How to check window motors

[kyngfish]

Hi All,

In my endless mission to clear up all the tiny gremlins, I want to now work on an issue with power windows. My passenger side window always goes down when I ask it.

Sometimes, very rarely, it doesn't want to go up. Doesn't matter if I use the driver's side or passenger side switch. Eventually if I keep hitting the switch, it will go up.

Since I have a hand-dandy new voltmeter. IS there any easy way to check what the issue is before pulling off the door card?

Also, interior lights and buzzer are intermittently not working. Same question.

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Martin

[DRACO A5OG]

Check the fuses at the panel for looseness, by spinning them as well. They always look good but could have shrunk just enough to give you intermittent continuity.

As far as the window motor, try swapping the switch around, taking careful notes on the connector orientation. Inspect the switches for corrosion, if present clean and polish with a dremel.

Now, try not to force the switches or the motor. If motor's stator/brushes are worn, you can try to service them. Dr Gerry and I recent serviced his noisy motor.

But first thing is to make sure you have very little resistance due to corrosion or poor continuity.

Interior Light/buzzer. Heck remove the idiot buzzer relay behind the gauges, we all remove it unless you are Concours of course :-P

Lights, carefully remove the door switches and clean the switches, most likely dirty and not making contact. I bet if you wiggle the switch in the car the lights will work fine, that is the dirt being moved around behind the switch. The best way to remove the switch is to use a 10MM deep socket, break it loose then with you finger, push the plunger in a bit and finger loosen the mount. This will help keep the wire on the plunger from twisting off and dropping down the pillar. So many of us failed to take this step and lost that brown wire forever and resulting in no interior lights.

Nest step is the remove the light assembly and cleaning the contacts.

Jim

[seafeye]

A power probe works great. You can power up before and after the switch.
It's one of the best tools in my garage.

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Probe-PP319FTC-CARB-Carbon-Circuit/dp/B007WQQNQA/ref=pd_lpo_263_tr_t_2/189-5576209-2985942?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=A5936VX3NY77JG5PQ60X

[jlex]

Had a recent intermittent no go situation with the passenger window in my '88. After the switches all checked out okay, I took the panel off the door thinking I'd have to replace the motor (tracks on the regulator were clean as a whistle). Unplugged the motor, then plugged it back in and viola! the thing's worked perfectly ever since. Must have been a wee bit of corrosion on the connector that was causing resistance. Just a thought...

[kyngfish]

Honestly opening the door card doesn't seem that hard. I'll take Jim's advice and first check the fuses, then just pull off the card and see what's up.

With the interior lights, I'm pretty sure it's the switch, just wasn't sure if there was a nifty test for a bad ground or something with my neat Fluke voltmeter (thanks ebay)

[Cenzzo]

Window not working? Two possible reasons to look for. I had an issue recently where my driver's door window wouldn't work on my 88 Carrera. I swap this car out with a 2006 Carrera S that I have, sometimes for weeks at a time, and actually only one time did I let it go so long that I had to jump start this 88. Anyway, in doing something to the parked 88, tried to lower the window and it didn't work. Passenger side worked fine. Thought it was the switch. Replaced it. Still didn't work. Tried the various tests of the terminals for voltage, right down to the one that said if you have power to the middle terminals, and the window still doesn't work, then it's either the wiring or the motor. I had voltage across the terminals, but where it was 10.9 coming in at the top terminals and to ground, it was 7.9 across the middle terminals that raised or lowered the window. Rather than go for a motorectomy, I decided to wait till I drove the 88 again and drove it awhile to see if the battery might just be too low. It fired up just fine, and while running, tried the window and it still didn't work. Except - then tried "closing it" instead of opening it, and it worked fine! I had just pushed the switch in upside down. So, there are two gotchas - low voltage or upside down switch that could have you tearing your door apart for no reason.

[jlex]

As an update on my '88's passenger window: thought I had it fixed when I unplugged/plugged in the motor connector and wrote it off to corrosion when it started working. When it randomly stopped again, I decided to use the hex-socket device supplied in the tool kit to see if I could manually get it going. Wound it down a couple of inches using the manual hex key winder, and the power motor started working! Was okay for a month or so, then it quit. Tried the manual winder again, and the power switch again now magically works. Went thru that scenario a third time & it's still working. My take on it is the regulator mechanism or gearing must get slightly off kilter, then when it's manually wound up or down, it gets freed up and the power motor can now do its job. I suppose if I wanted to, I could clean up and oil the mechanism, but on this 32,000 mi '88 it hardly seems like dirt is the culprit. For now, I'm too lazy to remove the door card again. I believe there's just a misalignment somewhere in the mechanism that intermittently prevents a smooth operation & the motor can't handle it without a nudge. To make it easier to deal with, I've just left the hex socket in the gearing mechanism since it's sometimes a ***** to insert it all the way for some reason. If it acts up, in one minute I can unscrew the cover for the tweeter, insert the speed wrench (also in the tool kit) into the hex socket, then move the window manually an inch or so. At least on my car, it's guaranteed the motor will now work! Just my experience for what it's worth...

[mo-mon]

jlex, could you kindly post the picture of the tool (hex socket device) you used to manually wind the window?

I also have a non-working passenger window on my '88 coupe. All electricals checked and working so it's either the motor or mechanism.

Tried to use needle nose pliers to move the gear manually (CCW with about 15ft/lbs of force) but it didn't want to budge. I didn't want to put more force as I worried about bending the teeth.

Please help.

[jlex]

Am out of town right now, so I can't post a pic until next week.
You should have the hex tool in your tool bag. Also, look in the owner's manual. I believe it has a picture of it in there showing where it needs to be inserted.
It's actually in two parts: the hex piece inserted into a tube is about 2" long. The other part is a handle (speed wrench) you insert into the hex piece to turn it.
As I said in my prior post, it's sometimes difficult to insert into the sprocket (just behind the tweeter cover that screws off) that I just leave it in there. Don't know why... bit of misalignment, I guess. Enough clearance so the speaker cover can be replaced. It just turns with the window gear when I use the switch now. When you insert it, it must be inserted all the way to the shoulder to engage.
Manual says to unscrew the tweeter cover, pierce the vapor barrier, then insert the tool into the center of the gear.
If you can't find yours in the toolbag, maybe a simple allen wrench will do the trick.

[mo-mon]

Unfortunately, my coupe didn't come with a complete set of tools.

Jlex, I will check the manual and follow what you suggested.

Thank you.

[jlex]

The picture of the emergency window winder for power windows is shown on page 18 of the owner's manual along with instructions on its use. I measured mine, and it's a 4mm hex mounted to a socket that fits onto the speed wrench.
If you don't have the part, you may want to buy a long shanked 4mm alan wrench then use a pair of vise grips to turn it.