Power Window Relay
 

Is there a direct aftermarket replacement for this? 1976-81 only...It's really holding me up and I am hesitant to buy a used one. Thanks in advance!

Where is that located? I dont recall seeing that in my car. I dont know much about the electric but I did install aftermarket relays to my power windows. I also put in new motors. The after market relay trick worked pretty good and is fairly easy to install.

Its is actually screwed to the bulkhead at the steering column - behind instrument panel

Thanks, that explains things a bit better. Can you swap that out with an aftermarket relay? Now that I think about it I am pretty sure that's what the setup I put in does. Only I located mine under the console. Power wire goes from source to relay to switches. There is a really good tutorial in Trans am country.

Thanks but no time for that, just need to swap in relay in original location and get this car on the road NOW.

No problem, I was just thinking that if you were having trouble locating a direct replacement that there may be an acceptable alternative that is readily available.

To show part number only:

https://www.picclickimg.com/d/l400/p...ay-1721119.jpg

Per Partsvoice.com:
Craig Motors -Napa Gm NAPA, CA 94559
(707) 224-8111

That "relay" only makes it so you have to turn the ignition key on for the windows to work. It's not needed. So you can remove it, or leave it and bypass it. Doesn't matter.

The photo below shows the black connector that was plugged onto the relay. The pink wire is the wire that goes to the power window switch. The orange wire is the wire that goes to the 30 amp fuse on the upper left side of the fuse panel. The pink/black stripe wire goes to the ignition switch and is not needed anymore.

There are a several easy ways you could wire it. In my picture, I made a jumper wire to connect the pink wire to the orange wire in the plug. That's the jumper wire covered with electrical tape. Or I could have cut the orange wire and the pink wire and connected them directly together either by splicing or using crimp-on insulated male and female terminals. Or cut the pink wire and extend it straight to the fuse panel and plug it in where the orange wire is plugged on the fuse panel. They all work...just your preference. So, that's the easy way to get your windows working quickly.

This way the windows will work anytime, without having to turn the ignition key on. That's the way power windows used to work in earlier years anyway.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c630ecc0_c.jpg001 by grand73am, on Flickr

Thank You CanAmman and Grand73Am !!!!

You're welcome :) .

So just pluck these two wires (pink and orange) out of the back of the plug in the harness that goes to the relay and join them and I'm good to go yes?

Yes, that's right. You could cut and strip the ends and twist them together, and they try your windows for a quick check. Don't short them out on dash metal while doing this of course. Remember that the 30 amp fuse in the upper left of the fuse panel has to be good too.

Also, the orange one should be hot all the time, so if you test it with a test light and it's hot, the fuse is good.

Here you can see where the orange wire plugs onto the fuse panel, upper left:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ab345978_c.jpgGOLD 2 by grand73am, on Flickr

I NOTICE you don't have a circuit breaker?

No, mine don't have circuit breakers. I have 2 79's with pw, and they have fuses. I have seen some other years that have a circuit breaker. Not sure what years. Either way works of course.

If you still want to keep the relay I've been able to clean and lubricate the moving part to make it work. I doubt if the relay coil windings are bad. The movement just gets bound up with age. I cleaned and lubed mine 25 years ago and haven't touched it since.

Warren

thanks Warren, the soldered ground broke off and fell out...its a bit of a mess

You can probably use a small micro screw driver pop the Packard terminal out of the plug-put a single plastic plug on it and then get a matching terminal added to the other one.