so I just pulled out my driver side window switch which struggles going up

juntjoo · 10-22-2012, 02:56 AM

I cleaned it off a little but that didn't help. How do I know it's the switch? And can you believe, I read it in here somewhere this cheap little switch costs like $150 or something? could it be the window motor?

don.davis · 10-22-2012, 05:22 AM

Juntjoo, it won't be the switch causing your window to be slow opening or closing, it's the mechanicals and dirty rails. You'll have to remove the door panel and manually clean the tracks to remove old, hardened grease and dirt, then re-lube. Honda makes a special lubricant for this but others have used other products. Try search on the troubleshooting forum; as I recall there are several posts about it.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Don

juntjoo · 10-22-2012, 05:44 AM

But it only struggles going up. And its intermittent. Still apply? Thanks

aisbell · 10-22-2012, 06:13 AM

Lack of lubrication in the window channel is likely at least part of the problem as described in this thread.

But the window track along the rear edge of the window could also slide up within the metal channel in which it's installed, wrinkle a bit, and bind the window glass. This happened to my Insight. You should be able to determine whether this is occurring by examining the window track closely. My fix was to remove the inside door panel, with the window up, grab the bottom of the window track and pull it back down in its metal channel, and then secure the window track to its metal channel so that it could not slide up again. I did this by drilling a small hole through the window channel and track at the very bottom (below where the window glass travels) and installing a cotter pin through both.

don.davis · 10-22-2012, 07:46 AM

Juntjoo, yes, that's going to be my strong guess. You can test it by manually holding the switch to move the window up or down. If it's struggling while you're sure the switch is making positive contact, it's the rails and guides that need cleaning. Ditto if it's even worse in the cold. That's been my experience with this and other cars - it's normal that over time, the grease hardens, gets dirty, and the glass simply doesn't slide as well as when new. The only fix is to get in there and clean it out - it'll make a world of difference and you'll not likely need to do it again!

Good luck!
Don

juntjoo · 10-23-2012, 02:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aisbell

Lack of lubrication in the window channel is likely at least part of the problem as described in this thread.

But the window track along the rear edge of the window could also slide up within the metal channel in which it's installed, wrinkle a bit, and bind the window glass. This happened to my Insight. You should be able to determine whether this is occurring by examining the window track closely. My fix was to remove the inside door panel, with the window up, grab the bottom of the window track and pull it back down in its metal channel, and then secure the window track to its metal channel so that it could not slide up again. I did this by drilling a small hole through the window channel and track at the very bottom (below where the window glass travels) and installing a cotter pin through both.

Thanks aisbell. I'll give it a try later...

juntjoo · 10-23-2012, 02:29 AM

How do you guys know it's not the switch? The reason I ask is cuz I've read a few threads on window switches for this vehicle and others just needing to be cleaned, and mine still doesn't work right after cleaning it, but what would the fact that half the time before even trying to go up it does absolutely nothing for about 30 sec-one minute, not even make the *click* that it often makes when it struggles up? What's that all about?

Willie Williford · 10-23-2012, 02:57 AM

Because hopefully this site is mainly based on "experience" from the masses.

Try the track lube first, takes about 3 minutes to do.

Willie

juntjoo · 10-23-2012, 03:25 AM

Thanks. Yeah, I'll try that and go from there. Just got a mosquito bite on my toe. Man, the whole toe becomes the whole bite and burns like a mofo. Gotta be the worst place for a bug bite....

juntjoo · 11-25-2012, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aisbell

Lack of lubrication in the window channel is likely at least part of the problem as described in this thread.

But the window track along the rear edge of the window could also slide up within the metal channel in which it's installed, wrinkle a bit, and bind the window glass. This happened to my Insight. You should be able to determine whether this is occurring by examining the window track closely. My fix was to remove the inside door panel, with the window up, grab the bottom of the window track and pull it back down in its metal channel, and then secure the window track to its metal channel so that it could not slide up again. I did this by drilling a small hole through the window channel and track at the very bottom (below where the window glass travels) and installing a cotter pin through both.

Are you talking about the cable running vertically in the center of the door that feels like it's going around a pulley at the bottom? If so, with the window up it doesn't feel like it's binding up anywhere. I'll check again while moving the window up and down (as best as possible)

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