How To Fix Your Slow Windows

[Dr_Snooz]

We get threads about slow windows every so often, so here's what I do to fix mine.

What you will need:

- White grease
- Light oil
- Silicone (dielectric) grease
- Parts brush and degreaser (optional)

Start by removing the door panel. There are 10 screws holding it on.



Remove the handle trim. The panel is held on with a number of plastic clips. If you just yank on the panel, they will simply pull out of the panel. The panel will be damaged and the clips won't hold anymore. Then your panel will rattle when you drive. Carefully pull back the panel and use a tool to pry the clips away from the door. They sell special tools for this purpose, but I use a gasket scraper.



You just want something broad and flat to get in between the clip and the door. The panel is still held to the top of the door by a series of clips. To get it off, pull out slightly on the bottom of the panel so it clears the door handle when you pull it. Then grasp firmly on the corner of the panel and pull up firmly and quickly.



Disconnect any wire connections. Depending on the door and your submodel, there will be a window switch and a courtesy light.

[Dr_Snooz]

Behind the panel is the moisture barrier. It is a thick sheet of plastic stuck to the door with putty.



The plastic degrades over time and becomes quite fragile. By contrast, the putty turns to concrete. You want to peel back the moisture barrier carefully, minimizing rips, and only peeling back enough to allow you access to the window regulator. Use a sharp knife to cut the putty where needed. In my case, the seat belt is bolted over the barrier, so that's as far back as I peel it.

If you have power windows, at this point, they will be completely disabled. You need to move the window so you can work on it, so remove the window switch from the door panel and plug it into the connector.



It's helpful to have some Krazy Glue on hand for any plastic repairs you encounter.



At this point, I figured out why my windows won't roll all the way down.



It turns out there is a clearance issue between my aftermarket speakers and the window. I guess I get to deal with that.

STOP! If you are in a hurry, you can just move the window around and lube as much of the regulator as you can reach. I've done that in the past and it works just fine. If you are feeling OCD, then keep reading.

We will be removing the regulator entirely to clean it up and re-lube it. Start by loosening the rear window guide. Remove the one lower bolt holding it down. On my coupe, the bolt is hidden behind the seat belt.

[Oldblueaccord]

I know your building this how too but anyway to restick the vapor barrier?

Also i bought the 4 door window motor which is way cheaper then the two door and swaped the slides on it.

Wp

[Dr_Snooz]

Disconnect the window motor wire connector. It's this yellow wire that goes into the door. It's held to the door by one of these barbs that are nearly impossible to remove without mangling.



Then remove the two bolts holding the window to the regulator. Here is the front bolt.



And the rear.



After some maneuvering, the window comes out like this.



Remove the regulator bolts. Note that the two bolts on the right are your adjuster bolts. When you put the window back in, be sure to check the adjustment by running the window up and down a few times before putting the door back together. If the regulator is misadjusted, the window will bind in the track and/or whistle on the highway.



Remove the regulator from the largest, bottom hole in the door.

[Dr_Snooz]

Take a moment to douse the felt rails with silicone spray lube. They can produce a lot of friction on a window.



Here is the regulator.


On mine, the grease is all hard and crusty. A lot of it flaked off when I scraped it. It's not lubricating anything like this.


My regulator also shows a lot of wear. Notice the worn and cracked wheel. All the other wheels look like this.



I should replace the regulator, but I'm broke, so I'll just clean it up as best I can and put it back.

[Dr_Snooz]

I removed the motor to be able to clean the regulator better. I scored the position of the motor on the regulator before removing it so I could put it back correctly. The motor is held to the regulator by three 8mm bolts.



Grease all the gear teeth and the rails. Oil all the pivot points and reassemble. I tend to hog the grease on sloppily and let it distribute itself.



I scavenged some leather door panel inserts at the junkyard years ago and took this opportunity to swap them in.



Door panel reinstallation is tricky and not even the dealership knew how to install these properly. Along the top of the door panel is a row of black metal clips.



They look like this close up.

[Dr_Snooz]

The clips straddle this raised seam on the top of the door.



If you rest the panel on the door, you will be able to see the clips from the outside of the door. Make sure they clip onto the raised seam or the panel will not sit flush with the window.

Complete reassembly, then finish up by admiring your handiwork.

[lostscotiaguy]

So you uhhhh....don't uhhh...happen to have a 2nd Gen Prelude you've done this to have you? LOL My windows are LONG overdue for this treatment but I've never had the guts to try. I'll do just about anything to my cars but windows scare me for some reason. Thanks for posting this...I might have to muster up my courage after seeing this, especially considering the groans and squeals I get out of my driver's side window: It's like there's a small robotic animal being tortured inside my door every time I lower it.

[Dr_Snooz]

I know your building this how too but anyway to restick the vapor barrier?

Also i bought the 4 door window motor which is way cheaper then the two door and swaped the slides on it.

Wp

The vapor barrier is fairly rigid. It just needs to stay put long enough for you to get the panel over it.

