I got the back driver-side window fixed in the Accord today, which is a major point of happiness. I was so happy that I wanted to see how it felt to drive with all the windows down and the sunroof open again. I wanted fresh air! As I rolled down the back passenger-side I heard a sickening crack, but it wasn’t the window. [Edit: This is actually the OTHER back window, not the one I just fixed]. I hoped maybe the windows bolts had slipped since that’s an easy fix.

My ass. Here is my step-by-step guide to diagnosing a problem power window in a 1991 Honda Accord SE.

1. Remove the door panel screws. There are 3 screws hidden by covers you must remove before the door panel can be pried off. OK, when this manual says “pry” it actually means gently lift. If my “prying” was rotationally measured then I would have applied the equivalent of 1500 ft-lbs of torque to the screw covers. Damage = 2 broken screw covers.

2. Remove door panel. Once the screws are removed the door panel can be lifted off. When the manual says “lift”, it actually means kick, curse and yank as hard as possible until door panels bursts off. I didn’t want to break the damn thing. Nobody will notice a couple of broken screw covers. Everybody will notice that my door has no inside. Damage = 10 sore fingers due to “lifting”.

3. Remove light switch and power window actuator. Light switch? No problem. Actuator? Um…the manual says “pull the actuator switch out of the switch housing”. This actually means “depress the lever hidden underneath the connection to easily slide the switch out”. Damage = 1 power window actuator switch - may or may not stay connected due to broken hidden lever.

4. Look inside the steel door for power window problem. Fix problem.

Here’s the annotated text to step 4. The structure of the door is pretty standard - behind the door panel is a hollow steel door with compartments to reach the window mechanism, be it manual or automatic. OK, here’s the meat of the issue. I hoped that the window bolt had come loose and all I had to do was tighten/replace it since the compartment for doing so is nice and big. No such luck. As I looked inside the door, I see a little plastic piece hanging out in the bottom. I’m no mechanic, but I know little plastic pieces are NOT supposed to be hanging out in the bottom of doors. It’s just not the proper thing to do for little plastic pieces. The motor pulley had shed itself of this seemingly important part. Apparently, that little dude guides the metal strands when the pulley sends the window up or down. Examining the pulley closer, I saw that the strands were all messed up and cutting into the motor, which didn’t allow the window to close all the way. We all know what the best way to fix this problem is, right? That is correct, keep rolling the window up while forcing the glass to the top. Damage = 1 power window mechanism; 1 stuck window.

I don’t know how much those things cost, but since I screwed it up so badly, the window could fall back into the door at any moment and I have a 1/4 inch gap now.

And all I wanted was some fresh air.

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