Electrical gremlins

[Joe 1320]

The 97 WS6 is starting to get a few gremlins....I wonder how related they are, but here's what has started acting up.

The passenger window sometimes works, other times not. When it stops, it may stop for a day or two then work perfectly fine. It might stop only for a few hours, then work perfect for days. Doesn't matter which door switch is used, doesn't matter if the window is down or up, it seems random. When it works, it will go up and down with no slowing or other motor related problems and it may work for days. The switches are all fairly new.

The other issue is the security light coming on while driving. So far, it appears as though it's only the light, no other fuctions seem disrupted. Both of these just started to manifest themselves. Since I haven't gone as far as pulling things apart or checking schematics, any guesses? My first guess was the body control module. What are it's functions?

[Jeff_in_Atl]

A good while back my security light started coming on randomly while driving. I cleaned the key with no change. I sprayed some Auto Zone carb cleaner in the ignition lock cylinder and it has not come on since.

[Joe 1320]

A good while back my security light started coming on randomly while driving. I cleaned the key with no change. I sprayed some Auto Zone carb cleaner in the ignition lock cylinder and it has not come on since.

Didn't that cause a no start?

[Jeff_in_Atl]

Didn't that cause a no start?

It was already running. Just driving down the road it would come on.

[Trans Am]

is it possible that the wire is broken where the rubber is , when you open the door?

[ConElite]

The 97 WS6 is starting to get a few gremlins....I wonder how related they are, but here's what has started acting up.

The passenger window sometimes works, other times not. When it stops, it may stop for a day or two then work perfectly fine. It might stop only for a few hours, then work perfect for days. Doesn't matter which door switch is used, doesn't matter if the window is down or up, it seems random. When it works, it will go up and down with no slowing or other motor related problems and it may work for days. The switches are all fairly new.

Your Window motor is bad. Your going to have to change it. I have the same Exact thing. It all depends how hot it is. Mine goes down all the way and then to put it up, it goes half way, So I have to Wait like 2 hours and then pull up the window and press the button at the same time. Its a pain but Im broke so. Plus Cali. is starting to heat up so the T-Tops have been coming off every weekend and after a long day at work.

[Joe 1320]

Your Window motor is bad. Your going to have to change it. I have the same Exact thing. It all depends how hot it is. Mine goes down all the way and then to put it up, it goes half way, So I have to Wait like 2 hours and then pull up the window and press the button at the same time. Its a pain but Im broke so. Plus Cali. is starting to heat up so the T-Tops have been coming off every weekend and after a long day at work.

I don't think it is. It wont work whether cool or hot. I've had bad window motorts and they all exhibit the usual symptom...... try to raise or lower and it starts.... then slows down, then stops. Until it cools off, it won't run. Sometimes it will go part way up then stop, it cools and you can continue...........That is not my issue. This one will stop working at any moment, without slowing down first. It may be non functional for 5 hours, it may be non functional for 5 days. When it works, you can raise it an lower it as many times as you wish with no failure. Then randomly, it quits.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

When it does not work, pull the switch out and check it for 12 volts.

(I'd still bet it's the motor)

[Injuneer]

The motor has a thermal strip in it that opens the circuit when the motor pulls excessive amps. The thermal strip deteriorates. I remember a post on another forum where someone had a problem similar to yours and they bypassed the thermal strip and the window worked all the time. But I think the thermal strip is one of the things that may stop the motor if something gets caught in the window (e.g. - someone's head), so bypassing the thermal strip might be sort of unsafe.

[Joe 1320]

The motor has a thermal strip in it that opens the circuit when the motor pulls excessive amps. The thermal strip deteriorates. I remember a post on another forum where someone had a problem similar to yours and they bypassed the thermal strip and the window worked all the time. But I think the thermal strip is one of the things that may stop the motor if something gets caught in the window (e.g. - someone's head), so bypassing the thermal strip might be sort of unsafe.

hmm..... interesting, I'll have to take apart a motor and see what's actually in there. Thanks for the tip.

On a side note, the window didn't work all day and the security light was on all the time. I drove it that way this morning doing several start and stop cycles running a few errands. Then at 5 PM when leaving for home, maybe 5 seconds after it fired up, the security light went out. I decided to try the window and it worked.

[benhart21]

I've got the same issue with the Security light. Randomly comes on while I'm driving, doesn't effect the VATS operation. Rob's site says it's a fault in the lock cylinder circuit. I just can't track down what's causing mine.

"The lock cylinder circuit is continuously monitored. If a fault lasting 1 minute is detected, the SECURITY lamp will light. If the fault then goes away for 1 minute, the lamp will go back off.

If the system detects a fault with the lock cylinder circuit after the engine is already running, the SECURITY lamp will light. The engine will be able to be restarted. This is called “fault enable mode”. (The system saw a good reading from the key at one point during a previous ignition cycle before the failure. So, it considers it a problem and not someone trying to steal the car.) When in fault enable mode, PASSKey protection is disabled until the problem is repaired. Once repaired, the SECURITY lamp will go out about after about 1 minute after the key is turned on."

http://shbox.com/1/pass_key.html