TBI - OCC Express Down window switch question

Hey is there some way to NOT roll the driver's window all the way down on my new '92 OCC??? Whenever I touch the switch, even lightly, it locks back and the window goes all the way down, and then the switch pops forward again. I like to crack my windows to let the heat out in the parking lot here at work...but don't want to put the driver's front window all the way down to do it. Needless wear and tear.

Thanks in advance!

-Mike

Wow a computer salesman cant figure this out.Let the window come all the way down and then
push the button forward and release when the window reaches the level you want it at.Dont
force the button forward or you will be replacing it with a 22 dollar aftermarket switch that
doesnt look like the original switch!

So there is no way from keeping it from coming all the way down first? Goofy design.

Sounds like it's broken. The button shouldn't stick like that.

Mine is the same way and takes quite a bit of pressure on the switch to force it past the detent.
Was always fearful of breaking the switch when the other way is so simple!

While locked, and with the window going down, it should stop in place as soon as you push forward on the switch to unlock it.

jayoldschool wrote:

While locked, and with the window going down, it should stop in place as soon as you push forward on the switch to unlock it.

My 95 RMW will do what you describe Jason but my 91 OCC will not.The switch might be stuck but it takes a very firm push forward to
overide the detent.

Yeah, you have to push it forward, and it does seem like it takes more effort than it should. I'm replacing mine with black switch panels without automatic down that I found in the junkyard.

If you ever take the switch out, you'll see it's basically just a little piece of plastic that catches the switch to keep it down - nothing more.

If you break the paddle, I have a drawer full of them. Any paddle from any window switch will fit the driver's front switch. The only difference in the switch paddle is the heigth. There are also switch modules without the express down function like stingroo said. You can replace the module on your original panel. If you break the black switch pivots on the module, you can also replace just the top of the switch, by prying it off. You can save a lot of money with these simple fixes, rather than buying a complete switch module for $22.

The paddle can be pulled back without breaking it. I do it a lot, because my window likes to stick in the down position. You can push the switch, and not catch the express too, but it takes really good fine motor skills, because the express down likes to snatch the paddle. You almost have to grab it with thumb and finger like a desmodromic valve in a Ducati.

Can you lightly touch the switch to partially roll down the window without activating the auto-down feature?

It can be done...see the post above yours.

Yeah, it takes practice, but it's doable.

Fred,you must be the other guy I've heard about who knows what a Duc desmodromic valve
operation is.Most just look at you like you're nuts.It was a oddball way of opening and closing
valves back in the 50s and still is.Duc sure has made it their own and have made it work very
efficiently as well.

It is not so much of an odd way to close a valve, it is a positive mechanical closing of the valve, so that you can not hit the top of the cylinder at high revs. It is a little complicated, and has more moving parts, but you do not have to worry about a spring breaking, or not returning the valve correctly. If the cam drive breaks, it will push the valve through the top of the piston just like a broken spring, or a broken non desmo cam drive.

scoffman wrote:

Can you lightly touch the switch to partially roll down the window without activating the auto-down feature?

Yeah, but I think it's an acquired skill. What I do on the big blue whale is simple...I block the switch from going all the way down with my thumb while I push back on it.

The 1993 Caprice owner's manual says "do not attempt to operate the switch" once it has gone into the "auto down" mode. Were I feeling that dedicated, I'd end that stupid feature once and for all. I don't like it in my S10 or the wagon. I tried pushing back on the switch to cancel the auto-down feature anyway, and it seemed like I would break it, so I stopped.

The S10 has enough character to its electrical system now that sometimes the window switch doesn't enter that mode any longer.

You can always cut the little plastic hook off.

Fred Kiehl wrote:

You can always cut the little plastic hook off.

I was thinking the same thing.....

I crack my windows in the parking lot every day before walking into the office to try to keep the interior a tad cooler. If you don't crack them, in the summer heat here (going to be 105-today), you can no-joke pop a windshield out. It happens often....mostly to people that move here from up north and don't know to let the car breathe.

Anyway the past two mornings I've cursed that stupid switch...I'd gone to crack the windows and had to wait for the glass to go all the way down and then put it almost all the way back up again. GOOFY design. I even raised it too much after it went down, and without thinking went to lower it a tad more and had to wait for it to go all the way down...again!