FD Dual Auto Down Window Switch
 

I enjoy searching AliExpress for random Chinese stuff, I will buy almost anything that has wifi enabled just to see what vulnerabilities I can find. I came across this switch and had not seen anything on the forums about it so thought I would post it up.

The switch does stay depressed on mine.

Can confirm as well 94. They stay down until window up

^Yep. I've thought about buying a cheap switch and taking it apart to put the guts in to make a dual down power switch. Very interesting that they already did that!

I would also be concerned with the wiring gauge long term. Also wonder if it's possible to make a hybrid of it or something. Could also use a relay to let the high current to the motor go through the relay instead of the switch.

I have a feeling they're using a different/more modern circuit design for the power down. The FD had a semi-mechanical with it holding the button down while it was rolling down. Most modern cars don't do that.

Nice find!

Dale

Only the early cars had the switch stay down when in use, they stopped that fairly early on IIRC.

Dual auto down does sound good, though. Having to hold onto the passenger one until it has finished moving is a bit annoying.

In the US there have only been 2 switches available - the 93 with no auto down and the 94/95 with driver's side auto down. All the auto down switches (including new replacements from Mazda) that I have seen have had the button stick down.

Now, there is a difference here LHD/RHD, the RHD will have the right side button auto-down. Quite possible it was revised for 96 or 99 but the US wouldn't have gotten it.

Also, fun fact - the 94 auto-down switch in the US costs LESS than the 93.

Dale

Interesting that the early US cars didn't have the auto feature. My all original red FD that has a build date in '91 has it. Must have been a difference across US/JDM models.

Late last year I did a fix on my switch by taken it apart and cleaning the contacts. It work until about a month ago.
After reading this thread a few weeks ago, I purchased this same switch from AliExpress. It fits in perfectly and works perfectly.
If it last another 26 years, most likely I will end up not working first being I am 73.

Interesting. So this switch should work just fine in a '93, right? Looks like all the logic/circuitry is in the switch. Would the '94 switch work in a '93 as well?

That's correct, the 94 switch is a plug and play and will enable the auto-down feature in a 93.

Dale

Thanks, Dale. I'm trying to keep my car as stock as possible, but this seems harmless enough and easily reversible.

I'm a bit perplexed here since I've never seen an FD that didn't have auto-down switches. Both my 93s have had auto-down driver's side switches. The first one I owned was manufactured in March 92 and the current one in May 92. Just another data point for a complex system.

I actually prefer the dual auto-down switches. They don't stick down until the window is all the way down, which I prefer. The "stick down" function of the original auto-down switch makes it feel like the switch is always broken even though its a feature rather than a bug...

Thx for the info Rapt. I just ordered one and why I am waiting for it I fixed my OEM. The auto switch broke inside. Was an easy fix with some patience and superglue. Working good, but I will have a spare on hand!

I got one of these out of my parts car and have been using it, it's been working well. Now if I can just figure out why my passenger side switch will roll the window down but not back up!?

I bought one of these after I found this thread, just now got around to installing it. It's a pretty good match for the '93 interior finish, even has a nice soft touch to it. As others mentioned, it's a bit grimy around the solder, some of it may be dried flux as it wiped off, but not sure. Wire gauge is definitely a bit smaller, but not too bad.

It works just fine, although I noticed that the "off" setting doesn't affect the ability to lower the window from the passenger door's window switch--I didn't swap the original module back in to test if the original one does lock out the other door's window control though.

One thing that makes the fit on this only a 9/10 is that it doesn't sit snug on the upper right corner, as you can see from the photos. It's not a big deal though. I thought it might be because the metal clip on the bottom was loose--it was rattling. I tried tightening it down and found out why it was rattling--the plastic threads were already stripped. :P

So I tightened the clip down as best I could and reinstalled it but it made zero difference.

