Expert: Rob Painter - 7/24/2011

Question
I am having problems with windows all of them quit working i have checked for power in frond circuit breaker and there is power on one side power going in none going out put jumper in and no power to door switch pulled off door panel checked all connections for power none at all is there a relay located somewhere that can be replaced? also cooling fans do not turn on so at idle car over heats i located 3 relays in front of radiator maybe one is bad but also located sensor connected to radiator on top between radiator and engine it this a heat sensor to trip relays on and off? maybe possibility of that gone bad also? and also one day abs light and traction control light came on is there a way to reset these lights?
any help i can get would be appreciated i have pulled every fuse and checked all fine even found fuses under panel in engine compartment and in trunk and also pulled rear seat to expose relays between trunk and seat but without knowing what relay would be for windows or fans its hopeless replacing all of them as there is allot of them as before thanks for any help you can give me

Answer
Hello,

I apologize for not getting back to you right away, but I had a couple heath issues I had to take care of.

Look, without a manual, I am somewhat lost as are you in the window power situation. Instead of screwing around a jumping the cb, you might just steal one from another location where that is temporarily. Install and see if you have power.
Now, at the door panel I don't know what you did to check the wires, but all GMs were notorious for breaking wires inside the rubber boot at the pinch point of the door. The wires over years became brittle and would break. Very carefully slit the boot, the broken wires will be obvious. I have fixed enough of them over the years. You need to be careful not to nick any. You will find possibly up to 50 wires running through there and it always seemed to be the hardest to get to being the culprits!

The best thing is to check http://www.alldata.com first. Car is probably too old, but if not, you can download factory manual instantly for a year for $30. Otherwise you can try ebay. Without a manual, you are working on a guess.

Your overheating issue could be more complicated. This is an aluminum engine that self destructs when exposed to heat. Try putting an aluminum can on a fire and see what happens. This is what happens to these engines over heating even a "little" bit.

You need to have the cooling system pressure checked. Has to hold a constant 15 pounds as does the radiator cap or cooling system will not circulate, sensor is not activated and fans may not come on.
It's rare for a relay to fail. It happens, but rarely. A plugged radiator, cooling jackets, could be the cause too. When is the last time the coolant was flushed. Its only good 3-5 years and it breaks down causing system to plug up.

Just some thoughts I have dealt with Cadillac overheating probably more than most and never a good thing that can lead to very expensive repairs.

Good Luck!

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