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Power Windows and Fuse/Relay locations

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133K views 50 replies 39 participants last post by  Kyvonne10  
L
#1 ·
Hello and Good Day:

I have a 1986 bmw 325 4 door. My right side passenger windows do not seem to work. I checked the switches by replacing them with the ones on the left side drivers switch to no uavail. I was wondering if there was another arear in the car where there are relays for the power windows. i checked the fuse box and it has one fuse related to power windows which is fuse 17. I really dont think its the motors i think it maybe a relay but since the car has no manuals i dont know what other fuses are there. I looked at this site for a diagram of the fuse box but i dont understand the bottom half where it says power window ciruit breaker 25a because i dont know where they are and if there is one for the right and one for the left. Pleas help me as I have purchased books and nothing on where these relays or breakers are..........
 
J
#4 ·
I was having the same problem and was going down the road the other day and hit a huge pothole. I pulled over and went to roll down my drivers side window and hit the wrong button and one of my windows began to work. Strange I know. I haven't had time to pull it out and break everything down, maybe next week. If i can figure anything out i will post it. The window hadn't been used for awhile since it was broken and it doesn't slide to well but the motor does work now.
 
T
#6 ·
window fix for e30 series

I too was having this issue with both windows, driver and passenger side windows would go down but would not come back up except when they wanted to, I found a tip on another BMW web site that fixed my problem. Remove one of the switches (mine were in the middle console) making sure you pry them up carefully. ( I did this by gently prying the edges up with an exacto knife, when I got them up to where I could get a screwdriver blade under the edge, I used the exacto knife as a fulcrum and pried them up. Once you get the switche out, you will see several metal contacts, these need to be cleaned with either a contact cleaner or by scraping them to get them bright and shiny again. Once you have them cleaned, re-install the switch, I think you will be as happy as I was that my car now has working electric windows again, good luck.
 
D
#7 ·
window switches......

tanzie said:
I too was having this issue with both windows, driver and passenger side windows would go down but would not come back up except when they wanted to, I found a tip on another BMW web site that fixed my problem. Remove one of the switches (mine were in the middle console) making sure you pry them up carefully. ( I did this by gently prying the edges up with an exacto knife, when I got them up to where I could get a screwdriver blade under the edge, I used the exacto knife as a fulcrum and pried them up. Once you get the switche out, you will see several metal contacts, these need to be cleaned with either a contact cleaner or by scraping them to get them bright and shiny again. Once you have them cleaned, re-install the switch, I think you will be as happy as I was that my car now has working electric windows again, good luck.
Click to expand...
ok i too have taken the switches out r&r'ed them with great results but if one was good with a soldering iron they coould also put a dab of solder on the contacts (if they're pitted)to bring up the contacts some . i was tempted to do this ,but i tested them after cleaning and they worked properly . :thumbup:
 
F
#10 ·
Lion,

There is a big circuit breaker for the windows (this is the 25A one the manual refers to) and it's right above the radio. If you look, there will be a black button that just pushes in and clicks, and if you push it again it will pop out a little and have a red line visible. You don't have to take anything apart, it's right next to the rear defrost button. This breaker tripping will cause all windows to stop working, and yet the power sunroof will continue to work.

Hope that helps.

Farrell
 
G
#13 ·
funny - I pushed 2 window buttons at the same time and then all my windows stopped working. I checked everything, fuses, etc.. read my manual to no avail. Then I found this thread and never even noticed that big black button next to the radio. Pushed it in and everything works fine now... God I love this board
 
B
#15 ·
No power windows

Hello All,

I am having a very similar problem with my 93 325i. When I got this car a week ago, the power windows, and also the sun roof were not working. Pushing the puttons did nothing, no lights diming, no clicking noise or anything. I check the fuse which was fine, and then I found a forum saying that the "comfort relay" may be bad so I replaced that which did fix the sunroof but still no power windows. According to the previous owner, they just all stopped working one day which leaves me to belive its not the motors or switches.

In my 93, do I have some type of breaker that may need to be reset? There is a button just to the right of the strearing wheel that I am not sure what it does but I can see that it has a red line wrapped around it. Is this the breaker? I don't think there is a button anywhere near the radio on this year and model.

Thank you,
Brad
 
M
#16 ·
bchitwood73 said:
Hello All,

I am having a very similar problem with my 93 325i. When I got this car a week ago, the power windows, and also the sun roof were not working. Pushing the puttons did nothing, no lights diming, no clicking noise or anything. I check the fuse which was fine, and then I found a forum saying that the "comfort relay" may be bad so I replaced that which did fix the sunroof but still no power windows. According to the previous owner, they just all stopped working one day which leaves me to belive its not the motors or switches.

In my 93, do I have some type of breaker that may need to be reset? There is a button just to the right of the strearing wheel that I am not sure what it does but I can see that it has a red line wrapped around it. Is this the breaker? I don't think there is a button anywhere near the radio on this year and model.

