I think the car I got has a working window & tail gate, how ever now that it's mine they don't seem to want to play ball. Any place I should start first? Thanks for the help... Mine is a 1971 Impala Kingswood, 3 seater.
You need to provide more details. What do you mean you "think" your car has a "working" tailgate and window? Did they used to work and now they don't? And what do you mean by "work?" The rear windows on these cars were power operated as standard equipment, but the power tailgate was optional. A manually-operated tailgate was standard. So do you have a manual tailgate that's stuck? Or a power tailgate that won't move when you push the switch? Regardless of the answers to the above questions, the first place to check always whenever something electrical won't work is the fuses. Have you checked those? If they're good, do other electrical things (dome lights, etc.) work as they should, or are there other electrical problems? Giving us a bit information will help in coming up with useful suggestions as to where to start troubleshooting.
Power gate, turn the key nothing happens. Flip the switch on the dash nothing happens. I bought the car with / under the impression they both worked. It was cold when I got the car so it got parked, I never tested it till today.
Power gate, turn the key nothing happens. Flip the switch on the dash nothing happens. I bought the car with / under the impression they both worked. It was cold when I got the car so it got parked, I never tested it till today.
OK, so far. It's unlikely to be the motors as to have both the window motor and the tailgate motor fail at the same time would be unusual. Have you checked the fuses? If the fuses are OK, then you need to start tracing wiring. Ideally, you would like to get at the rear key switch and see if power is actually getting to that switch. Getting to that switch is not difficult. You need to remove the cover over the spare tire well and reach around and pull the connector off. You'll need a 12-volt test light or voltmeter. Below is a figure from the service manual for my '73 Custom Cruiser showing the rear key switch. I'm guessing the arrangement is similar for your car. Determining whether or not power is getting to this switch would be a major step forward. If it's not getting power and the fuses are OK, you have a break in the wiring somewhere between the front and rear of the car. David Wixom on here posted photos showing the complete run of the wiring on his clamshell Buick. Search for that to see how the wires are run. They generally go along the driver's side of the car under the carpet near the sill plates. If the switch IS getting power, and neither the switches on the dashboard nor the rear key switch will make the motors work, then maybe the motors really are the problem. I've never tried to get at the window motor, but getting at the tailgate motor is not difficult. You need to remove the trim panel on the side opposite the spare tire well. You'll be removing a bunch of screws. The bottom line is, there's only so much we on here can tell you. All we can do is suggest some things. You need to get to the car and try them out and let us know what you find.
