hi there... hopefully someone can help me... how do i lower the rear window in my 66 strato chief wagon? the electric motor doesnt work... thanks
beaumontguru said
Oct 20, 2022
As an owner of several wagons, you are in for a grueling task. You will have to climb in , undo all the screws for the inside cover, which can be very hard across the bottom, then reach inside the gate and start unbolting things until you get the motor loosened off, or a bunch of stuff loosened so the glass slips down. It sucks. getting that interior panel off can be difficult, you might not be able to get a screwdriver across the bottom row, so you have to carefully pry it out at the top and reach inside the gate. good l
Unless you get lucky and its just a wiring problem, check all teh connections starting at the dash switch, maybe the motor just lost power or ground.
normffff said
Oct 20, 2022
Beaumontguru! Thank you very much for your quick reply! "Grueling" does not sound like its going any fun at all! But its got to be done. Maybe it wont be as bad as it sounds. I'll let you know. Too bad it wasnt designed as a manual hand crank. Ok well thanks alot.
Prefectca said
Oct 21, 2022
Just be aware that the power motor is under spring tension from the window regulator. Be careful of where your fingers are if you remove the motor. The glass may drop down quickly. If possible you may be able to have someone put their hands against the glass to hold it from dropping, or try and duct tape it to hold it up.
Paul
cdnpont said
Oct 21, 2022
Sounds like you need to try to do everything humanly possible to jumper that motor first.
Here's some images I garnered from the Body manual,
In image 9-18, perhaps if you can get to the sash channels (2) you could unbolt them (2 bolts each) and allow the glass to slide down. Then you can get the gate open to remove the panel completely to troubleshoot.
first of all, thank you Paul for the tips, i dont like pinching my fingers... and thank you CDNPONT for all this technical info! wow! it may be 'grueling' but with all this info and pics i should be able to get fixed... thanks
MC said
Oct 21, 2022
Those body manual scans are extremely valuable! Good stuff, Mark!
I'm hardly an expert on this subject. I've never even owned a Pontiac wagon, but I am lazy. Being lazy means I don't want to do extra work if I don't have to, so I would ask myself a number of questions before I start ripping things apart (I tend to screw things up once I tear into them, so the ideal situation for me would be to diagnose the problem before I get the wrenches out, if possible).
First of all, do you know the history of the wagon rear window operation? i.e. Was it not working when you bought the car, or did it stop working for you one day after making a funny noise or giving off a burning smell, or did it work when you put it into storage, but not work when you took it out?
With electric motors, the first assumption I always make is that there is corrosion at one of the contacts, or there's a bad switch (again, it may be easier to deal with those than to rip the motor out). If you didn't witness some physical/mechanical problem with it (like a noise, the motor slowing down/labouring, smoking, etc.), I always assume the motor is good, and start going after grounds and contacts. Like Mark said, it may be best to bypass all the other stuff and get a jumper directly to the motor, if you are able.
The safety switch piqued my interest, as it looks like something that would take power from the system if it's not satisfied (i.e. closed or open, depending upon how it's set up). A wiring diagram might be handy, if you have access to that sort of thing. If nothing is making any noise anywhere (like no relays clicking, etc), then it might be something to look into.
Anyhow... just trying to be helpful. I'm sure experienced mechanics are chuckling at their keyboards right now, but the above is usually how I go about it, for better or for worse...
Best of luck with it, however you do it!!
cdnpont said
Oct 21, 2022
As far as the safety switch goes Mark, that appears to be the first place to look as it's simply a grounding device. We know how often bad grounds come around. The switch opens when the gate opens preventing window operation.
One thing I do see, if you can get the left hand panel off, the White/DK Green Safety Switch wire (motor ground) should be accessible to shunt to ground from. The motor plug should also (maybe?) be visible. You could pull it and shunt the motor need be.
Good tips here about this window issue. If someone tried to open the tailgate with the window up I wonder if one of the latches my be partially opened causing the safety switch to be open also. Maybe push in on the tailgate to make sure its fully closed. Also if the motor is faulty you could try going for a drive and hold the window switch in the down position. A bit of shaking from a rough road may allow the motor to work if it has sticking brushes or a connection problem. At least if the window goes down enough to open the tailgate it will be a lot easier to diagnose.
I own 3 69 wagons so I've run into this a few times. Without knowing the circumstances of when it stopped working Id proceed in the following order
1 Check both power sources into the circuit (tailgate window motor needs power from BOTH the fused connector and the circuit breaker connection on the fuse block). Problems here would typically be a bad relay, circuit breaker or fuse. both have power with ignition to run or accessory move on to
2 Test for power coming into the dash switch for the window, in accessory or run you should have power coming in on the orange wire, pushing the switch up or down should then power one or the other of the two remaining wires.
3 Not sure about your particular year but you should be able to access the rear body harness in the rear near where it enters the tailgate behind the gas tank or by removing the driver side side panel. If so flex and giggle the wiring harness as close to the tailgate while someone operates the switch.
