https://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/t...rwindows.shtml
https://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/tech/dimmer.shtml


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Shane McConnell
macgyver@nethirdgen.org [*]Owner of a 1991 Camaro RS, 305 5-speed.[*]Owner of a 1979 Camaro Z28, 350/350.
<li>Webmaster of www.NEThirdgen.org

 

In the power window tech article under the slow window operation diagnosis, you mentioned window motors drawing excessive current and then tripping the internal circuit breaker. Actually, they are not "circuit breakers" per se, but "resettable fuses". The difference is a circuit breaker will remove all voltage/current when tripped, where a resettable fuse will gradually remove current/voltage and still allow some voltage/current to be passed (albeit a lot less). The hotter they get (frequent use or high amperage such as when the window has reached its limit), the more resistance they produce, and thus less voltage/amperage.

If you want to see these resettable fuses work, operate the window up/down until you note that they start to move slower, and then stop moving alltogether (5-10 times).
Waiting for them to cool down a couple mintues will restore proper operation.

The reason is to protect the motors when the window has reached its upper or lower limit, so the motor will not burn out if power is still being applied. They are also in power door locks.

As the tech article stated, the motor could be the cause of overheating these resettable fuses, but it could also be due to high resistance to raise or lower the window (dirt, mis-aligned, etc.), which would cause the motor to draw more current. FYI, the motors draw about 8 amperes when moving, or about 18 amperes when stationary (window at its limit).

Nevertheless, your articles are informative and accurate.

 

Thanks for the info man!

I'll have to update it when I get a chance