disable this dumbass "feature" and leave the window in one place?

 

possibilities:
1. Weak battery
Window(s) miss-behaving are usually the first indication
2. Defective door module
Drivers and passenger door modules can be swapped
(Inside door toward hinge)
3. Switch in the latch
You can verify the operation of the switch in the door latch.
While holding door handle up, flip the actual latch in and out with a pencil.
IN ,as with the door closed, window should go up ,light in door will go out.
OUT, as with the door open, window should go down, light in door will go on.
Remember door handle must be held UP all this time.

 

The "Door Closed" switch has probably failed. It's located inside the door at the latch mechanism. The Window re-seal function depends on seeing that the door is closed to put the window back up.

Less likely, a weak battery can cause this.

You don't want to close the door with the window up, it won't seal and could damage the glass or weatherstrip.

 

Thanks for the responses. As for the "door closed" switch being inside the door, I assume this involves the PITA of taking the door panel off to replace it? Is that a very expensive part?

 

If I understand your situation you are saying every time you pull the handle up from outside the window drops further down and does not recover(go back up). If this is the case the window will do just that when it loses the programming. This problem is often caused by a weak battery voltage. 10.5volts or below they lose memory settings. Charge or replace the battery and reprogram. To do this you push the window down button and hold until you hear or feel a click. Then push the window button for the window to close and hear or feel the click. This should be done when you are in the car and the door is closed. The window should operate properly by opening a slight bit when the door is opened and close when the door is closed.

 

Yes, I have my suspicions about the battery (seems to crank kinda slowly on startup) so that might be the first thing I address anyway.

I assume the door open switch mentioned earlier is not cheap, though I could not locate it in the parts catalogs online. Is it called something else?

 

Do yourself a favor charge or replace the battery and see what it does just make sure either is at a full charge. If the window does not reset you can go deeper into the repairs.

 

Yeah, I think I will do that first. Thing is, the lights come on strong even when the engine is off, so that leads me to think there is enough juice in the battery, but I could be wrong.

I went outside and tested the door latch as FJK suggested (thanks) and the window would go up but not down with each movement of the latch.

On a related note, anybody got any preferences on batteries?

 

optima yellow. It is a deep cycle battery that will hold a charge for long periods if the car is not run constantly. just my .02c

 

Did not need a battery (multi meter test indicated battery was fine), but windows were not properly reprogrammed the first time around. Now everything works as it should. Thanks guys!

 

FYI a multimeter cannot test for anything other than voltage. All the tells you is if you have a dead cell. the battery should be tested under a load with an actual battery tester to be sure.

 

I was going to suggest trying the door/window test with the car running...to eliminate the door latch as the problem. They do need replaced once in awhile though.

Good to hear another reprogram fixed it permanently.

 

Windows kept forgetting their settings, and doors took a few extra pushes of the remote button to lock, so this told me some of the voltage-sensitive items might be needing a bit more juice. The battery was the original 1997 Jaguar battery, so today out it went and in went a new one from batteries plus (Ray-o-Vac).

The windows now work properly and hold their settings and the doors lock with only one push of the remote button.

The moral of the story: If you've got gremlins, try a new battery!