Alfa Pages

[jamie_a]

Hi All

I've got an 87 1.5 33 with a stuck driver's side electric window. It looks like I'm getting power to the green connector box on the door, but the window doesn't move. It's stuck right doen as far as it can go. I suspect that the wiring that goes from the green conector box to the window motor has been crushed. Is there any way to winch the window up with the motor dead? I'd prefer to have a non-functional window stuck shut rather than open as it's currently raining.

thanks all

Jamie

[paulhide]

if you've got the panel off of the door surely replace the suspected broken wires with connectors or send power to the motor from wires from the battery. Failing that can't you just turn the wheel with the wire round it? On the white car I've just put together both the switches by the gearstick had actually failed and everything was cured by relacing them. Had checked absolutely everything else as I couldn't beleive that both switches had failed, but that actually was the case!
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Owner's Club 33 Registrar. Now from P4 & S2 1.7 QV
http://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=5188

[Rob (Perth)]

I'm amazed the window winders in your series 1 have lasted this long! You're going to need to take off the interior door lining to check what's going on. It will be easy enough to check if voltage is getting to the motor. Even if the voltage looks good, undo the push connectors, clean the contacts and spray on some WD40 or similar, as the contacts get corroded over time and don't pass the current they are supposed to, even if a voltmeter shows healthy voltage there.

Much more likely, and problematic, however, is that the nylon gear wheel inside the motor has stripped. This happens because the window opens/shuts to the same point every time, so certain teeth on the nylon gear get a lot more wear than others. If this has happened, you MIGHT be able to get the window up again by pushing up on the glass from inside the door, while operating the switch - the gears might just mesh enough to work. But you'll find that the window goes only part-way up then stops again - the same stripped teeth coming into play after one or more turns. More pushing might see the window glass fully closed, but BEWARE! - don't open it again or you'll be back in the same predicament.

If the gear wheel is shot, you can't get a replacement. You then have 2 options. 1. - buy a manual winder (either new from an AR dealer - they would have to import it for you, or second hand from a wrecker and I think a back door window winder might be able to be fitted to your front window). Or 2. - get hold of a series 3 electric winder - they are much better built than the series 1 winders, and they are faster too.

I have used both options in my series 1. The series 3 winder was a devil of a job as it didn't come with the whole cable and guide system so I had to stuff around with refitting new (homemade) terminations on the Bowden cables, which ain't fun! But at least it now works. The manual winder was an easy replacement but cost me AU$140 to import thirteen years ago!

Good luck.

Cheers,

Rob