Dpc2

I got stuck in the rain two weeks ago and had to put my top and all the windows up. At the time, everything worked fine. It was the first time I had tried the windows since I bought the car, and all of the switches (driver's 4 and the other 3 individual) worked. I may have pushed two of the switches at the same time, and I may have kept pushing up longer than needed to try and close a small gap with the roof, but at the time, everything was ok.

The next day I put the top down and found that all four windows are dead. There's no response from any of the switches. I don't hear any relay clicking or any other response whatsoever. The fuse is good, so it looks like I'll have to go deeper. I understand that there's a circuit breaker on the firewall, but I haven't been able to locate it. Even if I do, it should have reset itself automatically, so I'm thinking the problem would be with the relay. Before I go to the trouble of pulling off the driver's side kick panel to get at the relay, let me ask a few questions:

1) Is there any more troubleshooting I can do to narrow down the problem?
2) Once I find the relay, how do I test it to see if it is actually the culprit?
3) Any reason to pull the driver's door panel and check the wiring? I can see that the bundle of eight or so wires coming out of the driver's door is original, or close to it.

I have no experience, but I'm game to troubleshoot. I just don't want to waste time or make things worse chasing bad theories!

Many thanks,

Dave

MDchanic

I agree - it sounds like a bad power window circuit breaker, or maybe a bad or disconnected relay.

I'm not familiar with the intricacies of the '66, so I can't tell you exactly where to look.

- Eric

jaunty75

The loss of power to all four windows at the same time suggests something systemic and not individual to any particular door or window. I would not be pulling apart door panels until I was sure the problem was not somewhere else. I doubt the wiring suddenly went bad.

Power window servicing info is not in the chassis service manual but rather is in the Fisher body manual for that year. The 1966 Fisher Body Manual is available for free at wildaboutcars.com (free to join). According to it (page 11-2), the circuit breaker for the power windows on A-body Oldsmobiles is located in the engine compartment at the horn relay.

There is not a description of where the power window relay is, but a diagram (Fig. 11-6 on page 11-4) shows it to be up under the dash to the right of the steering column.

Step-by-step troubleshooting procedures are in the manual as well.

Dpc2

I'll download and study the Fisher body manual. I do have a copy of the CSM, but I couldn't find anything in there, either.

Thanks!

Dave

Dpc2

Wow...what a great manual. I have a much better understanding of the circuit now. Will follow the procedures tomorrow and see what I can find.

jaunty75

Yes, the body manual is a must-have, just like the chassis manual, if you're going to do any significant work to a car. Half the stuff you think should be in one manual is actually in the other.

Dpc2

The relay isn't where it's supposed to be, and I still haven't been able to find the problem. Just had a thought -- if I run a 12v power line directly to the feed pin on the driver's side PW switch, could I get the windows down? Of course that assumes the the issue is up stream from the switch, but it should work, right?

jaunty75

I would think so. Put power to the feed pin, and then push the switch to lower the window. If the wiring is ok between the switch and the window, and if the motor is ok, the window should go down. Then push the switch to raise the window, and the window should go up. If it performs as expected, you've ruled out a number of things, including the window motor, the wiring to it, and the switch itself, which are all good things to know.

While it's connected, try putting the other three windows up and down, both from the driver's door master switch and from the switch at each window. With luck, these will all work, too.

I tested the tailgate motor on my '73 wagon this way. I just connected a 12 volt source directly to the motor, and it worked, so I knew my problem wasn't the motor. (It turned out to be wiring elsewhere in the circuit.)

Dpc2

It worked! I touched a 12v source to the feed pin and all four windows went up and down from the driver's switch. So now my windows are all down (where I want them) and I've narrowed down the problem to somewhere between the battery and the switch. Making progress!

allistar1

I once had the same problem and it was intermittent; what I did was clean the contacts on the relay; notice over time there was a lot of rust on the contacts; problem solved and never a problem again. I have learned to do the take a simple approached first and foremost before pulling wires and panels. Same with the fusebox, over time rust gets into the clips and prevents the fuse,s from making contact. Disconneted the battery cleaned all the contacts and viola; things that didn,t work started working again! same problem with the power seats; cleaned the contacts on the relays and work likes a charm. Hope this helps

Dpc2

Good advice. It took me some time to realize just how simple some things are. The power lead goes through a circuit breaker, fuse, and relay, but it's still the same 12v power source at the switch end that it is at the battery end. I was way over thinking the problem before.

How did you clean the fuse contacts? Maybe Brasso and a q-tip? My fuses are all good but the box and contacts are in need of a good cleaning.

MDchanic

Dremel MotoTool with a tiny wire brush attachment works great!

- Eric