308 power window issue

the place to start on all these niggling little problems we are all plagued with in maintaining these aging beauties is with the search function. as a new poster you'll find an incredible wealth of information in the archives here. good luck

 

Window fix is easy or hard but inevitable on all 308s.

Easy (and mandatory) -fixing the fuse holder to elliminate unnecessary voltage drop will satisfy window expectations of many owners. See Birdman for details http://www.birdmanferrari.com/fusebox_upgrade.htm

Hard - remove the motor and clean the caked grease from it's bowels. Procedures at :http://www.birdmanferrari.com/service/windowservice/index.html Replacing the fur lined window channels also helps add speed to the windows.

Exotic - the above plus adding 1 or 2 inexpensive relays in the door so the window motor gets full battery voltage without several volts drop due to small wires running hither and one and also place wear and strain on the window switches. This puts makes you illegible to run in the annual window races.

There are probably more window threads than any other in FChat...use advanced search selecting the 308 forum and 'slow windows how to fix'. Once your windows are fixed and you relax a bit, prepare for warm start problems, another sign of age all 308s endure.

 

Did you get your window to roll down?

I think going to Birdmans blocks sounds like a good idea, but you should diagnose the problem first. I'd hate for you to go throwing money at your car if the solution is pretty simple.

Use the manual crank and crank the window down to make sure it's not a stuck cable. It should roll down pretty easily. Then test the switch by using the driver's side switch in it's place. If that doesn't work, take off the door panel and test the motor, etc...

 

No reason to wait to change the fuse block. Go ahead and buy the fuse blocks from Birdman and install them. It's a simple job. There are several threads here with plenty of pictures showing how others did it, and Birdman's instructions are very good. You should do this regardless of whether you identify something else as the window issue. The old fuse blocks are troublesome for many reasons, not just the issue with the windows. After I replaced them on my former '78 308, the windows worked much better, as did other things in the car. Eliminating the fuse blocks as a potential source of electrical issues will make it easier to diagnose other problems as they arise.

One tip -- as you are changing the fuse blocks, check the wiring against the official diagrams to determine if someone before you "rewired" anything around the blocks. You might find the source of the window or other problems right there.

 

I totally agree with you, Steve. Replacing the blocks is a VERY good idea.

Craig, how good are you with electrical stuff?

Keep in mind that replacing the blocks may not fix your window problem. It could be something else. I hope it does fix your problem though. That would be great.


good luck

 

Crank is in tool kit, round cover on door panel hides hole for manual crank. Birdman's fuse blocks were the first thing I did to mine, everything worked better immediately. I also installed the window accelerators, so easy and another improvement. I have step by step pictures of all my upgrades if you're interested, but the fuse blocks are a must do!