Door Hinge Wires

[GTSnake]

My drivers side window stopped working so I thought it was the regulator. It was always a little slow any way so I jumped to the conclusion that it burned out and got it remanufactured. After disassembling the entire door panel which is not too difficult but a PITA because there's like 16 different types of fasteners. There's no way I could remember where each one goes so I'm sure I've mixed the screws when I put it back together. After putting everything back together it still didn't work. So my only thought was it had to be electrical. It couldn't be the switch because I took it apart and it looked pristine. The only other place is the door hinge connection. Lo and behold when I tugged at the wires there were two that were detached. After soldering them back together everything works now.

So the point of the story is whenever you have an electrical issue in the doors the first place to look is the door hinge wiring. I've already soldered 6 wires in total that have broken over the years. It was a terrible design and the wires are always being pulled every time you open/close the door and sooner or later they will break. If I would have looked there first I could have saved myself a lot of headache and sleepless nights trying to figure out what was wrong. Not to mention $250 for rebuilding the window regulator.

For anyone that have pulled the door panels apart you know it's not a fun job. The door handles are very delicate and if you over torque the screws you will crack the plastic bezel. Don't ask me how I know. The speakers are impossible to replace because you can never find the original screw holes. Then there are the millions of different fasteners that are used. I don't even have the plastic xmas tree anymore because it broke years ago. Then there's the sail panel by the door switch that has plastic rivets. Those things are impossible to not break and not easy to find replacements. So before you start tearing apart your door panel check the hinge wiring. You will thank me later.

 

[GTS Dean]

Yes, the door wire harness s ucks a root.

Next time you are working on the interior panels, it's very helpful to use a pick to probe around thru the outer hole and help locate/align the blind hole behind it. Start with the ones that are easiest and the remainder will pretty well self-align.

 

[Barry]

I've had both door skins off mine, the door latch that had a broken wire, twice, (first time done by dealer, they said it was a faulty EEM; they lied I found their faulty work when the wire broke again). I discovered that the wiring is too short, so I pulled in new wire to make it longer and I don't have that broken wire issue anymore. I also had to remove the passenger side skin because the window stopped going down. The window was one of the easiest repairs I ever made. There is a guide at the top of the door and the nut fell off jamming the window. After replacing the nut and readjusting that guide the window works better than it ever did. If your windows are slow, try adjusting this guide. Here is a picture of the unattached guide and the door jamb wiring harness. This is a 2000 GTS; fun stuff.

 

[GTSnake]

Yes, the door wire harness s ucks a root.

Next time you are working on the interior panels, it's very helpful to use a pick to probe around thru the outer hole and help locate/align the blind hole behind it. Start with the ones that are easiest and the remainder will pretty well self-align.

Do you mean the speaker holes? With that carpet on top it's next to impossible to see any holes. So I usually poke around with the screw to find one. Even then it's still not easy to find the rest of them.

 

[GTSnake]

I've had both door skins off mine, the door latch that had a broken wire, twice, (first time done by dealer, they said it was a faulty EEM; they lied I found their faulty work when the wire broke again). I discovered that the wiring is too short, so I pulled in new wire to make it longer and I don't have that broken wire issue anymore. I also had to remove the passenger side skin because the window stopped going down. The window was one of the easiest repairs I ever made. There is a guide at the top of the door and the nut fell off jamming the window. After replacing the nut and readjusting that guide the window works better than it ever did. If your windows are slow, try adjusting this guide. Here is a picture of the unattached guide and the door jamb wiring harness. This is a 2000 GTS; fun stuff.

Hmmm, I don't seem to have that same guide on my car. I'm sure you will have more broken wires. It's just a matter of time. I add more wire to every broken one I solder. I've fixed six so far and there's like 8 more to go. I just wonder why there's so many wires. There's only the door switch, latch, window and speaker in the door.

 

[GTS Dean]

It's possible that the harness was used for another car in the corporate lineup. It would be nice to know what it might have been...

 

[GTSnake]

It's possible that the harness was used for another car in the corporate lineup. It would be nice to know what it might have been...

As far as I know wire harnesses are always unique to every car. The only way to share them is if it's the same platform. Otherwise they have to be made specifically for each model.

 

[GTS Dean]

This is true. However, the connectors are common modular corporate models of a given configuration and pin count. A takeout could have enough conductor length and count to utilize unstressed OE conductors. Pins can be swapped in the housings pretty easily.

Just a few thoughts for consideration. We're having to get more resourceful to keep these things running.

 

[GTSnake]

Just a few thoughts for consideration. We're having to get more resourceful to keep these things running.

Funny this is exactly what I was thinking as I was doing the repair. We're lucky there are enough vendors and innovators who tinker with their own products to keep things going.

 

[Dan Cragin]

When I run into this issue, I remove the door wiring harness and replace all the wires in the section of the harness that connects
the door to the body. It takes a few hours but is the best fix.

 

[GTSnake]

When I run into this issue, I remove the door wiring harness and replace all the wires in the section of the harness that connects
the door to the body. It takes a few hours but is the best fix.

Yeah in hindsight I probably should have did the same thing. Sounds like a good aftermarket opportunity for someone to make a harness extender.......

 

[GTS Dean]

More than anything else, the problem is really bad articulation geometry. The copper strands in the wires get bent back and forth each time, they work harden and fracture.

 

[Goggles Pizano]

The Duke boy's solved that problem but I think some of your fat asses would have a hard time sliding across the hood.