Problem:
After almost 20 years, most of our power window switch probably started to fail, mostly due to the button switch on drive side being broken because of cheap plastic like the rest of FD interior.

You can spend $180 and buy a brand new unit on ebay or attempt to repair the plastic tab with super glue. (Will risk breaking later on again)

Fix:

This fix just involves soldering the driver wire to the passenger side wire so you can roll down both window the same time.


Picture:



Red circle are the Driver side and passenger side for UP

Green circle are the Driver side and passenger side DOWN

You simply just solder the G/W to G/B and R/W to R/B

this is what it should look like below.



Bam and you are done!!!

now use the $180 for something else

 

That's a work around to a correct repair method. This will now overload the passenger wiring. Does it work…yes…but for how long. Not to mention you can't control your windows separately.

Cheers for the effort though.

 

I looked at the circuit board and the wiring is very thick. You shouldn't have any issues with it over heating. However I didn't measure the draw after soldering them together. I run a high amp alternator I don't see anything flickering or dimming in my case. If you guys are worried about current draw , I would just des older the passenger side and only keep driver side.

Wait for a used low mileage switch shows up

 

That's not much of a fix....

The FAQ has a good thread on a potential fix / maintenance to the switch
https://www.rx7club.com/interior-ext...repair-900665/

 

I liked the idea, all of you negative Nancy's

 

Negative Nancy would be people telling OP that it wouldn't work. If you reread, they are merely stating reasons why it may not be an optimal solution. Big difference.

 

Not much of a fix...more of a jerry rig temporary bandaid but good effort!

 

Can't promote a ghetto fix on our beautiful cars.

 

Hi. Firstly, I'm not here to tell you you've done a bad job, or I don't like the idea, etc. I'm not here to attack you personally or anything, so please don't take what I'm about to say, the wrong way

Okay. So. You stated that the wires are 'thick enough' and you run a 'high amp alternator'.

So here's the problem (technically) with what you've soldered and said.

1. The wires may appear physically "thick" but what amperage are they rated at? Wires are not rated on "thickness". They are rated to supply a specific amperage. 5 Amp wire. 20 Amp wire. 15 Amp wire. Higher amperage = ability to supply more current without overheating, melting or catching fire.

Lets do this simply. Say I have a lightbulb (headlight? Brake light? Window Switch? Doesnt matter for this scenario) that draws 20 Amps when it is switched on.
Say you connect very small thin gauge 5 Amp wiring to that bulb and run it through the firewall to a switch to turn it on or off. That bulb or device is pulling 20 Amps of current through wire rated to carry 5 Amps maximum.
This will heat the wiring up. The insulation will get HOT and melt. The hot wire will heat up some carpet or insulation and you have a vehicle interior fire on your hands.

Because you attempted to pull more current (Amperage) through a circuit that was not designed to carry such high current.

Your window switch fix has done the same thing. When both window motors are powered on, they are now drawing DOUBLE the rated amperage through a circuit that was only ever designed to carry half that amperage. The wiring will get hot..

There are things behind the door trims that are flammable. The trim panels are flammable. The plastic weathershields and the bituminous door sound deadening materials are also flammable. This is a bad situation to be sitting in, when you add overloaded, overheating wiring with the possibility of shorting to earth through melted insulation, etc.

2. This is more of a technical thing that I feel needs some clarification.

You said you run a high amperage alternator. I'm glad. Thats a good move for these cars.
However, the amperage of the alternator (say 100 or 150 amp output, whatever) has nothing to do with the above mentioned amperage rating of the circuit you just overloaded.
The alternator has a built in regulator. If you turn on EVERY accessory in the car while it is running (fog lights, rear window demister, heater blower, etc) that will be a large current drain on the alternator. Approaching 90-something amps of drain. The factory specified 100 or so amp alternator to give a buffer. You fitted say a 150 amp alternator, so you have a larger buffer before the alternator output is overwhelmed by all the accessories that are switched on.

Getting back to your overloaded power window circuit. The power window motors draw say 40 amps (this is out of my head as I dont have a wiring diagram in front of me, but I don't need one to explain why this is all bad) when both are working together. 20 amps per motor, on a hard load like rolling both windows up together at the same time. 40 amps on a circuit that was designed, fused and wired with 20 amp wire is asking for trouble. Forget your alternator. It's total output has got nothing to do with the fact you've just soldered and jumped a circuit pulling XX amps through a wiring circuit that was rated to supply only X amps safely. Another minor niggle is the fact that the soldering does not look as neat as the factory. I know it has made a connection, but there are better examples of soldering to be found out there.

The short of all this is:

A. You've overloaded a wiring circuit. Something is about to burn out. It may be tomorrow, or it may be in a month, but you will smell the crispiness one day. If you're lucky, it will pop the window fuse and keep popping it. I hope that is frustrating for you and makes you go back and do the job properly and safely, for your sake and your car's sake.

B. This has reduced reliability of the circuit, and impaired the basic factory function of having both windows roll down independently. This is not an improvement to the car in any way. This is a rig that does not restore or even give factory performance. You drive an RX-7, one of the best, most exhilarating sports cars ever built. 1989 Toyota Camry turdboxes have the ability to have every window roll down independantly. Your RX-7 now does not. That's slightly embarrassing, because the Camry now has a basic function that your RX-7 does not have..

If $180.00 for a window switch bothers you (and yes, it is extremely overpriced and far too expensive, I agree 100% with you. I am not made of money either) consider that when some douche smashed my BMW M5 side mirror, it was $749.00 for a factory replacement from BMW Germany. No I did not go grab my mother's bathroom mirror and bolt it to my drivers door to save costs though. I swallowed the bitter truth that this is what it costs to own a car like this, and I knew this before I bought the car and got into the cost of owning it. My fault for buying the car, knowing it would be expensive.
I then sold the M5 because it was too expensive for my income to maintain.

Anyone who considers soldering these wires together to save some money, do it at your own risk. I've performed wiring work on plenty of cars and burnt one to the ground, and that was a valuable lesson.

Use the appropriate gauge and amperage wire and appropriate fuses to protect each new circuit and the loads that circuit will expect to see. I am not a professional auto electrician. But I do not agree with this, and I can't support it.

I applaud you for the initial idea though- but the overloading of the circuit should have then been considered, and thats where I would have stopped with the concept.

 

Nice blog.