new battery, and now rear windows don't work

[quad]

hiya

My 1996 540 6speed touring displayed a problem with the battery after leaving it over my holiday (honeymoon :) ) Had a jump start one day, then the next it still started, drove 20 miles, then park. After 20 mins or so the alarm goes off and doesn't stop until a charger is on the battery terminals. I got a few funny looks returning from the shops to home with the alarm on ;)

Taking it to our local parts place, the battery was confirmed dead. After they replaced the new one I had to re-code the radio etc but it looks like the rear power windows don't work. There is definitely a click in the door, but no action. They did work with the old battery, and the only thing I played with was removing the 2 fuses for the anti-theft system thinking they'd stop the alarm. Obviously that didn't work!

Any ideas?

Thanks

[Yiorgos]

If there's a click, then the motor is just struggling to move the window.

Try the door slam trick -- open and slam the doors (not too hard) and this should jolt the drive and the motor should be able to open and close the rear windows.

Anyway, I'm not mechanically inclined at all, and I've had troubles with rear windows before. My guess is that it's something mechanical and not electrical (hence the click), and that it started to happen after the battery change being coincidental.

[goheel]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought BMW didn't make 5 series for the 96 year.

[Ausmpower]

is it 95 or 96???

To quote youe first post Quad: "I've recently acquired what should be a good 'un, a '95 540i touring 6 speed"

[Qsilver7]

was thinkin the same...but assumed that he lived in another part of the world (other than the USA). Us yanks don't have an "official" 1996 e34...although the 1995 models were produced up to 4/1996...they are still considered 95 models and the "S" (10th digit) of the VIN... confirming their "95 status. The arrival of the redsigned e39 5 series was the reason for the extended 95 model year into 1996...and when the e39 debuted in the summer of 1996...it was heralded as a 1997 model...with a "V" 10th digit in the VIN as confrimation as a 1997 model year. ;)

[quad]

Us yanks don't have an "official" 1996 e34...although the 1995 models were produced up to 4/1996..

Sorry, I should really remember if it is a 95 or 96. I can't though, and I think it's registration doc (a 'V5' here in the UK) says 96 but that may be when it was first bought rather than manufactured. It's an 'N' registered car which dates it to summer 95 to summer 96. I Will check the V5 after work

I'll give the door slamming a go, it can't hurt. If it's mechanical, and therefore a co-incidence, then another explanation could be the weather - it's been blooming warm in the last week:D

Our local german car specialist is taking it tomorrow for a bodywork repair, so I can ask them to test the window motor too. Sad really, there's a tennis ball sized rust patch on the drivers door, only slightly deeper than surface, and a couple of grape sized spots elsewhere. I've seen far older e34's without a scratch. They'll have to spray halfway up the door :(

Cheers

[quad]

Well the door slam trick worked! :D

The right only needed a little slam, then immediately the window opened up. The left door needed a second slightly bigger slam, but then it came to life

Thanks for the advice :) , if only all things were that simple!

Thanks

Quad

[Elekta]

great, now post some pics of that bad boy before we swim the pond and smack you in the forehead with a gimme cap.

anything that starts with 540i and ends with a T I have to see....

[SchnellE34]

I have the same problem, I believe the slam trick only works for so long. Eventually the motors will go and need to be slammed again

[Ross]

Smack the door panel as you shout swine! Works for me. I think it's because the back windows don't get used as often and the commutator of the motor corrodes.

[Yiorgos]

It is true that the door slam trick is only a temporary fix. It's good when you have your mates in the back complaining that you have a **** car cos your windows don't roll down, just tell them when the car is STOPPED to open and slam the door and the windows work again :)

If the issue persists, you will need to open the door by removing the door trim and WD-40 or lubricate the bolt that the motor turns to open/close the windows. I don't know too much about this, as I have never opened my doors up like this.

Maybe with my continuous slamming some crap on the bolt had lodged loose and now I can open/close my windows without difficulty.