The power window switches on my 2011 Chev Silverado have been acting up for awhile, instead of a nice light tough you really had to press down and lift up HARD to lower and raise the window. I decided to take the switches apart for a cleaning as the salt air here on the east coast causes our burglar alarm system keypads to act similarly and cleaning them works great!

To take the switches apart on these trucks you (thankfully) do not have to take off the inside door panel. Other generations and/or brands - I'm not sure.

Gently pop the silver cover off the door handle with a small screwdriver or non marring trim tool.

Remove two 10mm bolts then take off the door handle.

Pop the switch panel straight up with a flat top screwdriver or trim tool.

Unplug the two electrical connectors for the power window sub assembly, you can leave the other devices connected. To remove the switch assembly from the main panel use a small flat top screwdriver and release the Four clips (two per side), I used a finger to keep pressure on the switch assembly while releasing each of the clips.

On the workbench I released the Six clips that hold the back cover to the switch assembly.

Lift off the rubber membrane and clean all of the Brass contact points on the electrical board and the same points on back of the rubber membrane. They do not look dirty but there is an almost invisible film of corrosion there that cause the switches not to make a good connection.

I always clean contacts like this with Rubbing Alcohol and a blue shop towel. This work well, evaporates quickly, is safe for electronics and does not leave a film behind.

When reassembling the driver door switch, do not loose this little plastic piece. This activates the one touch down feature on the driver door window. Assembly is the reverse of disassembly.

Cheers, Mike

Copyright © 2011 Michael Smith