hi every1 i need some info please my drivers side power window harness melted years ago (70 cutlass sx) i can buy a new drivers side harness for around 220 but i dont know what caused the original 2 melt, my motor is now out the car and being rebuilt, my questions are-

if i buy a new harness can i test my windows without my motor in the car?
would i be better off converting to roll up windows?

thank you

 

Several years ago my drivers door shorted out. Not a complete meltdown, several wires were damaged. I discovered that after years of use the insulation had rubbed off of the wires where the harness goes through the inner door sheet metal. Which caused the short.

 

That's the most common failure mode. The other is that the brushes in the motor wear out and cause a short in the motor.

 

thanks guys i just cleaned my garage and pushed her outside for a bath now that i have the time and room to work on her i want 2 get the windows fixed 1st, ill pull the harness 2marrow to see if i can find the problem, thanks again

 

Joe, You mentioned the 2nd most common issue is shorted motor, I am also working on a failed power window and want to bench test the motor. The motor has 2 connector terminals at the plug end of the motor. Would it be as simple as ground the assembly and positive to test at one terminal and then to reverse, switch positive to other terminal?

 

It depends on the model year. The motors from the 1960s and early 70s had two different power feeds, one for up and one for down. The ground was provided through the motor case. By the mid-70s, the two terminals were simply power and ground and were reversed at the switch to change direction. Be sure you know which version you have before jumpering to the motor terminals.