doin' some adjusting.. drivers side was old weak.. rolled it to tha top (as fas as it would go) and lost all power.. no ignition, no nothin'?.. i can't bend tha right way ta check any fuses.. ya think thats where tha problem is gonna be?

 

You need to take the seat out and make a bed to lay on to visit the fuse panel... or at least I have to not being as young as I used to be.

JT

 

seat gone!.. still have a big problem with tryin' ta reach it and be able ta see what i'm lookin at.. gotta really bad right shoulder.. doc wants ta cut on it but havin' a real hard time makin' that choice at my age (80).....

 

I hear you brother, I'm not far behind you in age. I saw a photo once of a guy that used a lawn chair unfolded so it's flat so you can lay down and work on the fuse panel. I used a piece of plywood and some 4x4's to block up the end and moving pads to pad it so I could lay down and work on the fuse panel. I have to sit on the plywood and lay down the roll over and once I'm comfortable as I'm going to get and with plenty of bright light I can work on the fuse panel. Maybe start at the alternator and see if you have 12vdc there. A completely dead electrical system seems like it's near the battery or in the battery primary circuit.

JT

 

its tha battery... never seen anything like this before.. no spark, no clue... window hit tha top and tha battery went completely dead and i mean COMPLETELY DEAD.... never a hint that it was fixin' ta give up tha ghost..... its ok though.. i can replace battery's pretty easy.......

 

Maybe a telescopic mirror and flash light may help out looking at the fuse box. Most parts stores carry them.

Might use some high power reading glasses also.

Just a couple of ideas.

 

Open the hood and check for power at the circuit breaker that is mounted to the firewall behind the master cylinder.

 

I feel your pain. I'm also 80 yo and my right shoulder is bone on bone. The fuse block is one of the toughest spots for me to access on the C3. Seat has been removed. I use a combination of folded moving blankets and bath towels to provide cushion while leaning in.

If you have a loss of all power, you need to check power and ground starting with the battery.. The power wire going to the fuse block from the starter is in the outside connector to the fuse block. This connector was covered at the factory by a black moisture repelling goop that is hardened by now and probably does not repel moisture as well either. The terminals in this connector may have corroded to the point that a heavy draw from the power window may have caused a burn through of any remaining corroded contact. The power windows are usually powered through the Accessory Circuit Breaker (CB).. You can pull the CB off the fuse block and check for 12v. power on one of the terminals on the fuse block for the CB. On the other terminal (neg) check for continuity to battery ground with an ohm meter or a test light connected from Battery + to the negative terminal for the CB on the fuse block.

Sometimes a meter or a rest light is not enough to challenge the power draw of the electrical system. You can use an old sealed beam headlamp with both low and high beam in the same bulb. This headlight has 3 blades on the back: low beam, high beam and ground. Wire the low and high beam blades to a single wire (positive). Wire the remaining blade as ground. The ground can be a long wire with an alligator clip on one end to clamp to the ground cable on the battery. Then use the positive wire to test the 12v. connections, starting with the positive post of the battery. Let the headlight stay on long enough to challenge available power. Use a minimum of 14/16 Ga. wire. Carefully check the fusible links at the solenoid on the starter. Possibly an issue with a faulty or frayed link on the power wire to the fuse block. There is a connector (C403) at the end of the starter extension harness that comes up from the solenoid into the engine compartment near the A/C box at the left fender, Mine had several burned terminals. I replaced the extension harness and rebuilt the male connector of the engine harness..

 

Most likely a fusible link if multiple things are not working

 

Adjustable painter's scaffold bench covered in blankets

 

I was going to say the same thing about the fusible links. Check for power at the horn relay, then at the starter. THe fusible links are at the horn relay and at the starter depending on the year. You would have ignition and other accessories if it was just a fuse

 

On my 80 I lost all electrical power and it was the main power coming from the starter . There's a connector near the back of the passenger side valve cover on the firewall. Power passes through this connector and the terminals can corrode. I separated the wires from the connector and both crimped and soldered then heat shrink. I think it was 10 gauge or harder wire.

 

This describes the connector C403) that I found problems with. DaveL82's solution is good. Most connectors are designed for the convenience of the factory assemblers. Splicing the affected circuit outside of the connector is a good solution to re-establish circuit conductivity.

 

On post #5 tlwjkw said
"It's the battery", and he hasn't been back since, so did a new battery fix his problem?

 

The OP might have solved the problem. We’ll probably never know.