Overdrive Light

The problem is the relay, plain and simple. Google for instructions on fixing it, I know I've answered this exact question dozens of times in the last year alone so some of those posts should be around.

Agreed. We have all been there on this one.

Pull the relay out and clean the contacts. These are the contacts INSIDE the relay not the external tabs but they may need cleaning as well. I have used the following on different occasions (different cars) depending on what I had ato hand (a) very fine wet and dry paper, (b) non lube switch cleaner from Tandy and (c) heaven help me but it worked really well - carefully sprayed on some brake fluid cleaner.

I read on

once that someone else reconed that the spring that puts tension on the relay coil looses its tension over time and this person bent the anchor tab slightly to increase the tension.Always been dirty contacts for me though. Next, what's the betting your elect windows stop working. Main suspect will be contacts inside the switches. A 15 minute to remove the offending switch, open it up (be careful cos there is a metal rocker, two small springs and two ball bearings inside the switch). You will prob notice the contacts are burned, clean in aforsaid manner, reassemble and bobs yer uncle.

Andy

As a second generation electronics techie, I recommend against using any abrasive on the contacts. Relay contacts are palladium plated and if the plate is removed the contacts will oxidize. The best way is with a burnishing tool - used to be available at Tandy / Radio Shack, but I haven't seen one in ages that wasn't special order. My dad was partial to kraft paper, like paper grocery bags are made from.

Whatever you do, don't use WD-40. It is actually a pretty good contact insulator, and will have to be washed off. OTOH, a weird chemical sold as Stabilant 22A and available 50% strength at audiophile shops under the name Tweak (sp?) is the best I know of. The chemical left behind when the alcohol evaporates is described by the mfr as a "block polymer" that is insulating in thick films and conductive in thin films. All I know is it works well. It just isn't cheap.

Mike

The problem isn't the contacts anyway, at least I've never seen it. It's the solder joints where they connect to the circuit board.

Different experiences I suppose. Been the contacts on both drivers and passengers side of our current 740, on one side of another 740 and also on sons 340 GLE.

The only time I found anything different was on the 340 when the bottom 'bearing' on the motor sized up with rust and the wimdow stuck when fully down. Water had somehow got in I guess because the rubber seals where the glass goes into the door are perished. Close to impossible to sort when window is down but managed to loosen the two torx screws on the top of the motor and flush out with WD40 a few times, left overnight and has worked since.

Andy