Topic: Power window relay help

[CaptChuck57]

Hey forum,
My passenger window quit working a while back, and its only two months old!    So, I did the power window relay mod (actually just the wiring - i didn't get to replace the circuit breaker yet). 
This is the one I'm talking about:  http://www.78ta.com/smf/index.php?topic=8769.0
I tried it out and all i get is clicking from inside the relay itself when i try the passenger window.  the driver window seems to still work fine.
Does anybody have any ideas where my problem could be?  Any help would be greatly appreciated at this point!!
thanks!
Charlie

[Joker (§ir£Ðragon)]

Sounds like the problem is in the door. Maybe a bad ground. Did you run ground wires from the motor to the body of the car? (The original design depended on the current to find ground through the hinges.) It could also be a defective motor.

[CaptChuck57]

Hmm, I'll have to look at that.  is there a wire that goes from the power window motor to the hinges for the ground or is it on the bolt that mounts it to the door?

[jphillips3333]

Check all your connection in addition to grounds. 

I tried some of Lee's old e-bay links - nada, which brings me to a thought.  I thought the site was going to make Lee's post a sticky or at least a "how-to".  Most of us are less than pleased with the PW speed.  A kit with instructions/diagrams & where to buy parts sounds like a good addition to the restoration page;

http://www.78ta.com/intresto.php

[Joker (§ir£Ðragon)]

There is no ground wire. It's all dependent on the door structure and hinges. As the hinges wear the ground gets worse.

[RENOVATIONS]

Here's some of Lee's info:

Relays: http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=330-070

Wiring harnesses: http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=330-074

[Rick]

The design used by GM for the power windows in gen 2 Firebirds is a joke.  Semi-trained chimpanzees could have come up with a better design.  To do it correctly you need to use Lee's circuit above -- THAT is the way the factory SHOULD have done it.  You'll save yourself a ton of grief, several burned-up motors and switches, and a lot of expense if you just do it that way now.

[ta78w72]

Have you measured for voltage out at the existing relay?  Those tend to go bad.  Otherwise, check your wiring and make sure you wired the terminals for the new relays correctly.

[CaptChuck57]

I'm thinking the ground in the door is the problem.  The doors are in pretty rough shape with some rust along the bottom (this is a typical problem with these cars, I have learned), so it could just be an issue of not having a proper ground at the door.  Does anybody have a picture of how the jumper wire is run from the motor (the motor looks to be riveted in) to a ground?

[Joker (§ir£Ðragon)]

I thought you said it was only 2 months old.

[brian c]

Here's what I did...

Ran a wire from the door, through the power window/door lock boot (to the inside of the car), and grounded it on either kick panel. The wire was screwed to the door where the inner door handle mechanism attaches. I believe I used either 12 or 14 gauge wire to do this and soldered ring terminals on either end of the wire.

That plus the relay upgrade Jeff posted above really helped out my windows.

[jphillips3333]

Brian - pulled the kick panel and found a good ground, eh?  I want to do the relay addition as well ... in "my spare time"

[ta78w72]

Here's what I did...

Ran a wire from the door, through the power window/door lock boot (to the inside of the car), and grounded it on either kick panel. The wire was screwed to the door where the inner door handle mechanism attaches. I believe I used either 12 or 14 gauge wire to do this and soldered ring terminals on either end of the wire.

That plus the relay upgrade Jeff posted above really helped out my windows.

The only problem with what you've done is that ground point doesn't ground the power window circuit.  It probably helps the drivers side though because the window circuit grounds through the door so you've essentially bypassed the hinge and other problem area's.  It would be better to run a ground directly from the motor bolts to inside the cabin.  And, your method only address the drivers side, the passenger side needs a ground wire for the windows also to avoid poor door grounding.

[Joker (§ir£Ðragon)]

He did say "either" (both) side(s). 
And aren't the motors riveted, not bolted stock?

[ta78w72]

The motors are bolted while the regulator is riveted.

The power door lock is grounded on the drivers side.  There is no ground on the passenger side.  Running a ground from the power door lock ground on the drivers side should improve the ground for the power window on that door, but it does nothing for the passenger side.  To ensure good ground for the power windows, it would be better to ground both motors to somewhere under the dash.  It would also be better to ground that power door lock circuit like Brian suggest above.  At least from what I read, that's what I understood Brian did....but I did read it quickly. 

There seems to be a common misconception that the black wire connected to the door grounds both the door lock and power window circuits.  However, that ground wire near the drivers door handle is actually the ground point for the power lock circuit.