Blown Fuses

[Parenn911]

I was driving to work today and when I would press the window switch to roll the windows down , it would go down a little then stop, rather than going straight down like it is supposed to. So I kept playing with the switch, wiggling it thinking that one of the wire connections to the switch had came loose. At this point it is only my driver's side that won't go up or down, so I went to work and left my 911 parked with the window almost completely open. I went to my car for my lunch break and strangely none of my windows worked. So I took my 911 home and left it in the garage and took the Jeep for the rest of work(I didn't want anyone jacking my cd unit). After work I took my door panel off and I checked out the electrical connection to the switches. They were all intact so I went to the fuse box, check the connections, and I see that the metal strip has a tear in it. So now I know what a blown fuse looks like. It turns out that was what the reason my fog lights weren't working either. I am going to change both of the fuses#1, #25 in the fuse box. So my question is: does it matter about the color of the fuses? I have some fuses with the white and blue plastic, lying around. I noticed in my SC, there are some fuses have red plastic. Is there any difference? Also, does anyone know what may have caused my fuses to blow(old age)?

[APKhaos]

Firstly, you don't need to pull the door panel to remove the switches. Gently lever up the plastic surround of the switch and it will pop out. Can then draw the switch and its harness out far enough to R&R the connectors. Be very careful to tag the wires or [better] draw yourself a diagram. The drivers side and passenger side switches [both in drivers door] are NOT wired alike - one is the reverse of the other.

Fuses. Don't trust the colors. Many after market fuses use different colors for a given amp rating.
1. Inside the cover of the fuse box you will find a list of the fuse numbers, their amp rating, and what they control. Always use the amp rating specified for fuse.
2. Look carefully at the body of the blown fuse - the amp rating is usually moulded onto the body material. 8, 16, etc.
3. Check that the amp rating of the blown fuse matches the correct rating, and replace with a new fuse of the correct rating.

You can buy a selection of these fuses at Advance Auto/Pep Boys/ Fairfax Auto Parts etc. Some even come with a trick little installer thingie.

From your description, your window motor could be stalling and causing the fuse to blow. When the switches fail [they do] the windows don't move. First thing to check is that the window glass and regulator are moving freely - the motor will give out if the loads get too high. It could be as simple as a badly worn channel felt. These are easy to replace. It could be as bad as a rusted-out regulator or frame guides. Once you get the window glass moving up and down freely, the motor should be fine.

[Parenn911]

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction Tony. I know I didn't need to take my door panel off, but last week when I replaced the switch I had a real tough time getting the wires to plug into the switch since they are so short. So I took the panel off to be able to reach in there a little better. I went to Advance auto parts, bought some new fuses, some red ones-amp 16, and I had a blue one- amp rating 25 lying around for the power windows. The wierd thing is that after replacing both fuses I reconnected the battery cable and started the power back up, the switches worked for the passenger side, but would't work for the drivers side. Next I turned on my fog lights to check if they worked, and immediately it blew the fuse for the fog lights again. So, for the drivers side window it isn't the fuse, what could be causing it not to work? Could it be the switch itself? Why the heck does my fog light fuse keep blowing? Thanks Vu and Bill for helping me diagnose my problem.

[APKhaos]

It could easily be the drivers window switch - its the one that gets the most cycles. CAREFULLY swap the two switches over on the driver's door. If the fault moves with the switch, you have your answer. You can still operate the pass side window from the passenger door switch. A new switch is around $20 at dealer prices.

The fog light circuit has a fault to ground. I'd check the wiring and connections at the lights themselves first, and work back towards the relay. My first guess would be a connector slipped off the back of a lamo and is touching ground. That's the easy fix. It gets progressively trickier as you move back toward the relay.

[87turbolook911]

Pari,

Check to see if you have corrosion at the connectors on your fog lights. Often times these corrode and cause resistance (heat) and will cause a fuse to blow as well.

[Parenn911]

Thanks for the help guys, it turns out it was my drivers side window switch that was broken. I ordered a new one from pelican parts today. Now all I need to do is troubleshoot those pesky fog lights.