Electrical problems concerning washer pump and window lowering

[slamtry]

I have a 1995 E36 "vert that I only drive about once or twice every couple of weeks. A month back I replaced the pump for the windshield washer. I don't know if it is connected but this last few days, when I go down and try to start the car the battery is dead. I have charged it overnight three times since then and it always starts fine the next day but if I go down the next day the battery is dead again. Something new occurred yesterday. When I closed both doors, neither of the windows would lower the inch or two they normally do automatically to allow the doors to close without interference.

I have no idea what is up and would appreciate any help available. I did check out the fuse when I first replaced the washer pump, but it was fine and I replaced it securely. (I will check again today). Could I have somehow, while replacing the pump, created some sort of permanent power draw in its circuit? And what could make the windows suddenly not lower when the doors are closed? I did check and both doors are doing it so it appears to be a general thing. I wondered if the battery was just dead but surely while the car is running the system ought to have enough power to lower the windows an inch.


Thanks for any help,


Dan

[JDStrickland]

You are describing a dead battery that is at the root of the window issues. If the battery is flat, the windows will not go down as you open the doors. Replacing the washer pump is only a coincidence. You have a battery that has gone flat.

And, the windows do not lower when the doors are closed, they raise. They lower when the door is opened. If the windows are full up, they will drop when the door is opened so that the glass can clear the weather strip. Then, when the door is closed, the window goes back up to seal into the weather strip. When the battery goes dead, the windows can get lost and not know if they are full up or not, and they might not move if they are confused.

[slamtry]

But if the battery is charged enough to start the car and then with the car running the windows won't go down, does not that suggest it is something else as well as the battery?

[JDStrickland]

Okay, back up the truck....

The windows drop from Full UP when the doors are opened. Then, when the doors close again, the windows go by the amount that they went down. Going down lets the glass clear the weather strip, going back up lets the windows seal.

If the battery has gone flat and the windows don't know where Full UP is, they will not go up when the door is closed, and they may not go down when the door is opened. With the engine on, put the windows Full Down, then CAREFULLY hold the window switch before the detent position so that the window goes up ALL OF THE WAY WITH OUT STOPPING using the manual mode. This should teach the window how far it has to ge to get to Full UP. The window does not care about going down, but during Auto UP, the procedure I gave you will tell the window where the top is and if a kid gets trapped in the window then the window will go down so that the kid can get out. The car (window) needs to know where the top is, else nothing you do is a reliable test of doing something wrong.

Start the car, then while the car is running set the Full UP position, then test the doors to see if the windows drop and raise when the doors open and close.

If the windows do not go to the Full UP position, then you need to start looking at the Door Latch Switch. The Door Latch Switch physically lives inside of the door latch, and when the latch closes around the striker post, then the car knows that the door is closed and the window goes up. A test of the Door Latch Switch is that with the door open, use a suitable tool to mimic the striker post to close the latch, THEN use another tool to push the latch mechanism further so that it moves past where it thinks it is securely fastened on the striker. When you move the latch past where it stops when it's on the striker post, this will let the window go up that last 1/2 inch (whatever). If the Door Closed Switch is not telling the door that it is fully closed,then the dome lights will remain on and the window will not go up all of the way.

To test the door latch, use a nutdriver or similar diameter of the door post and close the door on your tool so you mimic the latch on the door post. NOW, the door is physically open, but it thinks it is closed and the window should work as you want it to. Use a small screwdriver to "overtravel" the latch and see if the window operation changes. Also, the Dome Lights can be OFF, ON, or AUTO. Set the dome light switch to Auto, so the dome lights go off when the door is actually closed as defined by the status of the Door Closed Switch.