Power Windows Problem

[fckncarlos]

Just what the title says. Well one day i was about to drive my car on a hot day when all windows all of a sudden did not want to roll down. I hear no clicking from the motors at all and my only source of ventilation is from my moon roof and the fresh air vents from the car. Car is a 88' Lxi sedan.

[car6289]

Check fuse #17 (20 amp) in the under hood fuse box.

[fckncarlos]

fuse is good.

[91lowrider]

May have to check the control unit.

[fckncarlos]

how do i check that?

[NVMyMPG]

Do they even try to go down? Have you checked the fuses and relays for the window circuts?

[fckncarlos]

Do they even try to go down? Have you checked the fuses and relays for the window circuts?

no but the fuses are good. what do the relays look like and where are they?

[como 2nd gen civic]

The control unit for the windows is in the door, you gotta take the door apart, but thats pretty easy, i have a coupe and the passenger window didn't move, no sounds or anything, it turned out that a wire on the master switch had come unsoldered,so make sure to check the switch assembly too, to remove it from the door you remove the entire door panel and then remove the armrest from the door panel and then unscrew the switch assembly from the armrest. It may sound hard but really its pretty easy.
PS also download the shop manual from this site and check the wiring to the door.

[como 2nd gen civic]

also i dont remember if the 3g has a power window relay, but its location (if there is one) is in the manual, just download it

[Edward Ochoa]

i hve this same prob but i had someone look at it an it has to do with the relays not being grounded or something, like connnecting the positives together make them work but as soon as i put the relay back in no luck can anyone help ????

[POS carb]

if all the windows stopped at the same time and wont work from any of the 4 switches I think there is no power at the main fuse going into the switch. time to bust out the wiring diagram! I'll check my diagrams tomorrow when I go home
check all your other accessories to see if anything else has stopped working

[Edward Ochoa]

thats it no power from the driver swich box as well as the other doors also ,, thing is that elec'man hooked up with the power on where the relay goes an the windows work but then i put the relay back in no work he hooked up the relay to test it and it works but if u put it back into the slot where it goes noluck

[2oodoor]

i hve this same prob but i had someone look at it an it has to do with the relays not being grounded or something, like connnecting the positives together make them work but as soon as i put the relay back in no luck can anyone help ????
exactly! sometimes a relay will reverse poles so to speak, unhook the battery and reconnect, then see if there is any difference. Make sure there is a ground wire from the battry to the body as well as the engine.

[seancmadison]

god i love my manual windows. i have a neighbor with a 1988 honda accord lx. power windows dont do anythng except drivers. now how i understand it the power comes from drivers side. now drivers window goes up and down other windows no motor trying sound no nothing on all three doors. i dont think three motos would go all at once. please any idea. also voltage is low comming from drivers door.

[seancmadison]

thats it no power from the driver swich box as well as the other doors also ,, thing is that elec'man hooked up with the power on where the relay goes an the windows work but then i put the relay back in no work he hooked up the relay to test it and it works but if u put it back into the slot where it goes noluck

must be a lot of ochoas i know a luise from clearlake ca. theres like 20 in his family up there

[Dr_Snooz]

god i love my manual windows. i have a neighbor with a 1988 honda accord lx. power windows dont do anythng except drivers. now how i understand it the power comes from drivers side. now drivers window goes up and down other windows no motor trying sound no nothing on all three doors. i dont think three motos would go all at once. please any idea. also voltage is low comming from drivers door.

Check the lockout switch on the driver's door.

[seancmadison]

You dont mean the child lock? Its been tried unless its defective

[seancmadison]

Check the lockout switch on the driver's door.

Wouldn't the drivers switch operate the passenger windows with or with out child lock on.

I can not open any windows but drivers.

[2drSE-i]

Wouldn't the drivers switch operate the passenger windows with or with out child lock on.

I can not open any windows but drivers.

No, the passengers window will not roll down if you have the child lock engaged. But if neither window is working, that's not your issue. Sounds like the control box inside the driver's door, or a fuse. Try banging on the door panel just forward of the grab handle, while holding one of the switches down. If it starts working, its definitely the control box. If not, it still may be your control box, it may be something else.

[seancmadison]

No, the passengers window will not roll down if you have the child lock engaged. But if neither window is working, that's not your issue. Sounds like the control box inside the driver's door, or a fuse. Try banging on the door panel just forward of the grab handle, while holding one of the switches down. If it starts working, its definitely the control box. If not, it still may be your control box, it may be something else.

Only the drivers window operates.

Fueses are all good.


Other windows will not operate with or with out child lock on.

Still drivers window is the only working window.

[Hazwan]

Why do I have feelings that the lock switch is broken? Kinda hard to have all 3 windows to stop working at the same time except for the driver's side. Do you have any known good master switch you could swap in and test?

[Dr_Snooz]

Wouldn't the drivers switch operate the passenger windows with or with out child lock on.

You'd think that, wouldn't you?

http://www.3geez.com/forum/technical/74805-passenger-window-doesnt-work.html

The manual (http://honda.roadpwnage.com/manuals/pages/usdm-accord-1989-full.php) has an excellent troubleshooting section for the windows starting on p. 25-53. It's a hundred million times better than anything we can do in a thread.

