Bench Testing Window Motors, Blower Motors, ETC...

[Samplingman]

I really have no idea what I'm doing with regards to electrical components. How do I bench test items like window motors, wiper motors and heater blower motors? I know I have to apply power, but how? I have a car battery, I have some clip on wires, can someone give me a step by step, like, where does the negative go, and where does the positive go? Really, I'm that inept, I need basics. I have a wiring diagram, but I'll tell you, it's just like looking at a bowl of spaghetti without the sauce, LOL! Thanks in advance for any help, advice or ridicule....

 

[Big_John]

Does this mean I get to trot out my water is just like electricity lecture?

 

[Big_John]

Here we go... You gotta know some basics.

Think of electric wiring as a water pipe.

You have water flowing through the pipe... just as electricity flows through the wires.

If you have something that constricts the flow of water, like a pipe getting smaller, you have resistance. Same with electricity. The wire gets smaller or there's something that's corroded for example. That's resistance and it's measured in ohms.

Then you have the flow through the pipe. It's the current of water flowing through. With electricity, it's also called current and it's measured in amperage (or amps).

There's pressure behind the water that's making it flow through the pipe. With electricity, that's called voltage.

I always think that you need to have a little understanding about this stuff... and how changing one can affect another. It takes the mystery out of it.

To get a little more advanced, you want to read about Ohm's law.

Voltage, Current, Resistance, and Ohm's Law - learn.sparkfun.com

 

[detmatt]

Power window motors are easy because they're reverse polarity and you can give them battery voltage, it doesn't matter which terminal you hook the wires to because one way the motor goes up and the other it goes down. If you're testing something that's protected by a fuse you shouldn't introduce full battery voltage to it, right?

 

[Big_John]

There's a million tutorials out there on multimeters. I found this one and I think it covers the basics without getting too boring. For what you are doing, a Harbor Freight multimeter (like this guy is using) is a great tool to have.

 

[Samplingman]

Thanks John! I have that multi-meter, but using it beyond telling me how much voltage I have in the battery is a mystery to me. I'll check out the tutorials. And to think I still have to go through the wiring harness....

 

[Samplingman]

Power window motors are easy because they're reverse polarity and you can give them battery voltage, it doesn't matter which terminal you hook the wires to because one way the motor goes up and the other it goes down. If you're testing something that's protected by a fuse you shouldn't introduce full battery voltage to it, right?

Hey Matt, which lead from the battery should go to the plug end? Is this as easy as negative goes to the housing for ground and positive goes to one of the plug end terminals? There are two in there.

 

[detmatt]

Neg post of battery directly to one prong and pos post to the other carefully of course.

 

[Samplingman]

Neg post of battery directly to one prong and pos post to the other carefully of course.

I'll give that a try, thanks!

 

[Yatzee]

I really have no idea what I'm doing with regards to electrical components. How do I bench test items like window motors, wiper motors and heater blower motors? I know I have to apply power, but how? I have a car battery, I have some clip on wires, can someone give me a step by step, like, where does the negative go, and where does the positive go? Really, I'm that inept, I need basics. I have a wiring diagram, but I'll tell you, it's just like looking at a bowl of spaghetti without the sauce, LOL! Thanks in advance for any help, advice or ridicule....

It goes like this:
1-Can I afford to destroy it?
2-Can I get a replacement if I do?
3-Do I know what I'm doing or do I just think I do?
4-Should I really research what I'm going to do and learn about it before hand?
5-Is there someone who knows how to do it better than me and will take ownership for *uckups.
6- If I can't afford someone to do it for me can I afford my own mistakes?

Perhaps I'll go have another beer and ponder this whole situation a bit more!

 

[Big_John]

I was trying to find a good video tutorial for you on reading wiring diagrams. Everything was just unbelievably dry and boring. I fell asleep (seriously) listening to one. The Mopar ones are a little different from the rest and I didn't see one that covered them well.

So here goes....

The BEST thing you can do is download a PDF version. Grab one here if you haven't already.
MyMopar - Mopar Forums & Information - Service Manuals

Think of them as a road map.

Find the section you need to work with and print out a couple copies of those pages. Grab a highlighter and pick what you need to trace down. Pretend you are following a map and highlight the route you are taking.

Look at the wiring and you'll see a set of letters and numbers on each wire.

Example: G5C-20DBL*

The first characters are the circuit number. G5C

The next two are the wire size, expressed as gauge. Larger numbers are smaller. A 10 gauge wire is larger and can carry more current than a 20 gauge.

The next letters are the color. In this case, it's dark blue. The asterisk means it also has a "tracer" which is just a stripe on the wire. It's usually white, but there are some exceptions. B3-20BR/Y* for example is a 20 gauge brown wire with a yellow tracer.

M5-18P is a 18 gauge purple wire. The circuit number is M5.

Again, looking at the diagram, you'll see wires crossing each other. These wires just cross.

Some wires come together with a large black dot. These wires are spliced or joined at these spots.

 

[Samplingman]

It goes like this:
1-Can I afford to destroy it?
2-Can I get a replacement if I do?
3-Do I know what I'm doing or do I just think I do?
4-Should I really research what I'm going to do and learn about it before hand?
5-Is there someone who knows how to do it better than me and will take ownership for *uckups.
6- If I can't afford someone to do it for me can I afford my own mistakes?

Perhaps I'll go have another beer and ponder this whole situation a bit more!

Ha Ha! Yes, I think I've asked each on of those bullet points with every step of this project! I need to learn this part 'cause I ain't pay'n no shop for something a college ed-u-macated individual should be able to handle!

 

[saylor]

if you use a PC power supply PSU - it has 12v and 5v leads available

 

[cantflip]

Ha Ha! Yes, I think I've asked each on of those bullet points with every step of this project! I need to learn this part 'cause I ain't pay'n no shop for something a college ed-u-macated individual should be able to handle!

As far as I can tell... the formal education mostly means you can do homework. The electrical stuff your playing with is pretty straightforward and you have a good coach. Don't freak out too much, if you feel nervous... put a 10amp fuse in your jumper wire (wise idea anyhow) and have at it. The fuse will let go before the things you are testing get damaged.

Don't buy the fuse from HF...Service Alert: #07-08-45-002: Concerns With Aftermarket Fuses in GM Vehicles - Chevrolet Colorado & GMC Canyon Forum

 

[cantflip]

p.s. If they did teach you the secret to life in college... please don't tell me, I'm still working it out.

 

[Big_John]

p.s. If they did teach you the secret to life in college... please don't tell me, I'm still working it out.

It's 42 and I didn't go to college.

 

[Big_John]

if you use a PC power supply PSU - it has 12v and 5v leads available

I've always been going to do that...

I have an old variable power supply that I've been going to get working again too...

One of these days......

 

[cantflip]

It's 42 and I didn't go to college.

Douglas Adams fan I see... Saw the movie... when the song "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish quit playing I might as well have left the theater.

 

[Samplingman]

Thank you gentlemen! Yes, college is only a means to learn how to learn, not a means to an end in any case, even doctors and lawyers go into "practice". As far as the secret to life is concerned, I always tell my kids "just keep breathing".