Yeah, not a quality part in general, but I have to say that it looks VERY OEM on the outside at least. I'll deal with it anyhow, for the added convenience.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...a0c3a19201.jpg
Aftermarket switch on left.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...ef86224f97.jpg
Aftermarket switch on left.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...6ebe30a49b.jpg
Aftermarket switch on right. Or bottom I guess, sorry for rotation issues.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...6ffbf011bf.jpg
Aftermarket switch on right. Or bottom I guess, sorry for rotation issues.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...dc76956a8a.jpg
Looks very OEM.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...e4508030ae.jpg
OEM switch sits flush.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...fb5a41db38.jpg
Chinesium switch sits high on upper right. Can be pressed down with a little effort but will spring back up.

Hello Members,

My master switch was still functional but the passenger switch tab was broken. A replacement from Mazda, discounted, is about $134 and a used one probably around the same price tag as a chinese alternate. Since the chinese alternate would come in "new" and offers dual auto down function I figure I'd also gamble and give it a try. Checked on ebay and there was a store in NJ that sold the chinese alternate version which was convenient compared to ordering one from China. The switch was shipped via priority mail vs international shipping and arrived in a matter of days. The exterior is very close, if not identical, to OEM. The texture matched my 94 panel side mirror switch perfectly which you can see in the picture. As mentioned previously the electronics are different. Looking at the switch I noticed some pins on the circuit board were not soldered and some only partially soldered but decided to test it anyway. I removed the old switch, connected the new switch and noticed the drivers side switch did not work but the passenger side did. Seconds later the passenger side stopped working and I was beginning to think, "you get what you pay for." Just to make sure the fault was not something other than the switch I put the OEM switch back on and the window went up and down. Knowing the problem stems from the new switch and remembering some contacts on the circuit board appeared solder-less/lacking enough solder I decided to take out the soldering equipment and attempt to solder these joints. After fixing all the questionable joints I cleaned up the circuit board then proceeded to test it once more. This time the switch was completely functional operating as expected with the auto down feature working for both the driver and passenger windows. I forgot to take pictures of the corrections but if you look closely at the chinese circuit board you can clearly see which areas were lacking solder. Longevity still to be determined but these chinese master switches appear to work and are affordable. If you are able to solder and if the switch continues to function then I recommend this replacement/upgrade.

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...9.jpg~original
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...3.jpg~original
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...a.jpg~original
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...h.jpg~original
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...v.jpg~original
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...6.jpg~original

-groovin

My 93 passenger window goes down automatically and doesn't have the word auto written on it, it also sticks down until the window is down (on the drivers side it sticks completely, I have to manually bring it up which is annoying). Not sure why my passenger window is an auto down of it isn't stock like that, maybe it was replaced.

Well yours looks less like it was snotted together by an amateur than mine looks like! Congrats on fixing it. Mine is still working fine, although the stripped screw on the retaining clip means that it doesn't really stay in place very well.

Yeah their was plenty of "snot" everywhere. Cleaned up most of that white crap with alcohol and a toothbrush then re-soldered maybe 5-6 joints.

If you ever decide to take yours out again to fix the stripped screw issue I'd recommend to do the same then re-solder a few of the joints as well. From what I can see these 4 joints look like they need to be addressed as mine did. I circled them in red using one of your pictures. I would probably do it sooner rather than later because poor contact and lead to increased resistance which leads to more heat and can possible burn out some pathways and damage the circuitry.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...7e8cb64509.jpg


-groovin

My window switch just broke and just found about these thread and was wondering if these switches works with my JDM RX7?? visually the OEM ones looks the same, only difference is that my auto switch is in the RHD

Since both are auto down it will work fine on a RHD car.

Dale

Yeah but was wondering if somehow it was not compatible, I was reading at some Amazon seller that also have these and there where 2 reviews that says they don't work with jdm cars :/
anyone with a jdm car have bought one of these switches can chime in if they do actually work or not??

Hard to say if a lhd window switch will fit in a rhd panel and vice versa. They may be slightly different shapes. You would just need to do a side by side or just buy it and find out