1991 Cutlass power window?

First let me thank everybody at this forum. i have gottrn some wonderful responses from the experts here.

I am noticing the drivers window is not always going fully up and sealing the weatherstrip on a 1991 Olds Cutlass supreme SL.
Also the switch does not release (as it should)when the widnow goes all the way down.
Are these things related? is the motor weak?
Again thanks for all athe help.

This happened to me.
The motor is going but not quite gone.

When I replaced mine it was $54 at Advanced.
I do not go to Advanced any more and that price was a few years back.

Remove the door panel.
Drill out the rivets.
Remove the window lift with the motor.
The lift is spring loaded but I had no problems with it unwinding.
Instructions with the motor were correct. [Or I had a Haynes Manual]
Bolts are used instead of rivets but make sure you tighten them down well. I did not, and had to go back into it to tighten them.
The AUTO buttom will snap back 'off' like it was new.

I just joined the forum today. I have had several adventures with my power windows, including having to splice the wires in the driver door wire bundle several times. At the present, I cannot open or close the right front passenger window from the driver control panel or from the passenger side panel. I put it down part way earlier today while driving, and when I wanted to close it, it wouldn't move. I moved it down more, but couldn't move it up. I opened it completely hoping it might be a limit switch and that by opening it completely it would reset the switch, but now it is fully open and won't close. Does anyone know the wiring scheme so I can at least apply power to the motor by tapping directly into the wires behind the passenger side switch to see if I can at least close it and then troubleshoot the wires in the door bundle at my convenience? I am hoping I just have a broken wire in the rubber boot section between the door and the bulkhead, but if anyone knows which wire(s) I need to apply 12 vdc to in order to close the window, I would appreciate it. I can't seem to find a wiring diagram anywhere...must be too old.

Thank you for the suggested links. I was able to locate a wiring diagram in a manual at a local auto parts store. Fortuately, the window motor checked out OK. Using the wiring diagram, I applied power to the "Window up" sequence, and I was able to bring the window all the way back up. For anyone interested, basically, the motor is wired so that when the switch is in neutral, each lead to the motor is grounded. When the switch is moved to the up position, the "up" side of the motor is disconnected from ground and connected to power, and the other lead remains grounded, so the window moves up. When the "down" side of the motor is selected, the opposite occurs.

I was trying to find a dedicated ground in the switch bundle, but the wiring diagram showed how ground is also switched when the power input is switched. I should have realized that both had to be switched in order to simply drive the motor itself either forward or backward; it does not have a transmission with "forward and reverse". I now have to locate the broken wire in the door bundle, but given that the window would go down, I know the power wire is good and the down lead to ground is good, so I suspect that the "Up" ground lead from the door bundle to the switch is the broken wire. Those functions on the switch seemed to make and break as expected when the switch was moved (checking for open and shorted using a VOM).

Color code for the driver side front window is as follows, and a similar scheme is used for the other three windows, just different base colors:

Dark Blue: "Up" lead directly to motor
Dark Brown: "Down" lead directly to motor
Blue/White: Ground from switch to "Up" switch position
Tan/White: Ground from switch to "Down" switch position
Pink: Power lead

To raise the window, using power from my battery charger, I connected Positive to the Dark Blue and Negative to the Dark Brown, bypassing the Blue/White and Tan/White wires altogether and applying power directly to the motor in the "Up" direction. I now need to troubleshoot the Tan/White wire to find the break. I could also have applied power to the Blue/White and Tan/White wires to check that the connections in the switch are not the problem, but I was by myself and don't have three hands to hold the two leads and operate the switch. I also wanted to take the car's power and ground completely out of the circuit to make sure I didn't accidentally short the switch or the motor. I can check the full circuit tomorrow when someone is available to help.

I had no problems finding my broken wires in the bundle. Simply pulled on individual wires and pretty soon one came out with an open end. Then find the other end and splice a piece of wire in between the break. Note that most of my problems were in the driver's side hinged area. (Mine was a 91 Olds Cutlass Ciera).

JohnDD, thanks for the tip. I have 365,814 miles on the old gal, and yes, I have had several broken wires on the driver's side bundle. In the past, I took it to a shop and let them fix it, but this time I decided to try to troubleshoot it myself. I know I saved some money this time, but since it is now November and it was a Saturday evening, I had no choice; I at least had to get it closed. The good news is, it wasn't as hard as I had thought it would be.

Welcome to AF opaobie and thanks for the tips but look at the post dates before posting in outdated material.

If you need assistance please post your own thread.

this is closed!