Dead electric window on Passat

christi

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 22, 1999
Location
Ruislip, Middlesex, UK
TDI
Peugeot 806, 607
One of the rear electric windows has stopped working on the Passat.

This is a window that hardly gets used. Maybe it hasn't been wound down for six months.

I have noticed that the other three windows, if they are already fully closed, and one presses the "up" switch, that a clicking can be heard in the relevant door; is this some sort of limit switch ? No such clicking comes from the dead window.

I know that it isn't the switch, as I there are three different ways to open the window (switch on door, switch on dashboard, hold key in lock at "unlock").

Also the switch illuminates when the switch on the dashboard is set to allow rear switch operation, which kind of suggests that power is getting through.

Any ideas ?

------------------
SuperChipped 96 Passat TDI wagon
See my Peugeot / Passat site
 

justme

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2000
Location
Hanover, NH
Don't know about yours, but we've got a dead rear window in our '96 passat too. Our mechanic said it's unbelievably expensive to fix these and if we can possibly live with it we should. So far we have.
 

sfierz

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2001
Location
Rockford, Illinois
TDI
1996 Tornado Red Passat
Redtdi96 has a point. Assume the simplest problem first. The driver's side window in my '84 Audi stopped working and I traced the problem to a broken wire in the rubber tube that protects the door wiring. Quick solder job, whammo!! Fixed!--Steve
 

macguyver

Active member
Joined
Feb 7, 2001
Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by christi:
[B

I have noticed that the other three windows, if they are already fully closed, and one presses the "up" switch, that a clicking can be heard in the relevant door; is this some sort of limit switch ? No such clicking comes from the dead window.


Any ideas ?

[/B]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I too started to hear some "clicking" sound once the window was in the most up position on my 96 Passat. It turned out to be the pinion gear skipping over worn out rack teeth. Now the window won't even open. I will take out the rack and weld the missing teeth back on once the weather starts to co-operate here. Will let you know the scope of the job once I do it.
 

redtdi96

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 11, 1999
Location
bridgewater, new jersey,08807
Yes there is a large boot that you may need to cut ??? to see the wires.

Once the wires are internal to the door they should be fine, including connectors.

I spent a 1/2 day drawing a schematic from the bentley and decided that these windows are so complicated that they must of had too much beer.

The other probem is in the controller, a little black box once tou remove the complete
assembly (real easy a couple of 10 mm bolts).

1) there is a relay in the controller box that get so hot that it melts the solder on the PCB.
I have to re-solder this, you get into the controller with a hot knift to cut the plastic box.

2) also the little motor, the armature gets crudded up from lack of use.

I took pix of this stuff will try to post
 

christi

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 22, 1999
Location
Ruislip, Middlesex, UK
TDI
Peugeot 806, 607
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by redtdi96:
Yes there is a large boot that you may need to cut ??? to see the wires.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I wonder about this boot, that runs between pillar and door, is there an easy way to disconnect it from the pillar? It has a sort of knurled plastic ring at where is joins the pillar, but I don't know how to seperate it from the pillar.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by redtdi96:
The other probem is in the controller, a little black box once tou remove the complete
assembly (real easy a couple of 10 mm bolts).

1) there is a relay in the controller box that get so hot that it melts the solder on the PCB.
I have to re-solder this, you get into the controller with a hot knift to cut the plastic box.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Where is this box. Is there one inside all four doors?

I was also thinking that the motor armature could be crudded up from sheer lack of use. I don't see how the least used motor would be the first to wear out...



------------------
SuperChipped 96 Passat TDI wagon
See my Peugeot / Passat site
 

CoolWhiteDude

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2000
Location
Elburn,Il,USA
TDI
Jetta GL, 1999, Cool White
The motor is probably seized due to lack of use. It also could have fried the relay in the control box under the rear seat. Wiring in door jamb is probably ok because the rear doors don't get opened as much as the front. These windows are expensive to fix!! Good luck.
 

redtdi96

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 11, 1999
Location
bridgewater, new jersey,08807
The relay in the controller is in the door. Each door has it's own controller, I don't know what relay is under seat. I completely disseembled my PASSAT: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Atlantis/6157/passat/Passat.htm

And there was no controller under seat... maybe ABS controller.


But the relay you speak of is in the door controller and DOES over heat to the point of unsoldering itself.


On the BOOT, I just don't remember. I think I needed to cut boot to see wires. If you use an OHM meter you could check continuity in the "big fat wires" that for some reason break easily compared to the skinny ones.
 

christi

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 22, 1999
Location
Ruislip, Middlesex, UK
TDI
Peugeot 806, 607
It was THE WIRES


There was a thick brown wire, the earth I guess that was cut as neatly as if someone have done it with cutters.

Also one of the other wires had cracked insulation and a couple of the copper strands had gone.

It seams that the insulation cracks first, and then because the wire is mechanically weaker at that point if takes all the bending there, and the copper strands soon fail too.

The rubber boot does not need to be cut.

All you need to do is pull the rubber boot away from the pillar, and it just pulls off of the plastic insert in the pillar.

You do this by pinching the actual rubber in your fingers and just pull it back. You don't need to touch the plastic fitting that goes into the pillar.

I soldered up the wires, and pushed the rubber back over the plastic insert.

Voila, the window works again!


Wierd how the drivers door is used like 20 times more often and no cracked wires there.

The only thing is that the wires are much, much longer on the front doors, so maybe they can bend more easily.

Thanks guys!

------------------
SuperChipped 96 Passat TDI wagon
See my Peugeot / Passat site

[This message has been edited by christi (edited March 19, 2001).]
 

justme

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2000
Location
Hanover, NH
I just looked at mine, and I've got a broken brown wire as well! Yippee! I can fix it!

This is a good thing, as yesterday I noticed when washing the car that the broken window is almost-but not quite completely- closed. Water gets in the car.

Thanks for the helpful posts everyone!
 

banzai

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2000
Location
East Overshoe, ME
TDI
NB TDI
1) How much would the Mechanic have charged to take the door apart to find the easily accessable broken wire.

2) I almost posted a few days ago to take the door apart yourself- That is what I usually do- take everything apart to find out the problem is on the outside!!!

3) I always suggest people CHECK FUSES FIRST!

A little self-troubleshooting goes a long ($$$$US) long ($$$CAN) way (I dont have a pound symbolUK)
 

justme

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2000
Location
Hanover, NH
Not only did I have to solder the obviously broken wire, but I had to cut and solder one of the wires with cracked insulation -- which seemed to be together, wire-wise. As I was working on it and checking it, it sometimes worked going down, but not up. Fixing it all the way suddenly became a big priority!

Thanks for the posts!
 
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