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electrical problem!!!

bill81vette

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Joined
Jan 17, 2004
Messages
4,353
Location
Troy,NY
Corvette
1981 dark blue metallic
Over the course of the winter I removed and installed my starter,right side exhaust manifold,ignition shield,and replaced the upper bearings in my steering column.I finally finished it Sunday (hoping I could take it out for a quick spin on such a nice day),got it started up and my power windows,and my blower motor for the heater doesn't work....:ugh everything else is working perfectly!!!!

So,I start checking and double checking all my connections.checking feeds as well as grounds.that I have unplugged and plugged.I have no power to those to circuits on the fuse panel and I cant figure out where the feed comes from???? could I have messed something up in the steering column and not know it??? I have looked with a mirror several times to see if I moved or done something up above the steering that I shouldn't and everything looks like it is where it belongs and plugged in....
any other suggestions would be appreciated!!!!


Thanks,Bill
 
Im at work, but when I get home, I'll check it out in my manual. hopefully someone will come along before then to help you out.
 
:w Bill,

It never fails to happen... sorry to hear about you misfortune..

Page 8A-10 in the 81 GM Shop Manual shows a common Orange wire from the ignition switch to
  • Power Windows
  • Heater Blower Air Conditioning
  • Choke Heater
  • Also off this power source is the Aux Fan
It shows these hot ONLY with the ignition switch in the ON position.

I'd check the connection at the Choke then connection at S256 which I would think would be the connection at the base of the steering column..

Good luck...

Bud
 
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Bud,I have been using the manual as a guide to try to track down my problem..
I did check the connection at the base of the steering column today and everything looked good
I also noticed the S256 as well as the S202, and now that I just found out what they mean(Read the book Bill :hb ) I'll check further next chance I get!!


I do,however,feel certain I missed,or overlooked something,and I am just not finding it!
 
Well Im home now, but ya'll have already found more than my manual shows. Im not even sure what replacing the upper bearings in your steering column curtails, but if its inside it, well I've heard many people talk about doing things inside their steering columns just to later find something doesnt work. Must be a very hard place to work and get just right. Hope thats not your case. Maybe yours will turn out to be a loose wire some where under the hood. Good luck. your in excellent hands with rare81. I'll help if I can.
 
Trouble Shooting Ideas

Over the course of the winter I removed and installed my starter,right side exhaust manifold,ignition shield,and replaced the upper bearings in my steering column.I finally finished it Sunday (hoping I could take it out for a quick spin on such a nice day),got it started up and my power windows,and my blower motor for the heater doesn't work....:ugh everything else is working perfectly!!!!

So,I start checking and double checking all my connections.checking feeds as well as grounds.that I have unplugged and plugged.I have no power to those to circuits on the fuse panel and I cant figure out where the feed comes from???? could I have messed something up in the steering column and not know it??? I have looked with a mirror several times to see if I moved or done something up above the steering that I shouldn't and everything looks like it is where it belongs and plugged in....
any other suggestions would be appreciated!!!!


Thanks,Bill

My 81 shop manual Section 8, doesn't show any common link between the blower and the pwr windows, except the work you performed over the winter. My thoughts are that there are two seperate fixes needed: 1. The book show a blower electrical ground connect near the starter, you may have left it off or connected it some where else. 2. On the pwr windows, I would check the 35 amp cikrcuit breaker on the fuse panel, may have gotten disconnected during the under the console work.

Good hunting! :upthumbs
 
while back we had a problem with stuff not working right and it was a ground wire that was mistakenly hooked to the hot wire post on starter because the eyelet looked the right size for it, but it was supposed to be a ground to a bell housing bolt.
 
Like others have said,Check around the starter,their is something not hooked up right!!!:upthumbs
 
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I'll check under there again to see if I missed something...:ugh
 
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I FOUND IT!!!

after not having the time for the past week to look at the vette,I finally got a chance to take another peak,up under the dash....
And low and behold as I was looking up there with a mirror I noticed several wires that were moving quite freely.....
So I pulled them down and noticed that there was a plug on the end,looking around up on top of the column with the mirror I found where they went!!!!
working the wires back up and got it plugged in,my windows and blower motor is working!!!!!! :W :W :upthumbs :upthumbs
 
I would start by checking the wires at the starter. Comon mistake is to put the ground (black wire with large ring terminal) on the pos. terminal at the solenoid .
 
Way to go Bill !!! Congrats on finding your problem. Other than a small transmission or line leak mine is ready to roll. Waxed it in the garage today. Hot in there...... I see you have a birthday coming up, so Happy birthday now, as I am sure to miss it next month.....:beer
 
after not having the time for the past week to look at the vette,I finally got a chance to take another peak,up under the dash....
And low and behold as I was looking up there with a mirror I noticed several wires that were moving quite freely.....
So I pulled them down and noticed that there was a plug on the end,looking around up on top of the column with the mirror I found where they went!!!!
working the wires back up and got it plugged in,my windows and blower motor is working!!!!!! :W :W :upthumbs :upthumbs


Awesome news Bill... what a great feeling it is to get things working again! :_rock
 

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