Hi
3 out of 4 of my leccy windows dont work (the only one that does is the rear passengerside - how useful is that?) - before I dismantle the doors, what should I be looking out for?
The symptoms are that when the button is pressed, the window attemps to go down about 1 cm - tilts a bit then stops.
Cheers
Martin
Electric Windows
Moderator: Moderators
-
Anonymous
-
Anonymous
I had similar problems with an old Yank I had - slow windows that would only go down so far then stop.
There will be a lot of mileage in going through the electrical components as well as the mechanical.
Take the switches apart and clean all the contacts, make sure there isnt any sign of arcing. Loose / poor contacts lead to arcing which will shag your motors badly in time. Another thing you can do is whith the engine off, operate each window individually and check the current / voltage drawn by each, at the motor connector. This will tell you if they are on the way out. High resistance is a good indicator of windings breaking down but this can also be a sign of poor eath connections so check these as well.
On the mechanical side, check the glass is both seated and fixed correctly in the horizontal window channel. These tend to be a "U" shaped channel with a runbber seal inside that is crimped on the bottom of the pane. When the rubbers perish or go hard, they loose their grip on the glass and when the window goes down, the glass can unseat and wedge the whole assemply in the vertical runners. If thats ok, clean the runners thoroughly and lubricate with a graphite spray, not grease or oil as thes will allow detritus to build in the channels and put you back at square one in no time.
Finally, remove the motor and see if you can lubricate the gears. Early GM ones are a non-serviceable item which means when the gears are gone, the motor has to be replaced but the gears can be lubricated.
This should all do the trick. Basic principles but they do get results.
C
There will be a lot of mileage in going through the electrical components as well as the mechanical.
Take the switches apart and clean all the contacts, make sure there isnt any sign of arcing. Loose / poor contacts lead to arcing which will shag your motors badly in time. Another thing you can do is whith the engine off, operate each window individually and check the current / voltage drawn by each, at the motor connector. This will tell you if they are on the way out. High resistance is a good indicator of windings breaking down but this can also be a sign of poor eath connections so check these as well.
On the mechanical side, check the glass is both seated and fixed correctly in the horizontal window channel. These tend to be a "U" shaped channel with a runbber seal inside that is crimped on the bottom of the pane. When the rubbers perish or go hard, they loose their grip on the glass and when the window goes down, the glass can unseat and wedge the whole assemply in the vertical runners. If thats ok, clean the runners thoroughly and lubricate with a graphite spray, not grease or oil as thes will allow detritus to build in the channels and put you back at square one in no time.
Finally, remove the motor and see if you can lubricate the gears. Early GM ones are a non-serviceable item which means when the gears are gone, the motor has to be replaced but the gears can be lubricated.
This should all do the trick. Basic principles but they do get results.
C
-
Anonymous
-
Anonymous
-
Anonymous
i had same problem with mine
water can gather in the motors and rust the ferrous metal of the bi-metalic strip connected to a pair of contacts inside the motor. (they are not fused) the strip bends away from the contact with heat- when there is a heavy load on the motor as if it has jammed a hand etc. it is a safety thing. if you are any good with electrics you can bypass the contact/bi-metalic strip but make sure you fuse the motor further down the line. 3 out of 4 of my windows didn`t work when i got my car and this was the problem with all three. a good silicone lube with teflon, i have found gives the best result with the mechanisms.
p.s. if you take the motor out there is a nasty heavy duty-powerful wound spring under tension that helps the motor lift the window, make sure you lock it up before pulling the motor as it is a sod to put back and springs with a bang!!!
p.s. if you take the motor out there is a nasty heavy duty-powerful wound spring under tension that helps the motor lift the window, make sure you lock it up before pulling the motor as it is a sod to put back and springs with a bang!!!