Front electric window wiring

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Neil3478

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Not sure if anyone can help!!
Underneath the steering wheel column area is the large plastic cover that contains all the wires, indicator relay etc. Somewhere amongst that conglomoration of wires is the answer to why my front electric windows have packed up. There are green wires coming out of somewhere which I am convinced are something to do with the electric windows. The back 2 windows work but I just cannot work out why the front ones won't. I have had the motors out and they work fine. I have had the centre console off and tried all the switches around, they all work fine. No obvious loose leads etc. They worked fine last week, all fuses correct.
I am convinced that there is no live feed to the front windows but I don't know where to begin looking. Any ideas please.

It is a RHD 3.0csi, 1973, Fjord blue!!! Thanks, Neil
 
If the rears work, there is power. The circuit goes from the front sw to the rear sw. There are two power feeds; one left, one right. So work on one side at a time.

It's possible:

a. A loose connection, but more likely the connections are mixed up and incorrect. A simple test light or meter will reconfirm power at each front sw.

b. Motors and types- the original motors were two wire w/ a ground and have a particular switching/ wired to function in either up or down. Replacement motors- E28 rears( the black ones vs the aluminum can), are one wire; grounded through the body/ mounting. The latter requires the same switch to be wired different which basically means what was the nuetral or ground is the power and the switch makes the connection vs. a nuetral/ ground and a positive.( single power vs. 2 wire) I have both types in one car.

c. When placing back the switches, the wires can come loose since there's a lot of things under that console

d. Clean the switches, contacts, etc. They sometimes just develope a high resistance.
 
There is also a junction/plug for each door motor behind the kick panel, if loose then no power. This happened to me once.
 
Check to see if those red buttons can be pushed in. They sometime get tripped if you overload the motors. Its happened to me more than a couple of times working on the windows and motors.
 
Why did BMW change...??

sometime in 1973, the doors changed which means that the earlier regulators with their sardine can electric motors cannot be used. I am not just being nostalgic, but they worked much better with the windows going up and down at almost contemporary speed (providing everything was clean and serviced, AND that the U-shaped felt is of the original size and not the thicker kind offered by BMW, W&N, Jaymic etc).
 
Electric windows fuel gauge

Thanks everyone, am still working on it but the front windows will still not work!!
I know the motors are OK and know that the blue and black wires are attached, so do not need to take the door panels off (again)!!
The switches on the centre console are all fine.
I am sure the problem either lies under the dashboard somewhere or the switches of the rear electric windows which work fine.
The rear switch, drivers side (it is a right hand drive UK car, CSi), the back plastic cover is missing. 5 multicoloured wires with circular metal connectors go into the switch itself but I have no idea which wire goes into which hole. All I keep doing is blowing fuses and 'popping' the red buttons on the circuit breaker under the dashboard!!
will try and take some pictures today and upload them.
Further, by fiddling under the dashboard I seem to have messed up my fuel gauge - the needle goes up when the ignition is turned on but will only go as high as the lower red line, ie practically empty. I have put petrol in it. The wires on the fuel tank are all connected.

Any ideas again please, many thanks.
 
61porsche said:
If the rears work, there is power. The circuit goes from the front sw to the rear sw. There are two power feeds; one left, one right. So work on one side at a time.

It's possible:

a. A loose connection, but more likely the connections are mixed up and incorrect. A simple test light or meter will reconfirm power at each front sw.

b. Motors and types- the original motors were two wire w/ a ground and have a particular switching/ wired to function in either up or down. Replacement motors- E28 rears( the black ones vs the aluminum can), are one wire; grounded through the body/ mounting. The latter requires the same switch to be wired different which basically means what was the nuetral or ground is the power and the switch makes the connection vs. a nuetral/ ground and a positive.( single power vs. 2 wire) I have both types in one car.

c. When placing back the switches, the wires can come loose since there's a lot of things under that console

d. Clean the switches, contacts, etc. They sometimes just develope a high resistance.
Click to expand...

Whats the difference between the black motors and the aluminium ones?
 
I have only seen the plain metal aluminum cans, they have two wires and are plug and play with any mid-73 and on with the under dash circuit breakers.
 
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