"more pressure then worked" is a classic internal wire break symptom, flexing a little harder until the metal wires in the insulation finally ... just ... .touch... enough... to CONTACT!
BUT OTHER THINGS can cause this too. You bring up a good topic of SOMETHING ELSE...
Let's talk about that, if not a broken wire, what else could it be?
Correct positioning and mounting of the switch in the handle is vital for getting enough plunger pressure to actually throw the switch when pressed enough.
A switch with too big a gap between plunger and striking surface, or plunger that doesn't make good contact with the strike (thing that's supposed to be pushing it..) could
exhibit same effect as an intermittent or broken wire!
When having "no pull" issue, go in and have a
look to see first that the switches are
- not wobbly / loose on their mount
- when put through their motions (handle tug) making good contact with their strike, be quiet and listen for a click
- not broken: check one switch with a leaf spring still has its spring attached (not fallen off) and it's not skewed or jammed
At least one of the switches has its plunger hit by an adjustable-height strike pad... you can "screw adjust" the pad to pick the point where the plunger closes contacts in the switch. IF the pad is "too low" no contact will be made... and that would appear like a broken wire.
When servicing handles I instinctively do all of the above when visually inspecting them... and forgot to mention all this here for those who don't have the same instincts.
Finally, micro switches themselves can go soft or get dirty inside and stop working... even if they make a clicking sound when plunging it. Use VOM meter and measure good contact is being made on the Normally Open pair of contacts when plunger is pushed. With the switches unplugged from their harness (disconnected from the controller) test for near-zero ohms on the N.O. contacts when switch is plunged.
Usually the dead give-away that it's a broken wire problem is that you'll see the wire dangling, or a semi-firm tug on the wire pulls it right off the switch... (was broken inside the insulation). So this is the obvious case, and you must deal with that first anyway.
If there is no dangling wire... pull out the VOM and test for electrical continuity of the N.O. contacts when closed, and check all the physical alignment issues mentioned above.
Then when reassembling everything, check alignment by putting the assembly through its motions in your hands ... watch for plungers being struck and listen for clicks... before sticking the assy back in the car.