4 Now you have to remove the inner panel to access the mechanism. It is doable with the gate closed
5 Test power to the window motor, if power to the motor then bypass the safety (ground) switch and try the control switch.
6 If all the above are good than you have a defective motor. Be very careful removing it. Lock window in place with very tightly attached vice grip on a lever arm or cam that prevents movement. Remove motor assembly and replace with new unit. If you have two people you can, after removing motor, press together on window from inside and out, remove vice grip carefully and then lower the window enough to open tailgate making reassembly easier.
Working in the tailgate is a bear and doing so with the gate closed is a bigger bear but not impossible
hi there... hopefully someone can help me... how do i lower the rear window in my 66 strato chief wagon? the electric motor doesnt work... thanks
As an owner of several wagons, you are in for a grueling task. You will have to climb in , undo all the screws for the inside cover, which can be very hard across the bottom, then reach inside the gate and start unbolting things until you get the motor loosened off, or a bunch of stuff loosened so the glass slips down. It sucks. getting that interior panel off can be difficult, you might not be able to get a screwdriver across the bottom row, so you have to carefully pry it out at the top and reach inside the gate. good l
Unless you get lucky and its just a wiring problem, check all teh connections starting at the dash switch, maybe the motor just lost power or ground.
Paul
Sounds like you need to try to do everything humanly possible to jumper that motor first.
Here's some images I garnered from the Body manual,
In image 9-18, perhaps if you can get to the sash channels (2) you could unbolt them (2 bolts each) and allow the glass to slide down. Then you can get the gate open to remove the panel completely to troubleshoot.
Regulator
Those body manual scans are extremely valuable! Good stuff, Mark!
I'm hardly an expert on this subject. I've never even owned a Pontiac wagon, but I am lazy. Being lazy means I don't want to do extra work if I don't have to, so I would ask myself a number of questions before I start ripping things apart (I tend to screw things up once I tear into them, so the ideal situation for me would be to diagnose the problem before I get the wrenches out, if possible).
First of all, do you know the history of the wagon rear window operation? i.e. Was it not working when you bought the car, or did it stop working for you one day after making a funny noise or giving off a burning smell, or did it work when you put it into storage, but not work when you took it out?
With electric motors, the first assumption I always make is that there is corrosion at one of the contacts, or there's a bad switch (again, it may be easier to deal with those than to rip the motor out). If you didn't witness some physical/mechanical problem with it (like a noise, the motor slowing down/labouring, smoking, etc.), I always assume the motor is good, and start going after grounds and contacts. Like Mark said, it may be best to bypass all the other stuff and get a jumper directly to the motor, if you are able.
The safety switch piqued my interest, as it looks like something that would take power from the system if it's not satisfied (i.e. closed or open, depending upon how it's set up). A wiring diagram might be handy, if you have access to that sort of thing. If nothing is making any noise anywhere (like no relays clicking, etc), then it might be something to look into.
Anyhow... just trying to be helpful. I'm sure experienced mechanics are chuckling at their keyboards right now, but the above is usually how I go about it, for better or for worse...
Best of luck with it, however you do it!!
As far as the safety switch goes Mark, that appears to be the first place to look as it's simply a grounding device. We know how often bad grounds come around. The switch opens when the gate opens preventing window operation.
One thing I do see, if you can get the left hand panel off, the White/DK Green Safety Switch wire (motor ground) should be accessible to shunt to ground from. The motor plug should also (maybe?) be visible. You could pull it and shunt the motor need be.
Paul
A little more to help,
I own 3 69 wagons so I've run into this a few times. Without knowing the circumstances of when it stopped working Id proceed in the following order
1 Check both power sources into the circuit (tailgate window motor needs power from BOTH the fused connector and the circuit breaker connection on the fuse block). Problems here would typically be a bad relay, circuit breaker or fuse. both have power with ignition to run or accessory move on to
2 Test for power coming into the dash switch for the window, in accessory or run you should have power coming in on the orange wire, pushing the switch up or down should then power one or the other of the two remaining wires.
3 Not sure about your particular year but you should be able to access the rear body harness in the rear near where it enters the tailgate behind the gas tank or by removing the driver side side panel. If so flex and giggle the wiring harness as close to the tailgate while someone operates the switch.
4 Now you have to remove the inner panel to access the mechanism. It is doable with the gate closed
5 Test power to the window motor, if power to the motor then bypass the safety (ground) switch and try the control switch.
6 If all the above are good than you have a defective motor. Be very careful removing it. Lock window in place with very tightly attached vice grip on a lever arm or cam that prevents movement. Remove motor assembly and replace with new unit. If you have two people you can, after removing motor, press together on window from inside and out, remove vice grip carefully and then lower the window enough to open tailgate making reassembly easier.
Working in the tailgate is a bear and doing so with the gate closed is a bigger bear but not impossible
Excellent John.
I should tell everyone that these scans are from Tom's comprehensive Reference on ChevyTalk. It's truly is a great resource, and I defer to it all the time.