hehe,

I just PMed you for your thoughts and here you are!

Does this mean I have to tear into the front door panel

I`m probably making more of this procedure than need be and I`m just making it worse and harder than it actually is. Also, is there anyway I can get that number 2 window up before I start surgery on the door panel?

If you can confirm that the fuse blows regardless of which one of the four switches you plug into the right front socket, then yes it is the wiring to the right front door or inside of it. You should next try opening the right front door all or part way and see if you can find a position where the fuse won't blow. That will confirm that you have a short somewhere in the wiring, perhaps in the rubber accordion boot that runs between the frame of the car and the right front door. Then you will have to take the door skin and the kick panel off to see where the problem is.

Edit: If you can open the right front door and find a position where the fuse won't blow, you might be able to get the window to roll up. Then take the right front switch out and leave it out until you have a chance to take the door apart. /Edit

At the very least, you will have to take the door skin off so you can connect 12 volts directly to the window motor. That is the only way to get the window up (assumes that the window motor is good). Once you have the window up, you can just leave the right front switch out of the socket so the fuse won't blow and live without that window until you have time to tear it apart.

Jeremy

__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

Yeah, I think once I get more fuses tomorrow I will be able to confirm for sure. I want to be positive as I was doing this in the dark with a cheap flashlight. Sunlight and me writing down EXACTLY what I have tried and then posting would be ideal as I was plugging and re plugging things and I think I may have gotten a bit lost as to what I tried and what I didn`t.

So I think I will start over with what Jeremy and you guys suggested just to be positive.

I`m learning and I hope I am not bothering you guys or asking too much. Just tell me to shutup if I get annoying.

I look forward to fixing this all by myself, well with you guys of course!

Jeremy just taught me me how to make a Test Fuse. Now I don`t have to buy 5 packs of fuses!

For anyone that might need this info: You take a wire about a foot long and you take one end of the wire to one side of the empty fuse terminal and then gently brush the other end of the terminal with the other end of the wire.

IF you see sparks, you still have the short.

This is some awesome info! I was dreading buying so many fuses!

Well that was pretty interesting (and nice pictures too). But you can't swap connectors like that in my 300D because the cabling won't let you.

Jeremy: Why don't you suggest she pick up an inexpensive Volt-Ohm meter. I bet she can get one for about $15. Then direct her with that in searching for the short.

__________________
1985 300D Turbo
"Evolution is God's way of giving upgrades" Francis Collins

If it turns out to be wiring, Is it difficult to find where the bad wiring is located? Am I to look for something frizzy and frayed like? Is the frayed part then fixed by covering it with one of those rubber thingys I saw in the fuse section so that it doesn`t touch anything else?

Or, am I getting to ahead of myself?

Also, how do I know which part of the wire is causing the short?

If the copper is exposed and touching the car frame you just need to insulate it with electrical tape. If the wire is damaged then you might need to spice in a new piece.

__________________
1985 300D Turbo
"Evolution is God's way of giving upgrades" Francis Collins

That's where I would use an Ohm meter. It looks like one of the 12 volt lines going to your '2' connector is shorted to ground. So you would connect one lead of the ohmmeter to ground and (ignition off and fuse out and window switch out) touch the other lead to one of the 12 volt terminals on the '2' connector. I think there are three terminals that get 12 volts. The meter will indicate whether you have a short. When you find the terminal that is shorted to ground, you could for example open the passenger door in various positions to see whether it affects the short.

__________________
1985 300D Turbo
"Evolution is God's way of giving upgrades" Francis Collins

I was just ready to hit the sack and what I just posted doesn't seem right. Wait for clearer heads tomorrow. It's almost 5 a.m. in Ct. Good night.

__________________
1985 300D Turbo
"Evolution is God's way of giving upgrades" Francis Collins

Using an ohmmeter is the correct tool for chasing the problem, however, in inexperienced hands it will drive you absolutely crazy. The reason for this is simple:

Many circuits in the vehicle are resistance circuits and are directly connected between + and - at all times. Checking for a short on any circuit with a bulb filament, for example, will give you an immediate confirmation of a closed circuit........you'll take that to mean a short.......when, in reality, it's just a bulb filament with a closed circuit between positive and ground.

To properly use the ohmmeter requires the mechanic to fully isolate the circuit in question from any other resistance loops in the vehicle. It's not easy.

Begging W126Girl's pardon, I was trying to keep things as easy for her as possible. Use of a VOM is definitely left for lesson #2 or maybe #3. As Brian implies, you have to be able to interpret the results it gives you. The spark test is simple and conclusive.

__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

Indeed! I am still on Lesson 1 and am a novice but am learning thanks to you.

You guys have no idea how much money I have been overcharged for taking something into a shop. I felt like I had no control and they would take my car and sure they would fix it, but a few hundred or thousand dollars lighter in the pocketbook. I paid 600 dollars for a new voltage regulator and saw on here that it simply screws in.

Yes......we do.

Dishonest shops that take advantage of folks with little vehicle knowledge are common. Incompetent shops that do the best job they can but fail to solve the original problem (and charge significantly for the privilege) are more common.