Strange window problem- help!

[CazzaVR 0]

Ooh, the joys of owning a Corrado....

 

Replaced my knackered switches today, but the windows only work when the driver's door is open! Could this be something to do with the interior light ? :? Also the reverse light fuse has blown for the second time in as many weeks....

 

I'm stumped, my local garage is stumped and the local alarm place said it almost certainly wasn't an alarm problem. :mad:

 

Any ideas?

 

Thanks

[Banana Man 0]

Right andy your problem is very likely to be the reversing switch shorting out. The windows work off the same fuse thats why they aint working as they should do replace the switch on the gearbox and replace the fuse and you should be up and running again mate!!! :D

[CazzaVR 0]

cheers matey, I'll give it a go.

[2cc 0]

May not be quite that simple Ant. The window & r/lights switch may be separate snags, or it may be the window fault taking the fuse out.

Andy, you say the windows work when the drivers door is open but not when its shut. Is this a repetative fault - I mean can you open & close the door several times and get the same thing happening ie windows stop windows work? Can you get the fuse to blow by playing with the windows? Can you get the fuse to blow by selecting reverse?

Did the windows go funny after u changed the switches, or were they like that before? These sort of things are usually caused because you have disturbed something - what exactly did you do in changing them? The sequence of events will give us the best clue as to what may be the problem. Can u give us a bit more to go on?

The door switch should have no effect on the windows.

[CazzaVR 0]

2CC, the switches were dodgy when I bought the car so don't know how long it's had the problem for. The fuse is fine with the reverse lights, but blows when you play with the windows. Also you can open and close the doors over and over and the same thing happens every time. :?

 

Could it be something to do with the alarm which is total closure?

 

Cheers

[Banana Man 0]

Ahh chris you might be right I thought the fuse was blowing when it was being put into reverse but it sounds to me that there is a short somewhere else, Andy try the the door looms in between where it goes through the chassis and the door shell if there is a bare wire lurking there then it will cause a short which will blow fuse 14 which covers the elecy windows, reverse lights and the heated washer jets. It only takes one bare wire in the whole loom to blow the fuse!!!!!

[2cc 0]

Andy/Ant, ok just to check my understanding the fault was on the car when u got it so we can rule out anything u did changing the switches (side note, did u have to solder the new ones in - like I did - or did they come with tails on?)

Curious about the fuse, my handbook (16v & G60) shows F14 (15 Amp) as Rev lights; door mirrors; seat heating; washer jet heating. The window lifters have their own fuse which is situated in the wiring loom above the fuse box (20 Amp) so even if F14 goes u should still have power to the windows and operate with the door shut.

So does opening & closing the door cause F14 to blow, or does it only go when u operate the window switches with the door open? Can u operate the pass window from drivers side with door open?

Like Ant says, I would suspect damage to the door wiring as the culprit & poss shorting/overloading the mirrors circuit at the same time - does F14 blow if u operate the mirror with door open?

From what u say I would assume that the alarm will still close the windows with the door shut so I wouldn't suspect the alarm itself. Looks like u will have to strip the footwell trim (& poss the door) to inspect the door wiring for physical damage.

[julesz 0]

My windows will only close 1 at a time, not both at once.. Is this normal??

[Jon TDI 0]

My windows will only close 1 at a time, not both at once.. Is this normal??

Yeah that's normal.

There is a one touch operation on the drivers side aswell.

[G60Jet 1]

My windows will only close 1 at a time, not both at once.. Is this normal??

 

yes its normall

 

did you also know you can Vent your windows using the key

 

to close the windows when locking the car simple hold the key in the lock position untill closed, when opening the car you can hold the key in the opening position to open the windows, also the close feature does the sunroof i think.

 

Does work on my C as i have delocked doors and no sunroof, but my alarm is programmed with a long lock pulse to do this without the key!!

[Andi 2,147,483,647]

When are the windows supposed to work with the ignition off? ie. no keys in the ignition at all.

 

I find most of the time they don't - but occasionally they do and I can't figure out why!

 

One time was whilst, erm, getting jiggy. Ignition was off, fumbling about, and the frigging windows decided to roll down... damn foot.... hehe. :oops:

[Jon TDI 0]

When are the windows supposed to work with the ignition off? ie. no keys in the ignition at all.

