GoWesty power window conversion kit...

[GreggK]

Hello and Happy New Year!

Has anyone gone with the Go-Westy Power window conversion kit?

My van does have power windows but nothing works. Its a new project van and I have no history with it. I can see that there is one motor missing for starters.

I have all the manual parts on different doors. I thought about just eliminating the original power system and using the GoWesty kit or troubleshoot the original system back to life. Any opinions?

Thanks GreggK

[jocoman]

If I were you my first inclination would be to repair what is there. The Gowesty system is a kit for folks who do not have power windows. It would not be the same components that you now have. Power windows circuitry is straight forward to troubleshoot. See if you can find a good motor at the junk yard or perhaps thru the classifieds on this forum.
Best of luck

[Tom Powell]

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1065821

Aloha
tp

[syncrodoka]

I would disconnect the connector to the motor and give it direct power/ground to verify that the motor and regulator are in good shape and then work back through the wiring from there. There are only 2 poles in the plug going to the motor and it will go up or down depending on which pole you connect the power/ ground to.
The factory power window system is superior to the retrofit system that GW is selling. You just need to find out if your issue is a bad motor, regulator or a broken wire in the door jam(common).

[GreggK]

Thanks for the replies both on the forum and through private e-mail. I will bring the original system back to life. Decision made.

[binger59]

I’m interested in a review, I’m considering this as a project. Running manuals now.
_________________
Binger

1984 Westy
1986 7 Pass R.I.P. Donor van
2019 Jetta
2014 Passat
2019 Atlas
2006 Passat R.I.P.
1998 Jetta R.I.P.
1984 Vanagon R.I.P.

[izzydog]

I switched from manual to power years ago. I did it because my dog - who loved to ride in the passenger seat - also loved to stick her head out the window and I got tired of having to lean all the way across the van and crank her window down by hand. I nearly killed myself and a few pedestrians performing this maneuver, LOL.

I used all OEM stuff and collected it through friends, eBay and the Samba classifieds. I found half a dozen motors and switches and went to work making a basic harness. I did not have a harness from a donor. I figured that's it's a pretty simple system so I could wing it. I tested all the motors I had and found two that spun freely. I laid everything out on the floor and started connecting wires to a small 12V battery I use just for such adventures. After several beers and a few hours, I had all the switch buttons firing their respective windows. I labeled everything and installed it in the van.

If I did it over again, I would buy rebuilt or new motors. The motors I used were in great shape and spun really well, but seemed to lack torque once installed. My passenger window makes me laugh it goes up so slowly now. That said, I have not been inside the doors in years to check out possible wiring issues and the cable slides to see if something is binding.

One of the things I found kinda difficult was getting the wiring on the back of the switches to lay flat and not hit the window as it is going up or down. The switch wiring is bulky and gets in the way of the window's travel. I think Stacey the Glass Guru rewires his switches with smaller gauge wire to avoid this.

You will also need new electric door panels or plastic hole plugs to cover the old manual crank holes. You will also probably break some door panel clips, so have some extras around.

Make sure that the rubber boots in the door well that carry your door wiring to the dash are intact. Most wiring issues in the doors can be traced to the wires in the boots being worn out from either contact or hard use.

It's a worthy mod and really not all that difficult.

[khughes]

[izzydog]

I really should re-wire mine as well. I have the same slow-pokey, passenger window speed when the van is off.

Anybody have a wiring diagram for such a harness?

[T3 Pilot]

https://www.gowesty.com/tech-article-details.php?id=129
_________________
1988 Vanagon

The most important part in every vehicle is the nut behind the wheel......

[rblake3]

They should make a kit to UNPOWER your windows.
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90 Vanagon Carat Wander Wagon
88 16v GTi
01 1.8T Beetle
94 Miata
Vanagon H4 E-Code Lighting Upgrade page

[Irishcalifornian]

I purchased it and sent it back.
My arm was more reliable and free.

[khughes]

[GratiDude]

@ khughes

Wondering if you did rewire electric windows and if so do you still have a materials list and wiring diagram you used.

I'm doing a new install and want to get it right

Thanks

[izzydog]

I changed over to electric via a home made harness years ago and the dodgy wiring job never really worked all that well.

I recently installed a kit that works really well. It includes switches and pods (see installed pod photo) and all the wiring. It's plug and play and the switches are lighted as well. It looks stock (to me) and is in the stock location where it belongs.

Here's the kit: https://www.a1electric.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?...gory_Code=

[khughes]

[Steve M.]

I bought the GoWesty kit mainly because it was said to be faster.
I did the driver door first and it is faster then the original.
It is at first. in the 4-5 years it has been installed for the past 3 years I've had to pull the motor out and clean it and flush it with WD-40 to get all the moisture out.
The new replacement has the motor at the bottom of the door with the cable facing up.
Water gets into the motor and downhill from there.
My passenger door still has the oem regulator and motor...works better then the GoWesty one. Haven't had any problems with it!
_________________
This free advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

There are seven days in a week. Someday is not one of them.

[khughes]

Sounds like we may be talking about different kits. I started with manual windows, not power. The kit I purchased used the manual regulators as well, and was the same universal conversion kit you can buy on ebay or Amazon, with just a couple of fabricated brackets for a Vanagon install. It was slow - if the regulators were clean, in good shape, and well lubricated. If not, it was watching paint dry slow. They would go down at a reasonable rate though
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'86 Westy FAS GenV Turbo (Marvin)