Power Windows 74 Avanti

[Black Hawk 1964]

I have a 74 Avanti and I can't get the driver's window to go up or down, the passanger will go down but only using the passanger switch, has this same thing happen to You? Is it the switch, motor, or a bad ground?

[N8N]

you're going to have to pull the driver's side door switches no matter what and start playing around with jumper wires and multimeter...

nate

[Skip Lackie]

It is probably the switch(es). I have a 74 and have had off-and-on problems with the switches for years. You can remove them and sand down the contacts, and they'll work for anther five years or so. Repeat as necessary.

The motors themselves are identical to the 55-57 (and maybe later) Tbirds, so repros are available (though expensive). All that said, bad grounds are a challenge on all Avantis, so it could be that, too.

[N8N]

It is probably the switch(es). I have a 74 and have had off-and-on problems with the switches for years. You can remove them and sand down the contacts, and they'll work for anther five years or so. Repeat as necessary.

The motors themselves are identical to the 55-57 (and maybe later) Tbirds, so repros are available (though expensive). All that said, bad grounds are a challenge on all Avantis, so it could be that, too.

Skip,

are the contacts burning or oxidizing? If the latter, I tend to gob some silicone grease in the switches to (hopefully) extend the MTBF on them... (used to have a BMW that had the same problem, I had a jeweler's screwdriver and a pencil eraser in the door pocket for parking lot window switch maintenance until I started doing that) if they're burning, then that seems to imply that the motors are drawing too much current and probably everything mechanical needs to be gone through (motor, regulator, tracks, etc.) to make sure there's as little drag as possible...

of course if you don't drive the car that often, the work to "fix" may be more trouble than it's worth...

nate

[Skip Lackie]

Skip,

are the contacts burning or oxidizing? If the latter, I tend to gob some silicone grease in the switches to (hopefully) extend the MTBF on them... (used to have a BMW that had the same problem, I had a jeweler's screwdriver and a pencil eraser in the door pocket for parking lot window switch maintenance until I started doing that) if they're burning, then that seems to imply that the motors are drawing too much current and probably everything mechanical needs to be gone through (motor, regulator, tracks, etc.) to make sure there's as little drag as possible...

of course if you don't drive the car that often, the work to "fix" may be more trouble than it's worth...

nate

Just oxidizing. Gotta do one of them again, so it may be a propitious time to take your suggestion.