924Board.org

flames · Joined: 28 May 2007 Posts: 88 Location: Perth Australia

Greetings,
I am having power window issues, Could never wind the passengers down from the drivers side, Then the drivers stopped going down, but still goes up, and now the passengers windiw diesnt go down either.
Any ideas?
Thinking about jus putting a couple of switches in as have to get them working to get a defect notice of my 924.

Ozzie · Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 5:37 pm Post subject:

There are two styles of switch- different internals.
Both can be pulled apart and cleaned but if they have ball bearings in them then toss em.
They come up all the time on Ebay but you dont know the type till you get them.
_________________
Porsche 924 1984 (UK import) NA
Its AUTO and its BLACK
Montego Black on black/red
Engineer of Electro/Mechanical Systems Maintenance

RC · Joined: 25 Mar 2007 Posts: 2637 Location: Australia

So they are just a momentary DPDT switch hey?
Check out what Jaycar or Altronics have in a similar size.

Here is a Ubeaut one from WES. These are top shelf ones
ILLUMINATED TOGGLE
Momentary
Center Off
12V 20A
DPDT
Snap Fit
37x21mm
SW-VLD1
17.75
Switches

http://www.wescomponents.com/wesnews/cat_beta/

Roger

Hoboceratops · Joined: 16 Aug 2006 Posts: 156 Location: Atlanta, GA

My switches were crapping out on me as well, so I popped them out and opened 'em up. There was significant corrosion on a few of the contacts inside the switches (inbetween the part you push and the actual electricals) so I just cleaned them up with steel wool and voila, they worked.

Well almost, I still have almost zero control of the passenger window from the driver side, but I think that's a wiring issue somewhere else. However, for you it just sounds like you need to clean off the contacts. And while I didn't know there were different types of switches, if you have the kind I did (no ball bearings), you'll be able to see what needs fixing as soon as you open it.
_________________
1987 924S: Very much in love with it, even if it's all finnicky

Smoothie · Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 10:55 am Post subject:

I just had my hands inside my drivers side switch for the passenger side window today. It's the ball bearing type switch, but I have so much experience with them now, I just keep fixing rather than replace.
The latest symptoms were - it would lower the pass. window almost every time, but would no longer bring it back up.
Once you open it up and catch the ball bearings, note the position of the 2 internal metal switch parts before removing them. One end of each is "springy" - I etched "S"'s into the plastic casing to show where the springy side of each piece goes on reassembly. You should find the springy ends are arranged diagonally opposite each other. Just scrape or sand the removable contacts clean and scrape the other contacts that are part of the plastic housing with a small sharp flat-bladed screwdriver.
Put a tiny amount of contact cleaner/lube on each pair of contact surfaces - there are a total of 12 contact surfaces (6 pairs) per switch assembly. I had been using a silicone dielectric compound for this, but pulled out an old bottle of something called "DE-OX-ID" to try and see if it doesn't give a longer lasting repair this time. To hold the ball bearings in place for reassembly I still use the dielectric compound - it's like petroleum jelly and holds the balls to the little coil springs which helps to simplify the process while avoiding some aggravation.
(Reattach the plastic push part of the switch so its' cutout (lower) end is not at the same end of the housing that has the cut-off post (-the cutoff post is at the upper end of the switch).)

This same switch had a solder repair done previously.. A few months ago I found no continuity through a part of the switch that was supposed to be connected electrically. That was on the back of the switch where the 5 posts are - there would have been 6 posts, but one's cut off. That cut-off post is supposed to be electrically connected diagonally across to a post at the other end, but it wasn't. -Just cleaned the area and put a small blob of solder there to restore the connection between the cut-off post and the metal piece that runs to the other side. -So long story short - it's another possible problem area that might need attention.
_________________
"..it's made in Germany. You know the Germans always make good stuff."

'82 924T, US version, dark green metallic, 5 speed Audi 016G gearbox

Druman · Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 419 Location: Middleport, Ohio

Wow smoothie, put up a couple pics, and you've got one fantastic "How To"!

7osh
_________________
87' 924S non-sunroof (Red) 45K miles
85' 944 "early" NA (Red) 130K miles

PORSCHE pisses excellence...

flames · Joined: 28 May 2007 Posts: 88 Location: Perth Australia

Hey,
Pulled my switches apart, cleaned up all the contacts, then put them all back together, and still no action from the windows

The passengers switch seemed to hae different internals to the drivers 2, has anyone else found this?
Does anyone know which wires at the plug into the switch should be live?
Also is there a simple way of cheking the motors are ok? Do the windows run of a relay, if so which one?
Thanks heaps.
Beau

Smoothie · Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 2:06 am Post subject:

I've a vague recollection of at least two of the switches being identical. The third may be different - obviously what's important is that they get reassembled the way they were before.
Do you have a copy of the Haynes manual? It includes wiring diagrams of everything including the power windows.
You should find the power window relay clipped to the side of the hvac box next to the radio relay. They're identical, so you can swap them as a test.
Those relays -

I don't know off the top of my head which switch connector post/s should be hot or which to apply power to to operate the motor, but with the door panel removed, you can apply power directly to the posts on the motor. There are only 2 posts - apply power one way to make the window go up, and reverse polarity to make it go down.
If it is a motor problem and it/they're just gunked-up rather than burnt out, you can remove just the motor housing, armature, and drive gear (as opposed to removing the whole window regulator with motor attached) by unscrewing the 2 screws that hold the motor together. Do this with the window half way down if possible, so you can grab it and move it up-down to ease removal of the motor if needed. With the motor out, clean it with WD-40 or something similar and re-lube it with a light oil and regrease the geardrive end. For reassembly, again have the window halfway down so you can grab and give it some up-down action while re-inserting the motor and drive gear. -This was a little tricky the first time I did it (on my drivers side), but went much quicker when I did the passenger side a few years later.
_________________
"..it's made in Germany. You know the Germans always make good stuff."

'82 924T, US version, dark green metallic, 5 speed Audi 016G gearbox

!tom · Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 3:51 am Post subject:

When I got my car, the drivers side passengar switch would control the passengar window up/down, but the passengar switch would only run the window down.

The switches are DPDT momentary, with one set of contacts normally open and the other set normally closed.

My problem ended up being one of the normally closed contacts in the drivers door was actually not making contact in the neutural position of the switch, which meant no power was going to the passengar side switch on that contact.

The solution was to dissassemble the switch as described, and to bend the contacts slightly to regain the normally closed aspect of the faulty switch. Works like a charm now.

Good luck!
_________________
78 924 NA
5-lug