A chalange (?) for BBrown

htfx19

htfx19

Herzel Frenkel
Hi Bob, this I believe is up your isle.
How can I up the voltage supply to my electric windows and the wipers.
I realize some mods of the electrics on the car can improve these functions (BWM and relays) but I suspect increasing the volts there may be a better solution.
What would you say?
Thanks
 
This is a really good question ...and timely, too. I've never been happy with the "manual assist" power windows on any of my Exxes. If there is any way to make them be a bit less embarrasing, I'd love to know.

John O.
 
First off, what is the voltage at the window motor when it's running? voltage at the battery when the window motor is running? From these measurements we can see what the voltage drop is and how much improvement there can be.

If the voltage is the roughly the same on the motor as the battery, the problem is the motor or mechanism itself. If the motor voltage is lower than the battery there are improvements to be made. As with any electrical demand, feed it with a proper size wire from the battery with a relay and switch the relay with the existing feed wires. I would need to see the schematic to go beyond that.

Brian
 
A few ideas...

...no I'm not Bob. :innocent:

But I can explain a little how the stock system works. Both of these systems use power supplied through the ignition switch. So, the famed Brown Wire Mod to supply more power to the ignition switch can help.

Better though is to use relays to supply power to the systems, bypassing the delicate and old ignition switch.

The window power goes through and is switched by the console switch. The motors run forward or backward depending on switch position. So you can imagine there is a fair amount of resistance in the system; 2 switches, long wire runs.

Step one would be to create the best stock system you can with good battery and charging system, clean and tight connections, and lubricated motor and window channels. The stock system can work well if everything is in tip top shape.

Step two would be to install relays in the system. The windows would need 2 relays for each side in a simple system.

Wiper relays have been discussed recently:
http://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?posts/74789/
 
Last edited by a moderator:
This has been discussed in past,

More on the original XWeb site than on here.

Herzel, since you've asked...

First thing is to make sure your electrical system is up to par.
Insure your ground wire from the battery is good and insure you have
a beefed up +12V line going
to the distribution point in your car. (in other words, run that 10Ga wire in parallel with the 10Ga
wire that runs from your battery to your fuse box tie point)

The window switches are powered from your fuse box, so the above is important.

Next, be sure your window switches are clean on the inside. Dirty contacts here will cause issues.

Then be sure your windows run up/down the tracks smoothly. I use silicone spray lubricant inside
the window runners (both front and back side and down into the door as far as I can reach) and insure
the glass has a smooth transition physically.

This is all I personally had to do and my windows go up/down fine.

There are 2 other things you can do if you still don't have the desired results. One being lubricate the
window motors. This is not easy to do because it requires door and window (motor) dis-assembly. :mallet:

The second thing is to add relays. I see Greg mentions 2 relays and he is correct, BUT they must be
SPDT relays. (single pole, double throw)
They must be wired in a way that (when activated in 1 direction) will present the voltage to the motor
as "+" and "-", and when activated in the other direction present the voltage
as "-" and "+". (just the opposite) If you need help with that little circuit, just let me know.

Good luck, and let me know your thoughts.
 
Hi, this is "BOB" speaking...

HA!

Seriously... as Bob said... My experience with these motors was very POSITIVE and I took a SEIZED motor, freed it, lubed it, and cleaned the switch contacts and WHAAAA-LA! Worked great and fast and with no manual assist.

BUT... to answer your SPECIFIC question... The only way to ADD more voltage is to ADD another battery!

Find a spot to add another 6 or 12 volt battery and wire it in SERIES with the existing one. Use a hefty porcelain resister or half-tap resister or variable resister to determine just how much additional power ya want to supply to the window motors and go for it.

You'll need to also devise an isolated circuit to recharge this battery also.

For all the trouble, expense and effort though... cleaning up the motor and switches along with the track and cables should be all you really need.
 
Thanks guys

I got it. I'll have to attend to all these little but not so simple tasks.
So I will.
 
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