Help, electrical problems.

[withac]

I had a power window and power door lock thread in the interior section and they kinda ran together. Now it might have turned into a wiring question. Seems like when new questions come up in a thread they kinda get lost so I thought I’d post up fresh, sorry for the duplication, but I’m stumped.

Summary, drivers side power window doesn’t work, drivers side door doesn’t lock with keyless entry or power lock button. All other doors lock with both. So here’s where I’m at.

I need to hook a trailer brake up so I’m looking under the dash to see how to do it and I notice a factory wire bundle that is out of place. It looks like when the park brake is released it has been pinching this. I look closer and a white wire is cut all the way through and an orange one is skinned. They go to a plug in the dash side fuse panel labeled Retained Accessory Power Relay, I figure I have the solution to my drivers side power door lock/power window issue. I splice the white wire back to together, nothing. I cut the orange one where the insulation was worn off and splice it back together. Nothing. I check the fuses that have lock in the name nothing. There are several power door lock relays. There is only one Power Window Circuit Breaker. I figure since all the other windows work it can’t be the circuit breaker.

Okay, I pop the door panel. I pull the wire plug from the power window motor and test it with my multimeter 0.00 when I push the window button. I pull the plug from the door lock actuator and test it. If the lock button is cycled back and forth it might jump to .93 but if I just click it one way then the other I get .03

So, it looks like power isn’t getting to the window motor or the door lock actuator. I had a cut wire but fixed it but that did nothing. I can find no blown fuses. Could the wire have shorted and blown a relay

In the dash side fuse panel there is a fuse for power mirrors and door locks. The mirrors work so I didn’t even pull it. There are two fuses marked Power Door Locks, both are fine. There are relays labeled DRV UNLOCK = Power Door Lock Relay, LOCK = Power Door Lock Relay, L DOOR = Power Door Lock Relay and UNLOCK = Power Door Lock Relay. It’s hard to separate the sound but I think I can feel each one click when I hit the door locks. There is also a relay labeled RAP #1 = Retained Accessory Power Relay. I’m not sure what this runs but I can’t feel anything from it when I hit the locks or the power windows. I tugged and pulled on that relay and it won't budge, how do you get them out?

Would the fact that I got a .03 read on the meter when I tested the plug going into the actuator would suggest that current is getting through, just not enough, and would that suggest a relay? The fuses under the hood were suggested but wouldn't they be more universal than just the driver’s side window and door? When the window stopped working it was a hit and miss thing before it finally stopped altogether. That's why I was sure when I found the cut wire that I had my solution. I still wonder if it has something to do with that I just can't figure it out.

I'm still thinking out loud here. Would a relay affect more than just the drivers side power window and the drivers power door lock? Seems rather specific to me, would that suggest another wire cut somewhere?

 

[withac]

bump

 

[Mr45]

Would the fact that I got a .03 read on the meter when I tested the plug going into the actuator would suggest that current is getting through, just not enough,

I assume you measured Voltage?
0.3VDC is nothing. No voltage is getting to your actuator.

 

[withac]

I assume you measured Voltage?
0.3VDC is nothing. No voltage is getting to your actuator.

Thanks, I know but what I wondered is, the power window motor is getting absolute 0, so even that small of a jump on the door actuator had to come from somewhere, didn't it? So I wondered if that meant a bad relay wasn't only letting that small amount trickle through. Does that make sense or is that faulty logic? I don't know much about relays and wiring.

 

[Mr45]

No. .3vdc is just about the same as 0vdc.

Your digital meter picks it up, but it's just a differential voltage between power and ground. Odds are, somewhere else in the circuit is something that makes/breaks ground and causes it when you do it.

If you want to be sure your relay isn't bad, take it out and test it, or put a jumper in the socket.

 

[withac]

Okay, this is weird. I put the door back together, drive around last night, same as usual. this morning I hit the door locks and mine works, 2 maybe 3 times then nothing again.

I tried to remove the relay and the damned thing is in there solid. I even gently gripped it with a pair of pliers and pulled, it ain't budgin' How do you get these things out?

 

[withac]

I figured out how to muscle out the relays and how to use my multi-meter. I did all 4 tests my Chilton's manual says to run and they all check out okay. I have a neighbor with a '99 Chevy pickup, it's the newer 99 so I believe everything is the same as mine. Maybe I can talk him into popping out his power window switch panel then I could plug it into mine and see it if works. That way I could diagnose the switches because I cant really tell any other way to test them.

 

[withac]

WOOT WOOT

Problem solved. I kept testing wires and switches and decided the signal wasn't getting to the switch, so I tested each wire from the relay to the door switch for ohms. I found a couple where the multimeter didn't change so I figured I had a broken wire. That and looking at the symptoms when it stopped I decided it must be in the door so I started untaping wires. Two were broken in the door boot. Shoulda started with this at the first, oh well. Problem solved, everything is put back together.