75 Power Window Troubleshooting...

[Ala75Vette]

My latest project - fixing the passenger side outer door handle - was a success, but either coincidentally or as a result, now my power windows don't work. My first thought was that I'd damaged one of the wires in the passenger side door, but both windows won't work (not just the passenger side window).

I've waited a week to think much about it, because the solution may involve taking the door panel off again. Painful even thinking about it. But since both windows aren't working, are there any suggestions for troubleshooting it electrically? The wiring diagram in the shop manual shows two likely points of failure (other than a broken wire or grounding problem) - a 30 amp breaker and a relay. It doesn't, however, say where these things are. Is the breaker the 30 amp breaker in the fuse block? If so, I tested that and it seemed OK. But where is that relay....

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance....

Frank

 

[vmrod]

Hey there.

I had a similiar problem to yours. Although it turned out that I had unplugged a single wire from my fuseblock (I thought that it was not a factory installed item, so I unplugged it.).

At any rate, I had checked out the power window relay for power. The power window relay is located inside the ceter console. It is on the drivers side of the console a little forward of the stickshift. (You'll have to remove the driver's side console to gain it's access.)

Currently, my side consoles are not installed, so if you need it, I can take a digital pic for you.

-Vic

 

[Ala75Vette]

Thanks, Vic. Getting inside that center console is another non-trivial task, one which I'll save for later this week (when it's raining and I don't want to drive the car, anyway) or this weekend. You mentioned you'd 'inadvertantly' disconnected a wire from the fuse block.... I could very easily have kicked something loose up under there. I'll check out that angle, too, before I start disassembling things. My gut feeling, though, is that it's something inside the passenger side door, or the wire channel from the cabin to the door (broken wire...). I just don't remember both windows becoming non-functional when I had a broken wire on the driver's side a while back....

 

[vmrod]

Well...if I remember right, it was a pink wire (I think pink) that plugged into the fuse block. It appeared to me that Bubba was in my fuse block, so I was prepared to yank this wire out completely. Fortunately, I decided to unplug it for awhile and see if anything happened. Within a week, I discovered that both of my power windows did not function.

If I remember, that one wire supplied power to the relay. Both of my windows were not working. If I get a chance tonight, I'll check it out and give you some more possibilities. I'm in the stage of re-doing my interior, so it's pretty bare in there. Also, my passenger door panel is off, so I can see alot of things in there as well.

-Vic

 

[Bob Chadwick]

Frank,

You can get to these wires by removing just the driver's side tunnel cover; 3 screws on my car. This is the wire that I tapped into for power for the electric door locks.

Bob

 

[Ala75Vette]

Thanks Bob & Vic--

I will schedule this as my Wednesday nite, get the kids in bed & smile at the wife as I head out into the garage project. It doesn't sound like troubleshooting it from this angle (relay/relay power to fuse block) will be too much trouble to diagnose.... I will be tickled pink if I can identify that as the problem (and, um, fix it). Thanks for the pointers... I'll let you know how it goes after I give it a go tomorrow...

Frank

 

[Ala75Vette]

Just a followup on the non-functioning power windows. Took a look at the fuse block, and sure nuff, there's a pink wire plugged into it which has to be the one vmrod discussed. Tried to get to the relay, but not too hard -- got the side panel off the center console and poked around in there some. It's my belief after my cursory efforts at troubleshooting that I've probably got a wire loose either in the center console area (where bubba messed around with the wiring harness), or vicinity the fuse block. Since I'm going out of town for a week, it'll be a week or two before I get to it, so..... my next project in a couple of weeks will be to take many things apart to trace wires. Ugghhh.

 

[vmrod]

Give me a heads-up if I can help any.
-Vic

 

[Ala75Vette]

Thanks, Vic--

Back in town for just today, then back off to Houston tomorrow for another week of business travel. Eventually I hope to get a chance to take things apart and do some troubleshooting, but for now, got pesky work stuff to worry about. I'll keep you guys uptodate when I can get to it in a week or so....

Frank