I've had this door panel off before and none of the putty was holding, but the barrier stayed in place just fine.

[Buzo]

Great and detailed information, thank you. I have a whistling window, so I was going to ask but found the answer right below the pic where chester is in the background .

[Legend_master]

Awesome write up, I did the first half and never removed regulator.

[MessyHonda]

most of our cars have slow rolling windows. good write up and nice upgrade on the door panel.

[2oodoor]

yes, I remember even the DX I had with manual windows that were even tough to roll.

[EbidaDragon]

Thanks for this! Really going to need it for my driver's and passenger windows, since they can tend to whistle on the highway at times. Passenger regulator is a bit lazy as well.

[Dr_Snooz]

Any votes for sticky?

[2ndGenGuy]

STICKY!!!! Very well done Dr. Snooz! My friend has been having troubles with his Civic windows going slow. He was using white lithium grease (suggested by dealer) on the felt tracks, and it kept drying up and slowing back down. He even replaced the regulator with a new unit. He is now going to try your suggestion of the silicon grease. How long has that held up for you?

[Legend_master]

Snooze do you think the drivers side motors would bolt on to the base of the passenger side regulator. Looks like 2 screws to keep it down. If used properly we could have auto up and down windows fairly easily with a switch/motor swap.

[Dr_Snooz]

Snooze do you think the drivers side motors would bolt on to the base of the passenger side regulator. Looks like 2 screws to keep it down. If used properly we could have auto up and down windows fairly easily with a switch/motor swap.

Typically, the motors are mirror images of each other. It looks like the bolt pattern is the same, however, so maybe you can make it work. I don't know if you'd run into space issues though.

STICKY!!!! Very well done Dr. Snooz! My friend has been having troubles with his Civic windows going slow. He was using white lithium grease (suggested by dealer) on the felt tracks, and it kept drying up and slowing back down. He even replaced the regulator with a new unit. He is now going to try your suggestion of the silicon grease. How long has that held up for you?

I have only had to do this one time. I end up selling the car before I have to do it again.

You know, after rebuilding the combo switch and doing that one window, the car feels new again. I think these "livability" issues are some of the most important when it comes to keeping an old car going. When the wipers don't work right and the windows don't roll down and the hood rod rattles around and the seatbelts won't retract, etc. etc. etc., you get bummed. These issues can make all the difference between a car you keep, and one you send to the crusher. If you're driving around in a car with numerous livability issues, when it comes time to rebuild the transmission, you're going to pass and sell the car. The deal is, however, that the livability issues are usually cheap and easy to fix. Buying a new car isn't.

We should focus more on livability issues as a board.

[Legend_master]

My question is about just the motor, not the gear mechanism it's attached to. I've never removed one, so I have no clue if its even possible. Looks like it has 2 screws attaching it. I attached pic with this, bare with me it was all done on an iPhone, and the app stretches the pic out.

[Dr_Snooz]

The motor's are different. They attach with three bolts, but they are mirror images of each other. The motor on the driver's side will have the armature pointing in the opposite direction. That will be an issue when you try to mount it on the passenger regulator.

[Legend_master]

The motor's are different. They attach with three bolts, but they are mirror images of each other. The motor on the driver's side will have the armature pointing in the opposite direction. That will be an issue when you try to mount it on the passenger regulator.

So what if we switched up/down, switched the leads going to the motor? Would that solve the problem? I'm think thinking the biggest issue would be mounting, and wiring would be simple.

[2drSE-i]

So what if we switched up/down, switched the leads going to the motor? Would that solve the problem? I'm think thinking the biggest issue would be mounting, and wiring would be simple.

You can actually turn the magnet on the motor around to accomplish this. Ask me how I know

[ecogabriel]

Very nice how-to. It should be STICKY!!!

I had to replace the driver's side front regulator in mine - a junkyard unit did fine after replacing lube - but the window was still slow because I did not apply lubricant to the felt guides.
Working the regulator adjustment bolts (the two farthest to the right in your #4 posting) loosened the window enough to run freely for most of its travel except for the last couple of inches before the windows is totally down.
Since that worked out fine for me, I reproduced the same adjustment on the passenger side front window and works fine. Now I have two normally working windows (front) and two tortoises in the rear. When it rains, the rear windows slow down to a crawl, so I would need to address those as well either with a lazy method (mine) or a thorough one (yours)

I wonder if those felt guides can be replaced, and how expensive that might be

In post #2 you mentioned the broken plastic parts - where the screws are located. I have had luck fixing broken plastic using a sleeve made with a few coils of a spring. I look for one that is soft - the steel is of a thinner gauge - and that is slightly smaller than the outer diameter. Then I cut a few coils - as much as the piece can take - and start sliding over the plastic part. It makes for a tight sleeve that limits the degree to which the plastic can expand.
The trick works well for radio knobs - the first place in which I used it.

Again, Nice Work!

[charliekuney]

Sticky this shit. Probably one of the foremost problems with these cars that's almost a guarantee to have.

[2oodoor]

It's good. It is in how to already.