What's the Deal with E36 vs E30 window switches?

[Cletonius]

I would be interested too. It's a pain having to roll up windows and shift at the same time.

[slammin.e28]

You can get an auto roll down unit from placed like JCWhitney or JEGS IIRC.

[IronJoe]

I'd love one-touch windows.

[Cabriolet]

im interested!

+1

[EN318isPDX]

Going from stock e30 switches to e36 switches is an amazing upgrade, it requires too much force to operate the stock switches, the e36 ones click like a mouse button

Highly recommend it for any DD

[StereoInstaller1]

You may be able to retrofit the e36 window control module. I'll check into that.

The E36 general module has the window controls in it. I have 3 or 4 of them. The issue is that they plug into a circuit board.

The "green base" switches like I have are nice, but bizarre. 4 small wires, LED instead of light bulb. 2nd click is distinct, or it is broken.

The wires are: +12V for lighting, ground, and 2 output wires, 1 each for up/down. The wires put out a ground, as is no surprise.

The issue is the typical weirdness that BMW comes up with. When you press on the first click either up or down has output, but when you click the second click, the 2nd output wire puts out a ground too.

So: check this: 1 clcik, 1 wire live. 2nd click and BOTH are live.

How the hell you gonna deal with that? The E36 module looks like a bitch to do!

I currently have those switches in my car, using 4 relays. I have done several other cars too. They work great. I also have a Scytek "Window Module" in mine, that rolls up (or down, but both windows, not separate) the windows when the alarm tells it to. I can have them roll up on "arm" or when I push a button. The same button can be mounted in the dash to do all windows up or down (I use the same E36 switch).

Also, when it hits 100 degrees in my car, the windows open just a bit, like 1 1/2".

Luke

[EN318isPDX]

So cool!! I am jealous! I WANT! LOL will have to wait for another year

[Adrian_Visser]

Luke that is pimp! I want. So with the relay setup the one touch buttons still don't work?
How does the module know when the window is fully up? I just noticed yesterday as I was idling and held the button down after the window was all the way up that the stock buttons don't have any current cutout at least mine do not.

[nando]

The E36 general module has the window controls in it. I have 3 or 4 of them. The issue is that they plug into a circuit board.

The "green base" switches like I have are nice, but bizarre. 4 small wires, LED instead of light bulb. 2nd click is distinct, or it is broken.

The wires are: +12V for lighting, ground, and 2 output wires, 1 each for up/down. The wires put out a ground, as is no surprise.

The issue is the typical weirdness that BMW comes up with. When you press on the first click either up or down has output, but when you click the second click, the 2nd output wire puts out a ground too.

So: check this: 1 clcik, 1 wire live. 2nd click and BOTH are live.

How the hell you gonna deal with that? The E36 module looks like a bitch to do!

I currently have those switches in my car, using 4 relays. I have done several other cars too. They work great. I also have a Scytek "Window Module" in mine, that rolls up (or down, but both windows, not separate) the windows when the alarm tells it to. I can have them roll up on "arm" or when I push a button. The same button can be mounted in the dash to do all windows up or down (I use the same E36 switch).

Also, when it hits 100 degrees in my car, the windows open just a bit, like 1 1/2".

Luke

depends on the year - early E36 (92-95) have it built into the motor, on the drivers' window only. Late cars are much more complicated with 4-window one touch. I'd like to eventually get ahold of an early E36 window motor and see if it's possible to copy the circuit over to the E30 motor - the wiring itself is pretty simple, and there's no secondary module to worry about.

[dannyyisntt]

I'd like to eventually get ahold of an early E36 window motor and see if it's possible to copy the circuit over to the E30 motor - the wiring itself is pretty simple, and there's no secondary module to worry about.

This spring I'll be replacing my passenger door along with the glass/motor out of my 1995 325is with one in better condition.. If your still interested this spring, I'll send the motor to you. All you've gotta do is pay shipping.

[TexasTerp]

depends on the year - early E36 (92-95) have it built into the motor, on the drivers' window only. Late cars are much more complicated with 4-window one touch. I'd like to eventually get ahold of an early E36 window motor and see if it's possible to copy the circuit over to the E30 motor - the wiring itself is pretty simple, and there's no secondary module to worry about.

Are you sure about that? I've got a 95 4dr that I just fixed because the control module was sending an intermittent voltage to the driver side front window. I used an early 2dr control module (from a 94) to test and the front windows worked perfectly - solving my issue.

It shouldn't bee too difficult to wire up control module, the power and one-touch switch wires run to the green input plug, the output plug is a black plug with 4 wires (2 for each window). The output plug wires run power directly to the motors.

So my thought is that as long as the green input plug is wired up correctly, then (theoretically) one-touch should work without having to modify the window motors.

As long as the control module receives the correct signal from the switch (ie the 2nd click Luke mentions) the it should supply constant power to the motor which in turn would "auto-roll-down".

I'm not an electrical engineer so I'm sure y'all have considered this and I'm sure I'm missing something, but that's my take on the system having just deal with a similar issue in my e36.

[StereoInstaller1]

^bad ass...I has 3 modules sitting!

i even know where they are!

[nando]

yes, I'm sure - the early "control module" (I think it's called a comfort relay) is just an on/off relay - it decides when the power window system has power, but doesn't control the windows directly. if you could use the E36 motor in the E30, you could use the wiring/switches and just hook the window system power directly to switched 12v instead of going through the relay.

one touch will definitely not work without modifying the motor. the early E36 motor has the one-touch circuitry built in. may be the later style will work but it's abouit 10x more complicated, the early system is pretty close to the E30 except the extra motor circuitry and switch differences.

[StereoInstaller1]

So that would be the E36 with the "big wire" switches, like 5 or 6 wires, not the small base like I have, right?

Do we know the changeover year?

[nando]

The etk would be a good place to look