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Maintenance & Repair 350Z up keep and diagnosing/fixing problems

Electrical Issue?

Old Jun 30, 2014 | 11:44 PM
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Default Electrical Issue?

Hey guys so a few days ago I tried rolling my windows down and it wasn't working (Yes the lock wasnt on and both windows werent rolling down from the controls on the driver door), then 5 minutes later they were working. Now for the past 3 days they wont roll down period. All the buttons on the driver door AND passenger door wont work (including locks) and now I noticed when I open the doors and close them the window doesnt move that quarter inch up and down.

Now did both motors really go out at the same time? I think theres something bigger at play here. Advice?
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Old Jul 1, 2014 | 05:12 AM
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I definitely wouldn't check the fuse box.
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Old Jul 1, 2014 | 08:25 AM
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Old Jul 1, 2014 | 08:31 AM
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Both window motors bad at the same time?
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Old Jul 1, 2014 | 08:33 AM
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Been doing any kind of work on the car? Installations? Repairs? Fidgeting around under consoles? Seemingly unrelated things can cause issues......or did this come out of the clear blue?
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Old Jul 1, 2014 | 10:08 PM
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Came out of the clear blue and today they randomly started working. Everything was fine today except the driver side window. It goes up and down normally if I hold the button, but if I push the button all the way down for it to automatically go up and down on its own it will freak a little and go back and forth.
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Old Jul 2, 2014 | 03:11 AM
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do you have a friend that has a Z? if so see if you can test his window switch in your car
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Old Jul 2, 2014 | 08:07 AM
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You've got yourself an electrical gremlin.....maybe an intermittent ground issue. The best first step is to borrow a friend's switch as mentioned above, but since it comes and goes, what you really want to see is if your switch causes that problem on a friend's car over a period of time, that way you could isolate it to that switch and rule out any other combining factors on your end. Would this friend trade switches for a week?

Absent any willing Z friends, you may as well get on to what the dealer is going to do anyway and start replacing switches in a hunt for the fix. Start with the obvious, the main one on the driver's side. Problem is, that switch is about $280 new. You can find used switches starting at $60. Problem with that is, what if you get a bum switch, or a switch that adds yet another facet to the problem?

Are you good with a meter? Are you ready to spend weeks driving around with your door torn open, using jumper wires to bypass the switch? Manually testing each connection and ruling out possibles? All while keeping meticulous notes to study at the end of it all to find out which switch you need to replace.....or worse, that all the switches check out and it's something further down the harness?

Option 1: Find a used switch for $60 and plug it in. If that doesn't fix it, reinstall your old one, sell the one you just bought on ebay as-is for $40 (unless you have a way of guaranteeing against DOA, doubtful) and try the same thing with the other one. Rinse, repeat, until it's fixed.

Option 2: Buy a new switch.....with the understanding that it may not fix the problem. You could end up with $500 worth of new switches and doo-dads to chase this problem down.

Good luck, sir. If you were near Tampa I'd help you out with the troubleshooting.
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Old Jul 2, 2014 | 12:56 PM
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Or I can just enjoy it when it works and use the ac when it doesnt right? :P haha i dont want the door torn apart and I dont wanna blow money. I dont know anyone with a Z in central california but there are many. Maybe I can find one.

Anyone from central california thats willing to help?
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Old Jul 2, 2014 | 01:38 PM
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I think you need a new switch assembly. It kind of sounds like the auto up/down feature is sticking and trying to burn your motors out, which will cause them to shut down for some time.
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