I seem to have a problem burning out the microswitches to the driver's side window. The first one went about two days after I bought the car (wouldn't roll up). The second one (a used replacement) went about two days after installation (wouldn't roll down). You can hear that one of the switches is no longer clicking

There appears to be no impediment to motion of the window. I'm not smelling any burning or feeling any heat on the unit. Shorting it out enables the window to roll up and down without any problems. I was going to stick an ammeter on it to see if there was an excessive load, but I realised that I don't know what an excessive load would be.

Can anyone help with information or suggestions?

Thanks!

 

Try getting a NEW switch. Even if you get a used one it is just as old as your old one.

 

I agree. However, the timing and nature of the failure suggested to me that there was a deeper problem at work. I'd rather not buy a new switch and just burn it out like the others.

That said, the replacement switch just started working again, so maybe it is just age, as you say. Thanks for the advice.

 

The window switches going bad is a regular problem so the likelyhood of the other one you got being bad too is actually pretty high.