1968 Riviera power window issue

[60s GM Fan]

 

Greetings fellow Riviera owners.  When I went to inspect my new 1968 I noticed that the master power window switch does not lower the passenger window however the window will operate with the passenger door switch.  Can anyone give me any insight to why the master switch isn't working?  I assume that this might be due to a dirty contact?  Please advise.

[PWB]

Assuming the wiring is routed as original, it’s likely a problem is in or at the  master switch. These can be rebuilt. Pull the switch and probe with a meter. If good then You will need a wiring diagram to verify / chase the leads for being correctly laid out. 

 

[jj5794]

Welcome to the forum Tim!

 

Private message sent.

 

Jim Vesely

ROA # 7437

BCA # 39477

 

ROA # 7437

[60s GM Fan]

Jim,

 

Thank you I've responded to your message.

[jj5794]

Thanks Tim.

 

Best of luck with the car.

[JZRIV]

Of course there are numerous possibilities but if I had to pick one I'd say its probably a broken wire inside the rubber conduit at the driver door hinge area. If you don't have one buy a Buick chassis service manual and there will be wiring diagrams for the power windows. If no manual yet, for now go to Team Buick https://www.teambuick.com/index.php  and there you can bring up the 68 manual and PW wiring diagram.

If it hasn't already been done, typically its easiest to "operate" by cutting open the rubber conduit in door hinge area, locate and repair the broken wire, then tape it back up. The wires break from flexing every time the door is opened. Not the prettiest repair but the alternative is a very invasive time consuming process. 

I recall repairing broken wires inside the conduits way back in the 80s so the problem has been around for decades. The insulation gets hard and brittle and no longer flexible. 

Of course before you do this you want to confirm through testing it is in fact a broken wire and not the master switch as Paul mentioned. I personally have never had a master switch fail but they can. If I had a nickel for every broken wire I've replace I could buy a Big Mac 😉

 

 

Edited June 10, 2021 by JZRIV (see edit history)

[KRmanr]

23 hours ago, JZRIV said:

Of course there are numerous possibilities but if I had to pick one I'd say its probably a broken wire inside the rubber conduit at the driver door hinge area. If you don't have one buy a Buick chassis service manual and there will be wiring diagrams for the power windows. If no manual yet, for now go to Team Buick https://www.teambuick.com/index.php

I agree with JZRIV as to a high probability it is a broken wire within the rubber door conduit. 

However, I cannot recommend cutting the rubber conduit. My dad did that to ours in the late '70s to repair our Riv's wires also. Keep in mind the other wires are not far behind.  That said, I highly recommend the door wiring harness be rebuilt / restored with new high quality wiring, at least and especially through the condit bend points. I did this last year replacing dad's and my earlier attempts at patching various sections. I did that because the power seat wiring finally broke.  These wires are extremely brittle today and are not conducive to patching easily. 

If you're rubber conduit is in good shape it is very much worth keeping it whole and not destroying it. 

While there, Visually check the switch contacts at the harness plug-in point for looseness, etc., nonetheless, I seriously doubt any switch is the problem, except possibly at the harness connection point.

Edited June 11, 2021 by KRmanr (see edit history)

[KRmanr]

I colorized this Fisher Body diagram awhile back. Hope it helps.

Edited June 11, 2021 by KRmanr (see edit history)

[Seafoam65]

Agreed........high probability there is a broken wire inside the boot.

[kreed]

Hi all - could it possibly also be a ground from the body to the passenger door. Had similar problem with a 66 recently . Grounded a 14 gauge wire from body to door and worked perfectly then. Just another possibility.

KReed

ROA 14549

[1965rivgs]

11 hours ago, kreed said:

Hi all - could it possibly also be a ground from the body to the passenger door. Had similar problem with a 66 recently . Grounded a 14 gauge wire from body to door and worked perfectly then. Just another possibility.

KReed

ROA 14549

  Good thought Ken, poor ground should always be considered when troubleshooting any door related electrical issues, but in this case because the passenger side window operates properly via the pass side switch it is apparent the door is properly grounded.

Tom

[kreed]

Of course you are right Tom - just didn’t read the initial post carefully enough . Oh well , back to the OR to do something useful ! 😀. I can take your colon or pancreas  out but can’t make a Riviera door switch work - what’s wrong with this picture ? 🤔 

KReec

ROA 14549 

[1965rivgs]

5 hours ago, kreed said:

Of course you are right Tom - just didn’t read the initial post carefully enough . Oh well , back to the OR to do something useful ! 😀. I can take your colon or pancreas  out but can’t make a Riviera door switch work - what’s wrong with this picture ? 🤔 

KReec

ROA 14549 

  Ken, when I decide to have another internal organ removed you'll be my first call !

Tom

[Thatguy427]

Sorry to bring back an old post. KRmanr, you said you rebuilt the wiring harness? What did you do at the window switch itself? My '69 has a plug with a backing plastic welded on to it so you cannot easily get to the connectors. Also, I've been having problems finding the window pin connectors, let alone ones that connect with a 90 degree angle, even if I did remove the back of the connector. Do you have a source for those? I'm thinking about 3D printing the case if I can find the pins. I'm also just thinking about getting a six pin plug and a single pin plug to put between the door and the switch.

Thank you for your help!