Replaced my top coolant hose and now both windows don't work!

[Nuclearbacon]

Haha, it's true!! I had a leaky coolant hose, I replaced it, went to roll the windows down, no go. I've read this evening fuse 11 is for the windows (I'll check first thing in the morning) but... what happened I wonder? (And no I don't believe they're related, but how funny right?). The windows have been perfect until today, I also have updated relays and new window regulators on both doors. Switches are OEM. I don't think it's the switches because for them both to stop exactly the same time? Hmm..

Ideas?

[WelmoedJ]

Haha, it's true!! I had a leaky coolant hose, I replaced it, went to roll the windows down, no go. I've read this evening fuse 11 is for the windows (I'll check first thing in the morning) but... what happened I wonder? (And no I don't believe they're related, but how funny right?). The windows have been perfect until today, I also have updated relays and new window regulators on both doors. Switches are OEM. I don't think it's the switches because for them both to stop exactly the same time? Hmm..

Ideas?

Some....
Fuses, connector pins pushed away (so no contact), sockets not connected (duh....) :)
Use the wiring diagram or fuse box info to find out which other devices use the same fuse and test if those are still working (or not).
May give you a clue.

[Nuclearbacon]

Totally Blew the fuse... but why... wow this thing looks 30 years old. maybe that's why

[WelmoedJ]

Totally Blew the fuse... but why... wow this thing looks 30 years old. maybe that's why

Sometimes a fuse blows due to age, more often due to something shorted.
If you lean heavily on the center console arm rest, it may be pushed down enough to get some wiring in trouble.
I had a fuse blown merely by pushing down which made the cigarette lighter short between the light's power and ground.
You also could have one of the switches shorted that way.

Check it out.

[Nuclearbacon]

Exactly what I thought. I've worked on a number of cars, old and new and (the ones that had fuses) rarely blew because of age, they blew because that's their job, to prevent my beautiful car from catching fire when the PO cut two wires and left them completely un-taped or protected from electrical anomalies.

When I replaced the burnt out 30a fuse, It popped with a tiny hint of electrical smoke coming from under my gearshift plate. I remembered seeing two wires under there when I was in there last (replacing my AC panel decal from DMCC) but not thinking too much of it, but also noting it, I sealed the plate back up, and had a week of normal operation until last night, when I went to roll my windows down. Today when I took the plate off, there were the two wires, resting against the metal of the gearshift plate:

http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd329/nuclearbacon2008/photo.jpg (http://s528.photobucket.com/user/nuclearbacon2008/media/photo.jpg.html)

What are these two wires? Why did the PO cut them? Whats happening?!?! haha. My windows work now. I taped the two wires up, OSHA standard ;)

Odd yes?

[Jonathan]

Hey Luigi,

I have an automatic, but on my car those two wires are powering the light bulb that slips into the PRND21 slot to light it up. I don't think manuals have that same lighting, but I've never taken off a shift boot on one of those cars to see if the wires are still under there. You would have thought that 12V wire wouldn't be powered in a manual, but we know the folks in Northern Ireland didn't do everything that made sense all the time.

(Neat name btw, where does the nuclearbacon thing come from? I ask because I have worked in nuclear here in Canada... Canadian Bacon? CANDU? hehe)

19611

[Nuclearbacon]

It IS the gear selector lamp! How strange! I see Fuse 11 = Radio clock, Gear selector lamp, A/C Panel Lamps and Power Windows.

Gotta love the gear selector lamp in my manual car!!!



(Neat name btw, where does the nuclearbacon thing come from? I ask because I have worked in nuclear here in Canada... Canadian Bacon? CANDU? hehe)
19611

So back in the day, my major in school was Nuclear Engineering, but Ive always been interested in it. and I love bacon. I got my email address ([email protected]) and away we go! its always stuck. and I'm a weirdo. That helps.