Right window does not move. Fuses are fine. Relay?

When right window was not working, I checked fuses (Birdman fuse block), and lo and behold, last two fuses were burnt out. So replaced and verified was working again. A week later I tried to roll down and didn’t move. However the fuses weren’t blown. Is there an associated relay I should check?

 

IIRC, there is a "relay for window motors" on a 1981 308GTSi (please confirm or deny), but it supplies +12V power to both windows so if your LH window is working that relay is OK. Is your LH window working?

 

See if the wire is connected to the switch. That happened to me recently, pulled the switch and one of the wires wasn’t coonected.

 

Yes, the LH window is working.

 

The RH window switch was able to roll it up, and then stopped working.

 

Then have to conclude that you have a problem in the RH switch or its wiring or the RH window motor/mechanism. As a first diagnostic step, you could try just swapping the two (identical) window switches and seeing if the "problem" changes sides, or not (which will also give you a chance to confirm/deny if all the connections are in place as 4right suggested). Good Hunting!

 

I would remove the door card, locate the connector and feed 12v to the motor to see if it would turn. That's what I did on my 85 QV and the motor was dead.

 

well I'd definitely try swapping the switches like Steve suggested before yanking the door card off. The first rule of troubleshooting is that if you're going to use the shotgun method shoot the cheap stuff first.

 

I had not heard that one but it makes sense, although I would change it to say shoot the easy to access ones first.

 

It's pretty common for the motors to seize up with old grease, but they are pretty easy to rebuild. It's just a bit fiddly re-stringing the glass.

 

I'm hoping the mechanic that put the windows together for me did that (cleaned up old motor grease). It is still slow even after the Birdman Fuse install, so most likely not. If it is the motor, should I just replace with new/faster ones?...suggestions?

 

You really just need to take the motor out, disassemble it, clean out the old hard grease, and replace it with fresh white lithium grease. There’s really no difference between an old motor and a new one except of course the old grease.

 

I installed those things called "accelerators" (do a search) They are a pair of boxes that basically just have a couple of diodes in them so that depending on the polarity sent to the motor from the switch it will create a direct ground at the door. So really all it does is shorten the circuit by about half and in my case the window is probably about 30% quicker. The only thing is that they are kind of pricey and if you know anything about electronics you could make them up yourself for probably ten bucks. Yes, they are epoxied into this fancy box but that's not really necessary.

 

Hi
I'm not sure if I can help but I had this same problem on my 82 308
My passenger window would not go up.

Being a retired aircraft mechanic I thought it would be an easy fix. "Not" First I got out the voltmeter and following the wiring diagram at the back of the owners manual it should be an easy fix. I check the wires not everything was good. Without getting into much detail I tried to jump the power from the fuse box directly to the window motor, It did not move either up or down ( I was using the switch as well as not) It turned out that a previous owner had installed a new relay system under the hood by the spare tire with a fuse that was blown. I replace the fuse and all is well.

What I am trying to say is that i was about to remove the motor and widow mechanism to replace the grease/or motor which would have been totally not required. You just might not get enough amperage with a jumper from the fuse box directly to the motor. Everything I have read is that these motors are pretty reliable even though they are slower than the second coming of Christ. Check the continuity from the fuse box to the switch as well the switch to the motor. These cars are 40 years old now and you may not know how many wire cutters have been in here.

Just an added thought, If you look at your relays you can swap them around to check if the relay is a problem. Just make sure that part numbers match up.

Best of luck
Mark

 

I would absolutely check all the wires, and try to apply power/ground to the connections - before I'd start pulling the door card off.

Yes, the grease gets hard for sure and makes them move like a sloth. But start with the least invasive easy stuff.

 

I rarely use the windows- Either it's all the way up in the winter, or all the way down for the rest of the seasons...even in the garage. So really not concerned about speed, but when I need it to work (especially in 90 degrees), I need it to work.

 

I've been trying to get my windows faster. I replaced the fuse blocks with Birdman's and they got a little faster. I replaced the window switches and they got a little bit faster. I cleaned out the old sticky grease in the motor mechanism and they maybe got a little faster. Last night I ran +12V to the door and installed a couple of relays for full voltage to the motor and holy crap it made all the world of difference. The window is not only quick, but they go farther up than before.

 

Here’s the wiring to use two relays and direct 12VDC supply (“accelerators”)
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I have to admit then when I see "solutions" that involve adding components I ask myself the question, "Did this [whatever item] work properly when the car was new. If the answer is,"yes," then IMO, the solution is to repair/replace whatever has 'broken,' not to add an additional component(s) to the mix.

In this particular case, I never owned or drove a new 3x8 back in the day so I can't say that the windows worked acceptably...but if they did, my reaction is that the fix is to put the OEM parts back in good working condition - cleaning/lubing the motor and related window mechanism and checking cleaning the relevant wiring connections.

Am I missing something here? Or did all new Ferrari 3x8 owners take their cars back to the dealer to have window relays installed?

 

I'd pull the door card off and check the voltage at the motor first; then you'll know which way to go. Pulling the door card is not hard (at least on a gt4).

 

I agree this is a band aid. There isn't a single point I could find that was to blame, but really a series of many connection points, all with minor voltage drops. Probably the correct fix is to replace all of the terminals, pins, and connectors in the car and maybe the wiring harness. I'm not down for that project at this time.

 

I'm curious as to why you'd pull the door card off, before pulling the switch and testing for/applying voltage there.

Like - if there's a light not working in my house - I check the breaker, switch (and bulb) before I starting digging around the attic and pulling cables apart.

 

That's exactly what I used for mine. I wouldn't post that actual diagram as I believe that was drawn by Paul Bennett as part of his excellent wiring diagram packages that he sells. If it's not specifically copyrighted it's got an implied copyright.

 

Voltage at the switch doesn't tell you if it's reaching the motor and I've never had any problem with the switches. I'd check the fuse first but assuming it's not that I'd next want to know if the motor is seeing any volts. Taking a door card off is not exactly pulling the engine, it takes about 5 mins.

Vehicle wiring and house electrical wiring is not really a great analogy, but to apply the analogy here, the motor is equivalent to the bulb. I bet you'd check the bulb before taking the switch off the wall ...

 

Analogies aside I think the logic of checking the switch is that it just pops out, no disassembly of anything required. I mean if you pull the door card and find out there's no power to the motor what are you going to do? Check the switch,