Dave Morton

ugh, i followed shoebox's website about replacing the window motor, went out and bought a brand new motor for $60 dollars, took everything apart, only to find that, yes, my window is stuck down, but the motor works fine going down. the problem is going up. there is something wrong in the elecrical system. the switch seems to work fine going down, so.. is it a switch problem?

has this happened to anyone before? i'm trying to get my window fixed before it rains again.

niteninja

I replaced both my motors, and they still are slow. Might be replacing the wiring soon. Replacing switches first.

Also, it seems like if I bang on the door the window starts to go back up. (only happened once)

If I let the motor cool down (wait 30 mins) then it will go back up, or at least a little more.

Green96Z

These window motors are built to cut out if they feel a certain amount of resistance. You may have an obstruction in your window channels, or one of them could be bent. They may also need to be greased.

1997whitez28

My window track broke and also it only goes down but I had my girl friends dad that is into electronics that actually jumped it so it will go up. It will not go up but down only. I am replacing the whole switch plastic unit and if that doesn't help im going with the motor :-(


Car hit 150,000 miles and all the small things are going, can't believe it.

Dave Morton

yeah, but after i took out the motor, i was able to put the window up quite easily. thank god. i cant get the new switch until... maybe tomorrow. and it might rain tonight. but the point is, there were no obstrucions in the window tracks, or regulator. it's definately an electrical problem.

I read somewhere.... that if the driver's side window switch doesnt work, then neither will the passenger's.

I tried (since the passenger side switch only worked when going down) the driver side switch. you had to play with it to get it going down. after taking it off, and playing with it for a second... it just stopped workin all together. meanwhile... my door is apart until i can diagnose the problem. i'm going to pick up a door switch tomorrow.

1997whitez28

The problem I had was two in one the track pin broke and also the window will go down but not up unless you jump the button unit which the guy used that meter tester and jumped where the buttons were but from behind and worked!! But its only when you jump it then it goes up.

The passenger side goes up so what does that mean?? I will start with the button unit with the wiring then if there is still a problem then it prolly the motor or wiring short.

I also have to weld that part that the track goes up:-(

Dave Morton

uh oh, that sucks. yeah... my tracks are fine. everything seems to work except for the motor when it is going up. i took the motor out and tested it that way. it works fine when you press the down button, but doesnt move when you press up.

1997whitez28

So Dave you bought a new motor $60 which is cheap and still doesn't go up?

I had a problem which I hope to god it isn't related with the wiring in the dashboard but if I hit the side dashboard where the cd player is and still holding down the down or up button then it works or if you lock and unlock about 5 times then the window works.( only when the cd player shuts off then you have to do this.

But this happens once a week. Now the up button is done 100% unless you jump it with a meter behind the the buttons wear the wiring is.

Try it with the car running and then when its off but leave the ignition half way forward or back and then try.

Dave Morton

1997whitez28, i doubt that there is something near your cd player that needs to be banged to get to work, it is just wires back there. look at this quote... sometimes when the motors are overloaded, like if the have a hard time getting up because of a bent regulator or track, they have an internal reusable fuse that trips due to excessive heat. in the time you spend banging your cd player, (just a guess) maybe your fuse has reset itself.

yes i did buy a new motor, which also failed. I later found out... after i had torn the door apart, drilled holes, took out my switches (which did not go back in correctly) and my motor, that it was the driver's side switch to blame.

these switches are set up so that all current is running through the driver's side switch (the master switch). If the driver's side doesn't work, neither will the passenger's. So, i ran out to autozone, they had one switch in philly, which they told me would be there at 12 the next morning. I recieved a call at 9 telling me my switch was in, and during my one hour break between classes, i ran out and got it for 15 Bucks!.

I put the door back together, and everything is working correctly.

Long story short... CHECK YOUR SWITCHES before you go tearing apart the door and dash. it is a simple fix, which i can see is pretty bound to break after 14 years of use.

shoebox

That's why that recommendation has been in my guide since the beginning (over 9 years ago, now).

Dave Morton

hahaha, yes, i seem to have missed that. anyway, thanks for the manual, it was very helpful, and even though it was completely unnecessary, i got the job done in about 20 minutes.

eggman1

I am glad I found this thread, I test drove the car everything worked, by the time I was half way home the windows didnt work. A few days later I had time to mess with it and I found the fuse box, jiggled the fuse and VOILA they both worked! I was ready to put in my application at local dealer as master mechanic and declare myself moderator of these forums! Fortunately I was delayed in these two endeavors because my window is now down and wont go back up no matter how much I beg it to. Today I am going to look into buying a voltage regulator and possibly a switch for the drivers side while I am at it.
BTW it was a freaking cold ride home last night when I got off work at midnight, I am going to ommit the part about also having the T tops out because I dont want you folks thinking I am a moron.

RedAcesMotorspo

having had my fingers in them once when the button malfunctioned randomly, locking it in the "going up!" position, i can vouch for the fact, this is a nifty little feature.. and thank god for T-tops too..

gtannenb

I am having a similar problem with my driver's side window motor. It was running slow so I replaced the motor and the track with official GM parts. It came as one unit. I installed it and it worked perfectly for a week or so. Now the window will go up and down fine as long as I don't let it go all the way down. If it goes all the way down, it refuses to go back up. If I let the car sit for a few hours, it will usually go back up. I am baffled with this problem. I replaced the window relay under the dash 3 times and the problem still persists. I am thinking that the motor is shot and needs replacing.

Any thoughts before I rip the door apart and replace a new motor?

Thank you.

GaryDoug

Make sure the coil spring is still in place on the regulator and not broken. I knew a guy who had one missing and it had the same issue. It was a wonder it worked at all. After installing the spring, it worked fine for him.
See this procedure for a photo of the spring: http://www.firebirdnation.com/pdf/windowreplacement.pdf