[seancmadison]

Why do I have feelings that the lock switch is broken? Kinda hard to have all 3 windows to stop working at the same time except for the driver's side. Do you have any known good master switch you could swap in and test?

Great thought but no. I have a really good junkyard that will let me return stuff ill just get me a master control switch and the control box. I cant imagine all three going at once.

[import racer]

Hey man,did u get this problem figured out.mine did the same thing today,put them down when i got to work.then when i left to come home i put them up on the highway but only drivers one went up.the pass one went half way then stopped.I changed out the switch and relay with ones i had,but still nothing.

[niles]

When my passengers window went up half way and stopped, I put one hand on the switch and grabbed the window with the other and forced it up and down as I flipped the switch until the window started working again. I figured if my motor was going to give out at least my window will be UP!

It fixed it so far, it's been two weeks of normal use but will break eventually I'm sure.

[import racer]

I tried that but it won't budge,don't know what happened.That manual for electrical is confusing checked the fuses and all seem good.

[Dr_Snooz]

Use the service manual. Not the electrical manual.

[import racer]

I'll check the manual tonight snooze,any ideas on what happened!

[import racer]

I checked and i have power coming in and going out of main switch but still can't get them to work.I hate fuckin wiring diagrams,why would they fuck up all at once.No one seems to have a solution to this problem,fuck i hate power windows.

[HLW]

I checked and i have power coming in and going out of main switch but still can't get them to work.I hate fuckin wiring diagrams,why would they fuck up all at once.No one seems to have a solution to this problem,fuck i hate power windows.

Open the passenger door and apply 12v directly to the motor the make sure it works. If it does you have a bad connection in a connector or a broken wire. If the motor does not turn with 12v directly applied, the motor died. If the motor died it is probably worn bushes and can be rebuilt with new bushes.

[import racer]

The motor is fine,I ran power to it to get the window up as it was gonna rain.

[import racer]

Would the controller be bad and still work the drivers door window.

[HLW]

Would the controller be bad and still work the drivers door window.

The controller in the driver's door only runs the drives door Windows The controller needed to have the auto down work. If the controller was bad the driver's door would not work even when the other door (coup and hatch) or doors (sedan) work.

The power and ground run through the master control switch in the driver's door to the other door(s). The lock switch on the master switch connects and disconnects ground. the switch on the door for all doors other than the driver's door sit between the switch on the drivers door and the motor. In the resting position for the switches, both wires that connect to the motor are connected to ground. Check for continuity to ground on both spade terminals in the connector that connects to the motor. If they both have continuity to ground your wires between the switches on the driver's and passenger's doors are good. IF they do not both have continuity to ground, the wire(s) without continuity to ground have a bad connection or a break in the wire, the lock switch is in the lock position or bad or the wire connecting the lock switch to the window switch(es) for the passenger door(s) is broken.

If both the wires that connect to the motor have continuity to ground check for 12V with the switch at the passenger door in the up and down position one terminal should have 12V in the up position and round in the down and the other should be the opposite. If you do not get 12V out of the passenger door switch, check for 12V coming into the switch. The 12v comes from the fuse separately to the switches in the doors with the driver's door getting the power for all doors and each non-driver's door getting power directly from the fuse. So as long as both wires from the switch in the door to the motor have continuity to ground in the resting position and you have 12v to the switch, the door switch should work the motor unless the switch is bad since you verified the motor works with 12v directly applied.

[import racer]

I tried different switches and didn't make a didderence.I hate working on wiring.how would the wires get messed up since the are under the dash,it makes no sense unless the wires going into the door from movement of opening and closing doors.

[HLW]

The movement from opening and closing the doors is the most common cause and location for wires breaking. Sometimes its just the connections going bad. Are you getting 12V to the passenger door switch?

[import racer]

I tested it with a test light not a meter so not sure what the voltage is.

[import racer]

So does the feed go threw the pass door then the back doors or are they all seperate feeds because back doors don't work either.

[Jafir]

So does the feed go threw the pass door then the back doors or are they all seperate feeds because back doors don't work either.

Looking at my 1987 etm:

One fuse before the power window relay.

All separate feeds to each switch/motor, individually fused after the power window relay.

All door switches run back through the master switch on the drivers door. Which then runs back to a common ground. This is why both switches must be in place to operate that particular window. If the drivers switch is out, no ground. If the door switch is out, the motor is completely disconnected.

[import racer]

Well I think I got it fixed,took the kick panel off to check wires coming in from drivers door.looked at them for problem and unplugged them,then plugged them back together and tried the windows and they worked.who would have thought it would be that easy.I hate working on wiring,thanks for all your help guys.

[Dr_Snooz]

P. 25-52 in the '89 service manual has a chart of things to check for any non-operative condition of the power windows. It even tells the order in which to check them. In the case of all the windows not working, the first thing to check is fuse #3. The second is the battery charge level. Third is the function of the relay, followed by a check of the #11 ground wire. Finally, check for a short, open or bad connection in the black/yellow and green/black wires. Tests for each component (switches, motors, relays, control units, etc.) are detailed in the pages following. Locations of all grounds and connections are listed in the first pages of ch. 26.

I just can't see how any thread (and we have many, many power window threads) could improve on that.

In your case, some corrosion likely existed in the connector. On my car, I dab silicone grease on every connection I open. So far, knock on wood, I haven't had any trouble with bad connections.

Glad you got it fixed.