First off, let me just say 'Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU' for all the help everyone's shown me!  You guys are Grrrrrrrrrreat!

I would say the switch, sounds like the same problem I had. Quick fix if it is. Take the side panel off the console and reach in and pull the plug on the switch. I think it's a 5/16" wrench(same as for the battery terminals)that you should be able to reach in and get the screws off.

The switches are really rather crude design, nothing high tech. Clamp the switch in a vise and with a hammer and screwdriver bend up the tangs on the back. Open it up paying close attention to how everything looks. Don't worry if the tangs break off. Take the copper leaves out and lightly polish the burned areas with fine sandpaper. Put it back together(if you put things back 180* off it will work opposite than it's supposed to)and bend the tangs back over with the hammer and screwdriver. You can bend over extra materal along the sides too since you probably broke off some tangs. Hopefully this will solve the problem.

Or you can replace the switch.

I have a similar problem, also on my passenger window.

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Thanks mkapp7879 !

dwright....

Okay...I removed both window switches (driver & passenger).  Both switches work fine on the driver's side...neither work on the passenger side. 

Well, so much for the easy free fix. When I worked on my white79 windows the day after I first brought it home, I kinda remember a result like yours. I did take the one switch apart and clean the contacts first, but when I put it all back together one of the windows still wouldn't work. I switched switches back and forth a couple of times and was about to take a break when everything started working correctly again. Go figure. Still works without a problem two years later.

When you try the switch in the passenger side do you have the switch installed in the driver side? According to the wiring diagram it shouldn't matter, but messing with mine I kinda feel that somehow it affects things.

I would think the drivers side would be the problem as it normally gets more use, but that's just a theory. Maybe the connector in the door to the window motor could be loose.

When you try the switch in the passenger side do you have the switch installed in the driver side? According to the wiring diagram it shouldn't matter, but messing with mine I kinda feel that somehow it affects things.      Nope, I attached each separately.

Sounds like a loose connection or a bad ground.

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Sounds like the winder motor is shot. If it is dimming the lights when you press the switch, that means the juice is getting to the motor...unfortunately, the motor is sending the juice to ground, via the windings on the motor, or the motor is just seized up.
Sometimes, if it is worn brushes in the motor, tapping on it gently(with an 8 pound sledge) while pressing the switch will at least allow it to operate.

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Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
My Link


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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

OK HERE IS AN OLD TIMMERS SECERT

Dominicka,

Hey Folks...

[QUOTE=JSGarner]Do I have to become some sort of contortionist to get to them...[/QUOTE]


Yup...

The motor is next to impossible to get out, without removing the entire regulator assembly. Sorry...
Might want to look into getting a factory service manual. It will give you a step-by-step.

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Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
My Link


(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

Is there a power window relay on an 82 ? 74-4542007-05-10 20:09:29

On the 78-80, and probably on the 82 you can get to the window relay from the driver side with the side panel off the console.There's like a bulkhead forward of the shifter. On the back side(shifter side) is the alarm relay and flasher. The window one is on the front side. But wouldn't that affect both windows?

Maybe the contacts in the connector to the switch are dirty. I know my power locks in the 78SA act up occasionally and I simply nudge the pass side switch and they work again. Earlier I had taken the driver side lock switch out and scraped the contacts. Made a big difference. I need to do that to the pass side some day. I guess I'm not convinced it's the motor. Make sure to let us know what you find.

This is the same problem i'm having with my 79, but it's the drivers window. I'm still tring to narrow the problem down. I changed the switch. I checked the motor. After talking with a couple guys the told me that from opening and closing the doors that the wires get brittle and crack. So i started to check the wiring,but not sure. zag22usmc2007-05-11 08:54:28

If you get a new power window motor from an auto parts store make sure they don't give you the '77 and earlier motor. They are longer and will not bolt up to the bracket and door structure. The '78-'82 motors are slightly shorter in length. I found out the hard way. And they don't come with a new gear. So be sure to save the old one. And as Joel said, they are tough to get out. I did my passenger side one last year without removing the regulator. But it took a lot of pulling and prying to get it done.

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GEN III 5.7L "LS6" Engine swap
TKO500 5 spd.

 had to work on both windows  on my '81 not to long ago.  After trying it both ways,  I found removing the whole regulater (with motor attached)was the easist way to get the thing out.  You mentioned it was slow going up, so was one fo mine.  found out it was a broken spring which also puts more load on the motor and gears.  In my case, I had to replace the regulater gear as well.  Also found that if the regulater is lose at all,  even a little bit,  it can effect the motor ground and stop working.  that was the problem I had on one of my windows.  Just my .02 worth

How does the regulator come out ? ..Straight up, with the window attached?....... Window get detached first ?....... I replaced my motor, adjusted everything, and it still comes up like crap (but it drops like a rock!)

Hey Folks!  Well I lucked out!  It wasn't the motor...wasn't the adapter to the motor...and it wasn't the switch either.  It was the wiring harness that fits onto the switch!  The darned thing just doesn't fit snugly on the prongs of the switch.  Once I put it on, I wasn't realizing that as soon as I let go of it, it was dropping a smidge and not making good connection.  I just happened to find it as I was testing it one time (thinking it was the switch). I held onto to it and it worked.  When I'd let go, it wouldn't.  I fixed it by bending the prongs just a tad so that the harness fit snugly.  Works like a charm.  Whew...what a relief. 

Glad to hear you fixed it on the cheap!

Good job!  Its nice when they are easy fixes like that.   This place is worth every penny, and then some !