GTcarz - Automotive forums for cars & trucks. - fixed my passenger window off track stuck halfway, 1st DIY, damn proud

I got an used 97 Civic EX 2 door a couple of monhts ago. Squeegeed my
windows at the gas station last night, some soapy water must have
gotten in and gotten the rubber channel slippery. The window went half
way up and got stuck. Could still hear the motor whining.

I thought damn, it's going to cost $200 to fix it because that's what
my coworker paid a few weeks ago for similar problem. Went home and
dug out the factory manual, well there was a section on window
adjusting, so I though what the heck, I will try it.

All I had in the tools department is a couple of screwdrivers, a flash
light and a leatherman multitool (just moved here a few months back).
It took me about one and half hour to do it. Most of that time was
spent trying to put the door panel back on. Now it works ok.

1st, I popped off the speaker cover, then unscrewed 3 screws around
the speaker. Unscrewed the power window control and pulled it up.
Unplugged the wire. Pulled the door panel until the clips came off.
Tried to remove door, didn't work. After checking, realized inner door
handler needs to be taken off, manual didn't say that. The little
screw for that was hard to get off since my screwdriver was a bit fat.
The platic piece comes off by twisting and sliding it over the handle
while pulling on the handle. Easy and fun once you figure it out.

Tried to pull door off and didn't work. After checking and reading
manual, found out I need to disconnect spearker cabled. Next time,
read the whole procedure through first. Pulled the speaker out a bit
and unplugged the wires. Ouch, got a metal splinter from the back of
the speaker where the magnet has been gather stuff. Dropped the
speaker on my toes, another ouch, it's heavy.

Pulled the door off with some force and sliding it up. Finally worked.
Man, it looks ugly inside. The manuals says to take off the plastic
cover. Hmm... it's glued on. Ok, start pulling, tttzzzsss.. rip. Not
good, it's for water proofing right? Dama, time for tape. Taped it
back up. some glue around the rip. Looks good. What the heck, I
am in SoCal, get rain twice a year.

Well, gave up on the plastic cover. There is still some opening to
work with. Kept reading the manaul and figured it out it was the front
channel the window popped out of. Well, thank goodness for leatherman,
took the nut off the channel after some swearing and force. Scaped my
knuckles when it suddenly gave. Third ouch.

Poked my hand through opening and wiggled the channel, seems to be
loose now. Pluged the power windown button back on, click window down
while wiggling channel, windown went down, Yes!!!

Kept wiggling channel trying to pop the window back on track, hoping
to heck I won't break the window. Sudden, pop! Did it break? no. "Yes,
it's innnnn!"

Quick sorry to startled neighbour walking by. Back to work. clicked
the window up and down a few times, it's working. Time for a break and
a drink. Stood up, stretch, knocked something, crush, damn, dropped
the flash light and broke it. Tool count down to 3 and another 10 mins
wasted in cleaning up. Time to buy a another flashlight, and not metal
one either.

Time to put everything back, should be easy. Well, it's not, the door
panel won't go back. Everything was in the way. The power mirror
cover, the handle, the bracket that you screw in the arm rest. Brutal
force over and over again, no luck. And the damn inner molding won't
slip over the inner frame and started to come loose. Time to read
manual again.

Well, the mirror cover is supposed to be removed. But the arm rest
bracket isn't mentioned, well, it's metal and bendable so what the
heck. Some more brutal force, damn, the inner molding came loose. Took
everything off, put the inner molding back on, bend the clips in tight
with leatherman, try again.

Brutal force, brutal force, brutal force, bracket stil in the way.
Took it off, only two screws. brutal force, brutal force, yeah, door
panel on. Click window up and down. Something sound not right. Oh,
inner molding got in the way. Click window down, stick screwdriver in
and start wiggling until the molding is out of the way. Back to the
door.

Next step, put mirror cover back, hey where is it? Damn, it's stuck
inside the door panel. Good thing I haven't popped the clips back in.
Took panel off, took mirror cover out, held it up and out of the way
with elbow. Brutal force, brutal force, panle back on, screw driver
wiggle, pop mirror cover back on, pop the clips back on, slip handle
cover back on, screw it in, screw arm rest/power window button back
in, wait, no place to screw it to. Right, find bracket, put it back
in, screw in the bracket, screw in the arm rest. Plug in the speaker,
screw the speaker back in, pop the speaker cover back on. Done!!!!

What's this lying on the floor? Extra clip and another screw, oh well.
Turn the car on, window works, speaker works, drive a bit, no rattle.
All good.

Well, that's my first real DIY job on a car not counting changing
tires and the time I tried to fix the alarm and ended up pull the plug
on it instead. As you can tell, I am clumsy. Damn it, I am a
Mechanical Engineer, not a Mechanic, there is a big difference.
Anyways, It actually worked, I am proud!!!

Outcome: Working window

Tools: Small leatherman multitool (good for nuts, bending and most
useful), Flat head screwdriver (good for poping things off), Philips
screwdriver (good for screws), flashlight (nearly useless, now
deceased)

Injuries: Metal splinter in index finger(speaker), scraped
knuckle(channel nut), bruised toe (speaker and wearing sandals), cut
on back of hand (mystery)

Leftover: one screw (arm rest bracket, I think), one door clip.

Futher action: silicone lube.