Roll down windows while motor is out of car

[Das Delfin]

hey, I took my motor out to redo some things and decided to also take out the interior and patch some rust. My car is a convertible and I'd like to remove the top and roll the windows down and have tons of room, but I can't get the windows to roll down.

Before I messed with my car everything worked. With the battery on and key in ON, and with the starter motor connected, and with the window circuit breaker in the correct position, I don't have power to the windows. My ABS and brake fluid lights come on with the key in ON. What do I have to do to make it work?

To make it more interested we just took the dash out tonight, so if I have to plug anything back in.. lol

I'm good with wiring, just not sure where tf to start

[noid]

https://www.e30zone.net/e30wiki/index.php?title=C40x

Thats the door plug, reference the electric window pins, unclip the connector and apply 12v from your battery to one pin and ground to the other.

Swapping which pin you apply power to will control whether your window goes up or down.

[e30austin]

Jumper the K5 or K7 unloader relays (can't remember which one is for the windows) and roll your windows up and down as normal. The starter provides ground for them, so without any of that stuff present, they won't work, unless you jump the relay.

[Das Delfin]

^ thanks, I'll try both those things tomorrow

[jeffnhiscars]

some cars have a knockout just above the door pocket so you can manually crank down the windows

[Das Delfin]

I studied the wiring diagram and figured out I need to provide ground for the small black/yellow wire that goes to the starter (and at the other end connects to the ignition switch, unloader relays, and all the lights in my dash that aren't coming on). We had tried merely connecting all 3 wires for the starter (I have an '87 convertible) but the starter is grounded to its case, then through the motor, and out the motor's main ground strap. Cool.

Jeff, I don't want to remove the rear door cards without rolling down the windows, hence this nonsense

[e30austin]

Jump the relay and they will work as normal.

[Das Delfin]

^ ah. I see it now. Thanks!

[KIRIEIW]

some cars have a knockout just above the door pocket so you can manually crank down the windows

Exactly what Jeff said, most do. And the allen key for doing this should be in the tool kit.

[e30austin]

Only the cars with the early style cable regulator have this (before 1/88)

[Das Delfin]

I jumped pins 85 and 86 and it worked! My interior is now completely apart and I can see all the rust holes in my floor. For some reason I was thinking jumping 87 to 85 was the answer and it never occurred to me to read the diagram correctly until I came home from work. Go figure