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Windows won't go up

Discussion in 'Problems, Fixes, Tips...' started by freddyzdead, Aug 7, 2019.

  1. freddyzdead

    freddyzdead Copenworld Regular

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2017
    Location:
    Gosford, NSW, Australia
    Car(s):
    2003 Copen
    Hi guys,
    I found quite a few posts about windows, but didn't see any problems like this. Here's what happened:
    I took out the driver seat so I could have a better look up in the footwell to see if it's possible to replace the clutch cable without removing the dash. I had to unplug the seat from the cable coming out of the floor before I could remove the seat completely. I also had to put the roof down because my feet were up in the air while my head was under there. When I was finished, without concluding anything, I put everything back. I noticed the seatbelt warning light was flashing even though I was sitting there. Worse, when I put the roof back up, none of the windows would go up. Just nothing at all happened when I pushed the switches. There's never been any sort of trouble with the windows. I considered the coincidence of the seat belt light flashing, and took the seat out again. Yes, it was plugged in, so I unplugged it and shorted the plug with a little U-shaped wire. The seat belt light stopped blinking. I didn't think that should have anything to do with the windows, anyway, so I next put the roof up and down a couple of times, and still the windows wouldn't work. The red roof light went out after the latches were fastened, and it went beep, just as it should. But no windows. The last thing I could think of was resetting the ecu(s) so I disconnected the battery for about 15 minutes. When I put it back, nothing had changed except the radio forgetting all its stations.

    I'm pretty sure this is something simple, but I'm a bit mystified. Anybody here had something like this happen? This is a problem, because it's still winter; the days are getting nice, but it's cold at night. And, of course, when I park the car, it's not very secure. Or weatherproof.

    Before anybody suggests it might be the battery, I replaced the battery with a LiFePo4 and a capacitor bank. The roof goes up and down without the engine running, just fine. Not the battery.

    I'm not sure what to do next. I'm also not sure if the windows have their own ecu or it they are part of the roof one. What I do know is that I have to go into the city tomorrow and leave the car at the train station with all its windows open. I'm not liking that.

    Edit:
    Well, do I feel stupid, or what? There is a switch on the right side of the dash, between the fog light and the rear window heater switches, that disables the windows if you push it. During my adventure in the footwell, I obviously pushed it. I think this switch might not exist on Copens in other countries, only Australia. I have never had occasion to use this switch, and had lost any awareness of it that I might have ever had. It was only while staring at the wiring diagram in the Workshop Manual (yes, the windows do have their own ecu), that I spotted the switch, whereupon the light bulb went on. I went out to the car, and sure enough, that was it.

    I considered deleting this whole thread, but decided to leave it, in case someone else has the same lapse.
     
    Last edited: Aug 7, 2019
    Surfmod likes this.
  2. BarnsleyRob

    BarnsleyRob Copenworld Veteran

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2017
    Location:
    South Yorks
    Car(s):
    2009/59 silver Copen 1298 cc (now gone to a new home)
    Lol, live and learn @freddyzdead !

    I took my MX-5 back to the dealer on Day 1 because the roof wouldn’t close. It turned out that the Mazda has separate buttons to raise and lower the roof :banghead:
     
  3. freddyzdead

    freddyzdead Copenworld Regular

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2017
    Location:
    Gosford, NSW, Australia
    Car(s):
    2003 Copen
    Thanks, Rob, for not pointing out how long it took me to finally wake up.

    Re the clutch cable, I took it to my friends' place, the ones who have just come back from 2 years in Ireland; he is a car mechanic, and had volunteered to have a look at it, as he had trouble believing that you really have to remove the dash to install a new cable. There was a fair bit of swearing as he had his head under the dash, and he ended up with 2 conclusions: Yes, you likely do have to remove the dash to get the cable out, and even if you did get it out you likely wouldn't be able to get the new one in with the dash in place; the other conclusion was that there's nothing wrong with the cable, the trouble is with the clutch itself. Oh, dear.

    I found a clutch kit on eBay and bought it. He has booked it in next Wednesday at his work place to replace the clutch. This is maddening, because the clutch works just fine, it's just taking more and more pressure to disengage it. Much more of that, and the cable would suffer as well. But it's 2 days off the road, and it's my only car, so I don't know quite how I'm dealing with that. I've got an e-scooter; maybe I could ride that home. I've also got a folding bmx-size bike, but I don't think it will fit in the boot. I didn't have this car when I bought it. I guess life would be pretty boring if it didn't keep throwing dramas at you.
     
  4. BarnsleyRob

    BarnsleyRob Copenworld Veteran

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2017
    Location:
    South Yorks
    Car(s):
    2009/59 silver Copen 1298 cc (now gone to a new home)
    @freddyzdead

    Just before you change the clutch, ask your friendly mechanic to check the pedal box. I’ve heard of them cracking and deforming when the clutch is depressed which gives the feel of increased resistance.
     
  5. freddyzdead

    freddyzdead Copenworld Regular

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2017
    Location:
    Gosford, NSW, Australia
    Car(s):
    2003 Copen
    Thanks, Rob, I will do that. Though, I think he would have looked for such things when he had his head under there.
     
  6. freddyzdead

    freddyzdead Copenworld Regular

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2017
    Location:
    Gosford, NSW, Australia
    Car(s):
    2003 Copen
    I was somewhat disappointed that the new clutch was still very heavy to operate. This was with the original cable still in place. I finally decided the original diagnosis of faulty cable was probably correct. So, my Irish mechanic friend and I decided to see if we could change it. Without removing the dash. We got the old cable out, by cutting off part of the thread on the firewall mounting bracket. It was a very tight squeeze, but we finally got the new cable through; we ended up cutting the mounting bracket on the new one as well, and I rounded off all the corners of the plastic adjusting nut, so its alignment wasn't so critical in getting it through the hole. It wasn't much fun, but we did it, no removing of dash. Drives like new now, what a difference.

    Did I mention that I found lots of clutch cables on UK eBay sites, but they were all listed as for Left Hand Drive. This seems strange, since cars in UK are RHD, like they are here in Australia. It seemed to me that it shouldn't matter what side it was for, since the hole through the firewall is right in the middle. So I ordered the LHD one. It fitted perfectly, so I can't explain any of it.
     
    Last edited: Feb 3, 2020

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