Hey all, first post on the forum. Joined up to do research on a tailgate window / rear wiper problem I'm having, and this thread is the closest I've found to my specific issues. Here goes:
1998 Limited, approx 210k miles, everything works great, love this thing. Out of the blue about 3 weeks ago my rear window stopped working (with the console switch and with the key in the rear lock), and my rear wiper stopped working. This coincided with a parasitic battery drain that was causing me to have to jump start every morning and every day after work. Rear defrost works and the dash light comes on. License plate lights work. Rear washer liquid / pump works. The last time the window worked I used the key in the lock to roll it down, load up, and roll it back up. I did notice the tumbler was sorta "grindy" and grimey, hard to turn and made some noise. Seemed typical for Upstate NY overuse of winter road salt, which gets everywhere.
In my research and experimenting, I found that the console switch produced a "click" from the back when trying to lower the window. This has led me to assume that the battery drain was possibly coming from the relay / ECU in the tailgate thinking that the switch is constantly calling for the window to roll up. Maybe? So I found a cheap used "tested and working" ECU on eBay to swap out with mine. Same issue, same click, not the fix I was hoping for. I also took a look at the wires in the loom above the door hinge, as well as most of the wires inside the tailgate panel, looking for breaks and found none. And yes, the children's window lock isn't engaged, all the other windows roll up and down just fine. I've fiddled with the rear wiper position by hand and haven't had any luck with that either.
So, here I am. Snow and ice on the rear window making it had to drive without that wiper. I've left the ECU unplugged for now and that has stopped the battery drain. I'm thinking the electronic sensor / plug / wire thing around the rear lock tumbler might be the culprit? Could it be the ECU and my used replacement just happens to be broken too? I'm terrible with electronics (give me a vacuum diagram and I'm in heaven...) and need to borrow some testing equipment to get started, but I'm willing to put in the work to figure this out. I'm gathering I'll need to bypass the ECU to make sure the window motor still functions? Seems to be a common place to start with suggestions around this issue.
Anyway, sorry to jack the thread, but figured this community didn't need ANOTHER fresh rear window problems thread. Thanks for any and all info and help!!!