Power window relay fix
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 133
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From: Newport News VA
Power window relay fix
I wish I had the forethought to get a couple pics of this, but its back in the car now. Well, both my power window were not working. I tracked down the wiring with the use of a Haynes schematic, and determined that it had to be the relay. So I pulled out the rear and front console, and removed the relay from below the intrument cluster. I tested it useing some jumper wires and found that the relay was in fact energizing. I could hear and feel the pingbuzz when I connected the power to the relay. So I checked the continuity with my ohmmeter to see if the relay contacts were actually closing. There was nothing.
So I figured since it was a weekend, and its already broken, I could't break it if I took it apart. I bent back the tabs that held the plastic base, and pulled it out of the metal housing. There is a very thin wire from the relay coil soldered to the case, so it had to be cut. (actually it broke really easy) In case you didn't know, the relay is negetive case grounded to the chassie / instrument cluster ground.
When I energized it with the jumper wires this time, I could see that the contacts were not coming together. All I had to do was tweak (bend) the top bar a little bit closer to allow the contacts to engage when energized. It now works great and it is back in the car.
To put the relay back together is just the reverse and pretty easy. The thin wire that was soldered to the case was too short to get back through the hole in the case. What I did to stretch the wire was to unwrap one wind from the wire stay on the relay board. It gets you about 3/8" additional length. Plenty enought to feed through the case and resolder.
So there you go. Saved myself near $30 for a new relay.
So I figured since it was a weekend, and its already broken, I could't break it if I took it apart. I bent back the tabs that held the plastic base, and pulled it out of the metal housing. There is a very thin wire from the relay coil soldered to the case, so it had to be cut. (actually it broke really easy) In case you didn't know, the relay is negetive case grounded to the chassie / instrument cluster ground.
When I energized it with the jumper wires this time, I could see that the contacts were not coming together. All I had to do was tweak (bend) the top bar a little bit closer to allow the contacts to engage when energized. It now works great and it is back in the car.
To put the relay back together is just the reverse and pretty easy. The thin wire that was soldered to the case was too short to get back through the hole in the case. What I did to stretch the wire was to unwrap one wind from the wire stay on the relay board. It gets you about 3/8" additional length. Plenty enought to feed through the case and resolder.
So there you go. Saved myself near $30 for a new relay.
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 726
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From: Petaluma CA
Re: Power window relay fix (arrio76)
You are my hero of the week. That is the type of thing I would do. Not only to save money but to feel good about what I could do. It seems the mechanics now are all "remove and replace". Ask them about armature brushes and they are lost. I just had a choke relay apart and it was beyond repair and cheap, so out it went... Stevo 81 :smash:
