Do I need 10 gauge wire for the power windows?

[bennylava]

Hi all. I'm redoing some wiring for my power windows in my 87 Silverado. They're too slow and it's time to do the relay mod. I need to know how many amps the power window motors pull, in these trucks.

I have heard they can pull up to 30 amps. This means you'd need to use 10 gauge wire for the power windows. Is this true? If not, what size wire should I be using? Thank you!

[mongocanfly]

I think they fuse them at 25-30 amp...but i think the amp draw is more like 5-10
Never seen 10ga wire on a window motor

[bennylava]

Thanks! So 14 gauge wire to be on the safe side?

I'll take some pics of the job and post them up. Some people may be interested because I'll be adding automatic (one touch) windows. No more holding the button down like they did in the dark ages. haha!

[franken]

I'd start by asking what's the factory size wire.

[bennylava]

While I'm in there, I may as well check the track alignment and make sure it's working well enough.

But how do you go about that if you have electric windows? I assume you could check it easily with manual windows. You'd just see if you could pull it up and down easily enough, by pulling on the glass instead of the handle. I don't think that's a good way to check if you have power windows. Maybe I'm wrong.

[hatzie]

Originally Posted by franken

I'd start by asking what's the factory size wire.

Stock wiring is 16ga.
14ga should do everything you need it to.

If your window motors are slow it's likely because the motors are worn out and the linkage is in need of service.

[Corts60]

Better to go bigger if in doubt. If the wire can’t handle more than the fuse…you’re asking for a fire.

[hatzie]

Originally Posted by Corts60

Better to go bigger if in doubt. If the wire can’t handle more than the fuse…you’re asking for a fire.

16ga will carry the current the power windows are fused at.
14ga should work a treat.
12ga would be gilding the lilly and 10ga is just plain silly.

[bennylava]

Originally Posted by hatzie

If your window motors are slow it's likely because the motors are worn out and the linkage is in need of service.

It's all new AC delco stuff. That's why I'm doing the relay mod. On the driver's side, replacing with new fixed the slowness problem. But on the passenger side, replacing everything had no effect. So I decided to do the relay mod.

[bennylava]

Well here's the first round of work. Got a fuse box off amazon that seems up to the task. I have covers for the exposed connections. Some are also underneath, on the bottom of the tray. The tray is just a flat piece of aluminum that I cut and bent so it would fit. Now I just have to wire up the one-touch Viper 553T window module. Looks pretty straightforward, famous last words I know. But it will be pretty cool to have automatic windows on the old truck. Gets old in the drive thru, you know?

I'm going to leave enough wire so that the fuse box and it's mounting tray can fold back and hang over the side of the fender. In case I need the room to work on something else. Headlight relays will also be in that box.

https://i.imgur.com/1Zd9QEX.jpg

[hatzie]

Did you dry lube the flocked rubber window tracks on the slow window?
Graphite lube in the tracks makes a fair difference.

[bennylava]

Originally Posted by hatzie

Did you dry lube the flocked rubber window tracks on the slow window?
Graphite lube in the tracks makes a fair difference.

I will give it a try. Do you have a recommendation on a particular lube? Or perhaps I should just search "graphite lube".

Test image I'm trying to get them to be smaller:

[bennylava]

looks like 640 x 480 is probably right