Where are the relays under the drivers dash?

[Peter Griffin]

Does anyone know how to get access to the relays under the drivers dash. I think there are a couple of relays under there for the power window's that are causing my problem.

 

[aldive]

The relay(s) that you seek are not under the dash, at least on my '99, they are located in the box under the hood ( driver's side, near firewall ).

 

[CDW6212R]

There is one relay in the dash which feeds the main Blue/Black window wire. I didn't need to access mine, but I saw it in my 98 spare dash harness(out of car/dash). I believe from what another had said, that it is near the steering column on the right side. It's in a relay box behind the dash trim under the steering wheel. There is also a metal plate there behind the trim. I don't know if you can get to that relay box from below the dash, or if you have to remove those panels.

Anyway, that relay is basically never going to fail, the relays in general last the life of the vehicle. It is usually a switch, wire, connection, or fuse.

What window function do you have now, and which switches do what? Typically the driver's master switch causes most problems. Good luck,

 

[Peter Griffin]

There is one relay in the dash which feeds the main Blue/Black window wire. I didn't need to access mine, but I saw it in my 98 spare dash harness(out of car/dash). I believe from what another had said, that it is near the steering column on the right side. It's in a relay box behind the dash trim under the steering wheel. There is also a metal plate there behind the trim. I don't know if you can get to that relay box from below the dash, or if you have to remove those panels.

Anyway, that relay is basically never going to fail, the relays in general last the life of the vehicle. It is usually a switch, wire, connection, or fuse.

What window function do you have now, and which switches do what? Typically the driver's master switch causes most problems. Good luck,

The window's all work fine once in awhile, then none of them work at all for awhile, then they start working again. No rhyme or reason that I can find. I bought the 2 window relays, the one touch down relay and the window delay relay and was going to replace them even to just rule them out as the cause. They were cheap. I have had other relay problems with the truck, the fan relay blows about once a year so I replace it.

CDW, do you know if there is a special tool to replace the drivers master switch, there are a ton of wires there and they dont look easy to get out. Thanks.

 

[gijoecam]

The relays you're looking for on a 96 are in the relay module which is located in the center of the dash. From the diagram, it's unclear which side of the GEM it's mounted on, so I can't tell if you can access it from the driver's side knee panel, or the center stack behind the stereo and HVAC controls.

Sorry I can't be more help.

As for the exact problem, I wouldn't bank on any of them solving your problem. If the accessory delay relay was the problem, it would be affecting all the accessories when you turn the key off (i.e. the stereo should not work either). If it was the OTD relay, it would not affect the other windows.

Beyond that, the GEM controls the driver's window and the OTD feature, while the master switch controls the other three windows. When your master switch doesn't work, will the other three individual window switches work?

As mentioned, all the windows are ultimately fed from the LB/BK wire, fed from fuse #5 (30A) in the power distribution block under the hood. I'd start there and chase the power through the accessory delay relay (fuse 27, 10A interior fuse panel). Check that those fuses aren't loose or broken but making intermittent contact.

Also, when it won't work, check the afore-mentioned wire where it comes into the back of the switch panel. It's not uncommon for it to get pinched or broken internally in the loom where the door pivots over and over again.

-Joe