 

I find most of the time they don't - but occasionally they do and I can't figure out why!

 

One time was whilst, erm, getting jiggy. Ignition was off, fumbling about, and the frigging windows decided to roll down... damn foot.... hehe. :oops:

I think they work after a limited time when the ignition is off.

Mine work immediatley after the keys are pulled out. And if the door is opened you can wind the window up or down

[2cc 0]

Ha Ha Ha That'll teach you to read the handbook before 'messing about'. It says "The windows function with the ignition switched on. If the ignition is switched off, the windows can still be operated for about an hour, so long as the doors are not opened"

So now you know

:lol:

[Andi 2,147,483,647]

I would've thought it was something like that - but the majority of the time they don't work after pulling the keys out and not opening the door :(

 

I don't think my ignition barrel has the "push-in to keep the stereo on" function anymore - so maybe thats affecting it.

 

My stereo is on all the time - handy really, since it makes sure I mask it (manual Kenwood mask - why the MP3 one is manual I dunno!).

[G60Jet 1]

When are the windows supposed to work with the ignition off? ie. no keys in the ignition at all.

 

I find most of the time they don't - but occasionally they do and I can't figure out why!

 

One time was whilst, erm, getting jiggy. Ignition was off, fumbling about, and the frigging windows decided to roll down... damn foot.... hehe. :oops:

I think they work after a limited time when the ignition is off.

Mine work immediatley after the keys are pulled out. And if the door is opened you can wind the window up or down

 

Okay here is a trick for ya

 

when you have no key in the ignition and the windows arn't working, simply push and hold the lock barrel in and you can now operate the windows and the stereo will come on too!! At least in my C is does!!

[CazzaVR 0]

2CC, the switches just plugged in- no soldering. I didn't replace them myself- the local garage ordered them and put them in, and if I remember rightly, they used to work when the door was shut (all be it intermittently!). The fuse blows only when the switches are operated, not when the door is opened. The passenger window can be operated only when the driver's door is open. The alarm still shuts the windows when the doors are shut.

 

Starting to look like a damaged wire isn't it?

[CazzaVR 0]

Forgot to say that the door mirror switch is broken. It could be blowing fuse 14, but how would it affect the windows?

[Banana Man 0]

coz they're all related on the fuse box I think, when my mirror fuse went (f14) the widows wouldn't work!!!!!!

[CazzaVR 0]

Solved it! :D

 

Removed the broken mirror switch, replaced the fuse and the windows work perfectly! Now all I need is a new mirror switch.

 

Phoned the guy who works on my car and he couldn't believe it! They spent 3 hours checking the wiring for damage!

 

I'm very proud of myself :lol:

 

Thanks for your advice guys.

[2cc 0]

andyg60/bananaman

Well guys I just had to go and take my cars to bits to look at this and now don't trust my handbook anymore. There are 2 fuses in the window power line - F14 (tho' not according to the book :x ) and the other one mounted on the top of the fusebox. F14 is a lower rating so it'll go before the other one. Anyway, still looks like its going to be a door wiring problem; either the garage guys have snagged one but more likely, like Ant said, where the harness bends round the door pillar.

Busted door mirror switch unlikely to be taking F14 as u say that happens only when u operate the window switches, but looks like the previous owner didn't love it too much :( . Happy hunting & keep us posted.

 

:salute:

[2cc 0]

well i'll be a .............

[Banana Man 0]

try the breakers number I gave you andy they should be able to help and as you know already they are pretty decent guys!! I thought it had to be somthing simple like that but anything electrical can be hard to trace. glad you've fixed it though mate :D :D

[CazzaVR 0]

Cheers guys. I'll give 'em a call when I get a mo'. What a relief! Thought I was gonna have to pay through the nose for an auro-electrician to sort it!

 

Having a bad week all round. Last night someone had thrown huge chunks of earth into the road which were totally unavoidable. Bent the spoiler back, cracked and bent the slats in the lower bumper, and broke one of the splash guards off from under the engine bay! :mad: Times like that when I wish I had standard suspension- damage wouldn't have been so bad :cry: