When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
1965 Vista Cruiser tailgate power window wiring diagram? Does anybody have one they can post up? Maybe point me at the publication I need to find/buy that has it? I have went page by page through my 1965 Oldsmobile Body Service and Chassis Service manual trying to find the wiring diagram specific to this system.
Here's the deal. I don't have a 1965 Body Fisher Manual. I have found a very good copy of a 1966 Body Fisher Manual on-line which you can download to your computer or peruse on-line. I suggest you download the .pdf to your computer. I cannot say if the 1966 manual remains the same as the 1965 manual. I'll look to see if I can find a 1965 Body Fisher Manual and if so I will post it here.
NOTE: The wiring diagrams for the Tail Gate are contained in the SECTION 11 - ELECTRICAL.
It appears there were significant changes between 1965 & 1966 regarding what was contained in each GM service manuals. It more or less reads like Swiss cheese to me. I've found some additional wiring diagram information for 1965 on www.wildaboutcarsonline.com where I have a membership. The diagrams aren't that compelling but I'm looking at them.
I'll admit I don't know much about the model year Body styles GM referenced in the Vista Cruiser when it came out - confusing to me. Is a 1965 Vista Cruiser an "A-Body"? Didn't they have F-85/Cutlass station wagons back then and then the Vista Cruiser became the larger full size wagon? What Body-Style is a 1965 Vista Cruiser. I enjoy learning and I might learn something here.
Picture of the tailgate wiring from the 1966 Fisher Body Service Manual I referenced above.
Interestingly, the best schematic is in the 1965 PIM, which is unusual since the later PIMs don't really include schematics. Note the isolation relay on the power feed.
Thanks Vintage Chief and Joe. Chief, the '66 schematic is identical to the one in my '65 manual. Neither one shows the front of the system like Joe's image.
Joe, thanks for that image. I am going to have to investigate further. I just looked and couldn't find a circuit breaker location. The junction is on the firewall down low behind the driver's inner wheel well. It gets power from the horn relay junction on top of the driver's inner fender and ultimately feeds the relay you mentioned and the rear tailgate window key switch . The relay you mentioned is mounted on the heater box under the dash and has several other heavy gauge wires coming out of it connected to two empty connectors. Maybe if the car had power door windows this is where they would connect for power or a second relay would plug in. The dash switch only works with switched ignition so the relay only feeds the dash switch power with switched ignition.
My '65 Chevelle convertible has a circuit breaker for the power top mounted right on the firewall, kind of expected to find the Vista's window one there as well. I know the Cutlass convertibles have their power top switch in the same location as the wagon rear window switch on the dash. I wonder if they have the breaker on the firewall.
I ended up having a couple of fatigued wires out back causing my issue. Motor is a little slow still. Thinking about adding a new dedicated power wire to operate relays back at the gate so the old wiring and switches don't have to carry all the load
Joe, thanks for that image. I am going to have to investigate further. I just looked and couldn't find a circuit breaker location. The junction is on the firewall down low behind the driver's inner wheel well. It gets power from the horn relay junction on top of the driver's inner fender and ultimately feeds the relay you mentioned and the rear tailgate window key switch .
The breaker location is also shown in the PIM. It's on the engine side of the firewall, above and outboard from the main firewall harness connector. It's directly above the grommet where the power feed to the window passes through the firewall.
I ended up having a couple of fatigued wires out back causing my issue. Motor is a little slow still. Thinking about adding a new dedicated power wire to operate relays back at the gate so the old wiring and switches don't have to carry all the load
I had the same issues with the rear window motor in my '67. The #14 hot wire running back there (orange-with black) only serves the keyed switch on the tailgate, and I found that wire tested out ok and the window worked better off that keyed switch. The up and down wires off the dashboard switch have a longer path through multiple old contacts, and they did not provide as much current to the motor. The attached wiring diagram shows how to tap that hot wire to drive two relays energized by the original window up and down wires. This takes all the current off the old dash switch. Also had to rebuild the safety switch in the rear tail gate and clean up and augment all the grounds. Works great going on 15 years. In order to work in that tailgate from the outside you need to bypass the tailgate-closed safety switch and run the window up with the tailgate open and some support under the window glass. That way you can get at everything in there.
October 17th, 2021, 10:24 AM
