Power Window issue in an 84

[peresich]

Some of you may remember my recent struggles with the transmission on my 85 C10. Well, after replacing the shredded governor gear, the flimsy rubber tube that was being used for the vacuum line, the vacuum modulator, and putting an actual TH350 dipstick tube on it instead of some random piece of plumbing from the local hardware store the truck drove for approximately 15 minutes before the internals of the transmission decided they were tired too. It's now sitting in my garage waiting on me to decide that I want to drop the transmission and do a rebuild.

On the bright side, my wife is awesome and she found a very nice 84 C10 that has already been partially restored and had an engine swap done on it. It runs and drives great and I am loving it. I am having an issue with the power windows though. Initially, they worked but the driver side moved slowly. Then, it stopped about halfway up and the passenger side would still go up down completely with the switch on the passenger door, but not with the driver side switch. Now, the passenger side will not move at all either.

I spent the weekend working on the driver side. I started by checking the voltage at the switch and I am getting plenty of juice at the switch and at the plug to the motor. I pulled the switch off of the 85 and swapped it to the 84 and noticed that the motor sounded like it tried to run and then stopped when I hit the switch to roll the window up.

After more inspection, and more cuts and scrapes and unpleasant words about Chevy engineers having freakishly small arms to fit inside the access holes in the door panel, I found that the lower regulator assembly arm was not on the rail anymore. I put that all back in place and rebolted everything back down and tried the switch again. I got the same sound but no significant movement out of the window. However, I could move the window up manually if I pushed the switch up so it felt like the motor was freed up enough to move.

I know that it is hard to diagnose things like this without being able to see them yourself, but is there anything in this tail of window woe that sounds familiar? I would prefer to not have to swap the entire motor/modulator from the 85 if I can avoid it, but that is looking like my next step if I don't come up with anything else.

[tucsonjwt]

If you have power at the motor plug when you operate the switch, then it seems like you have a bad motor. However, if you reassemble everything to operate the motor it is still possible to have a bad connector at the switch and/or at the motor. Try wiggling harness and the connector at the switch when you operate it. It is common for the contact pins at the back of the switch to work loose or break in the connector. I had to replace both of the connectors at the switches and one at the motor - both connectors are available in a short harness version from AC Delco. Intermittent operation is a sign of a bad connection - usually the connector. It is possible to buy the little contact pins for the connector but I don't have the skill or patience to replace them.

If you need motors, buy AC Delco but get the cheaper version which does not have the mounting bracket furnished. You can reuse the bracket from your existing motor. For some reason, I have had better luck with the cheaper ACD motor. If you have never replaced a motor please read the threads on this subject in this forum. It can be a very dangerous operation - you need to secure the motor to the regulator prior to removal because of the very powerful winding spring.

If you need sources for AC Delco parts post back here. There are several good OEM vendors that offer parts at good prices - not much more (sometimes less than) aftermarket. Also, AC Delco has a good online catalog for harnesses and connectors.

Good Luck.

[peresich]

Because nothing can be simple.

I haven't had time to do anything with the windows yet because it is softball season and I coach my daughter's team. Yesterday I decided to try the switch again because it was warm and humid and the window started to roll down. It stalled out after a few inches so I tried up and it moved a little and stopped. I hit down again and it went down some more so I gave it a little help by pushing on the top of the window and it moved farther. I tried up again and it moved up with help. I rolled it all the way down with help and just left it there for now since there is no rain in the forecast until the truck will be in the garage tonight.

I can't figure out if this is a motor problem, a switch/wiring issue, or something else. Do I need to hire a young priest and an old priest?

[Liberty]

Originally Posted by peresich

Because nothing can be simple.

I can't figure out if this is a motor problem, a switch/wiring issue, or something else. Do I need to hire a young priest and an old priest?

Sounds like the motor is going out. A last chance effort before replacement could be a few good hits with a hammer. That freed up both my motors. My Driver side motor finally gave up, but my passenger window still works 4 years after the hammer method.

This method also works on the power door lock relay as well.

Edit: You could also try lubing your guides as well. maybe hit the joints with PB Blaster or WD 40 and see if that makes a difference, lube the tracks and wheels as well. But I still say go for the hammer as well. The motors sound nearly toasted already, so the hammer can't really do much worse.

BIG IMPORTANT EDIT: The Motors aren't making a grinding sound are they? Also my windows are both slow and weak when my engine isn't running.

[Hevy]

It's the motors.
If you've never replaced one I would suggest paying someone to do it. As a poster above mentioned, those big springs will take your finger off if you're not careful.

[Liberty]

Originally Posted by Hevy

It's the motors.
If you've never replaced one I would suggest paying someone to do it. As a poster above mentioned, those big springs will take your finger off if you're not careful.

Yea no kidding, although oddly enough, I don't recall my 82 having those springs when I redid my driver side.

[tucsonjwt]

I would still pop those switches out from the door panel and wiggle the wires/connectors while operating the switch. It will just take a few minutes between softball games. Many people are faked out by thinking it is always motors when other parts are the culprit, and switches/harnesses are easier to replace.

You can replace the motors yourself if you are careful - just need to secure the motor to the regulator prior to removal. Unless you find a cheap mechanic, you will be spending more $$$ than necessary. I would guess 3-4 hours labor charge per door, because it can take a lot of fiddling to get that regulator in/out of the door. Once you get one out, the next one(s) will go a lot faster.