Thank you,
Brad
Click to expand...
Yes, that button, with the red line around it is the circuit breaker. WHen you can see the line, it means that the breaker has been activated. WHen you push it back in, make sure its all the way in. They are kinda tricky. Also, I notice that when the weather is very cold, my passenger side window sticks a little. I just give it a soft pop, and it works just fine. Note: you can tell in everything is ok at night if when you hit the window switch, and your lights dim. That means it is gettting power, but may be stuck with dirt or ice. GOod luck...
 
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M
#18 ·
bchitwood73 said:
Yup, that silly little breaker switch was the problem. So after replacing the confort relay and resetting the breaker my windows work now.

Thank you for the reply, now if I can only figure out how to reset the computer so it stops telling me that I have a tail light out and my washer fluid is low.
Click to expand...
:thumbup: Glad to see you got it worked out...great feeling huh? Good luck with the computer thing. All I can say is try disconnecting the NEG battery cable for a couple minutes. If you have a real problem, it will resurface.
 
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W
#19 ·
i have a 1989 325i and none of the windows or sunroof open or close i tried the circuit breaker next to the window switches and nothing. i would like to put in a new comfort relay but have no idea where it is, i do know it is under the driver side dash but nothing more. can someone explain to me where it is and what it looks like. also where i can buy one? thank you
 
B
#22 ·
Window Circuit Breaker

I read through this thread with interest. I was putting all four windows up at once (duh) on my 87 325ic, and they stopped 3/4 the way up. Read through the thread, ran out in the parkinglot, and pushed the button! Nothing. I messed around with it for quite a while to no avail. Looked them up online, and replcaement breakers are around $75-$100!

So I carefully pried the breaker out of the dash to find....It's not hooked up! A previous owner had bypassed the breaker, and plugged a standard bayonet mount 30amp fuse into the harness. I replaced the fuse, and the windows now work.

Now that's MY kind of engioneering.:thumbup:

I suppose I should replace the breaker one of these days. And I definately will NOT mash down all four window buttons again!
 
B
#25 ·
Electric windows comfort relay location

If all your windows die at once here is how I would debug:

1) Check circuit breaker. On my '92 325i it is low on the dash to the right of the steering column. Press it in and see if it pops out taller, or stays in shorter. If it pops out taller then press it again so it stays in. Test to see if windows work.

2) If #1 doesn't solve it, check fuses in the fuse box under the hood. Replace any bad ones and retest.

3) If no luck with #1,2, try the electric locks. If they work then the comfort ECM is at least partially working, as I believe the comfort ECM handles both locking and windows. If locks don't work either, well, hopefully another poster has addressed this.

4) If no luck so far then you need to break out the volt meter. Carefully pry the breaker out of the dash. Use your volt meter to test both wires attached to the breaker (black wire to a good ground, red wire to the breaker connection, press window button, then same for other breaker connection). If no voltage found on either wire than the relay becomes the most likely prospect.

5) The relay can be found under the dash near the steering column, in an auxiliary relay block held in by plastic clips. I had to remove the lower interior panel and also the knee bolster to gain access (both easily removed). Un-clip the relay block and lower it so you can see what you are doing. The relay block is square at one end and triangular at the other. The comfort relay is at the triangular end. On my car it was blue. On my car I ordered a new one, and when I installed it it worked.

On my '92 325i the comfort relay was part number 61.35-8 353 000. An updated version (for which I do not have the part number) is now used, and the dealer was able to get the new part number based on the old and order it through his system.

Note that the dealer I used (in Decatur, GA) was NOT able to order me the relay based on the description alone ("comfort relay for '92 325i") !!! His system did not contain the relay descriptions, only the part numbers and pin-out diagrams! What a way to run a business! (I assume BMW's issue, not the dealer).

Hope this is helpful. Good luck with your windows.
 
N
#27 ·
i have a bmw 318i 1991 e36 i was using y windows the night before than the next morning i woke up and all four of them weren't working well still aren't two rear and the passenger and drivers side i check the fuse box but it says nothing about electric windows so im wondering is there a fuse for the windows? and if so where!!
 
K
#32 ·
kjay18 said:
i have a 94 320i coupe and the windows wont move. the light and engine dim when i try to put them down and the motor clicks but i get nothing from the windows. they dont budge. i get the fuses but i dont see the problem.
Click to expand...
I am not a DIY but when I had work done I noticed that if its the fuses all windows won't work. If its the motor you hear clicks or no sounds. If it was the window regulator then your window would fall down.

With my BMW 325iX 89 my windows would sporadically work on and off. Then one day the right front passenger went out when the window was halfway down. It turns out that the motor was out. Once replaced the window worked perfectly fine. However now I believe all my rear windows motors went bad so I have to find motors for each window now.
 
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#33 ·
Don't forget to lube the channels with WD40 or similar. You can hear the lighter load on the window motors and see the glass moving faster. Gotta love WD40.
 
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