I have a 1990 Civic Si Hatch with a sunroof. Pretty much the only thing that's power-operated in the car is the sunroof... and guess what malfunctions? Urgh.

It opened just fine today, but did not close when I arrived at my destination. The button seems strange, it doesn't seem to "spring" back to it's neutral position as fast as it did before, so that might be a sign something is weird with it.
I checked the fuses under the dash and both the wiper/sunroof relay one and the one for just the sunroof are fine. I had to get "the sunroof tool" and crank it closed.

Have an appointment booked with my mechanic for Tuesday, but if this is something I might be able to fix myself, I'd love to hear what to do. Any idea what's wrong? Are there fuses or relays or something in places other than under the dash? Or did I just wear out a wire or the switch mechanism and it's best left to a professional?

Thanks in advance,
Melissa

 

Hey Melissa,
I own the exact model that you do, and i laughed because it is a bit ridiculous how the only power option is the sunroof.
When i first bought the car i had the exact problems as you. Sometimes i couldn't close it, sometimes it wouldn't open... If it opens, then it is not the fuse. Is it making a noise when you press the button to close it? It may have been jammed when you were attempting to close it. Take a look at the mechanics surrounding it, to ensure that it's not getting caught up. Or, try using the sunroof tool to crank it back halfway, then see if the button will close it. If not, then it is probably an electrical problem.
Good luck

 

search! its been covered, there is a write up about takign the swithc out and cleaning it

most of the time its the switch than anythgin else

do this firs tthen go for soemthign else or maybe go to the junk yard and pick yourself up a switch

Edit: https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1637798

or try this one

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1218089

 

I did search, and it came up nothing, no results. Can you link me to the discussion(s)?

There is absolutely no noise when I push the switch, either to open it or close it, which makes me think that it's more likely to be in the switch itself than the wiring to it. But I have no idea. As for going to buy a switch at the junk yard, I'm not sure I'm that keen on doing that, not only because I don't know how to get it out, but also because I have no idea if that's the problem.
I didn't try to close (or re-open) it once I'd got out the crank. I have a crap-load of stereo equipment in the trunk and it was a massive pain to even get to the crank, but thankfully it's nice outside, so I could go and try it again. It didn't appear to be jammed, it didn't sound any different when it opened, and there didn't seem to be any problems when I cranked it closed (other than what I think was a normal amount of resistance). The tracks looked clean and clear and it closed without any problems. Hmmm... I'll give it another try after I have lunch and see if anything is different.

Freaky: How did yours get fixed? And I think it's hilarious that I have manual steering and a power sunroof, but I'm glad that it's not a manual sunroof! I used to have an '84 Prelude, same deal on the power options, and it never failed to make me laugh for that car, too. But that sunroof never malfunctioned, so this issue is new to me.

Thanks,
Melissa

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dogmelissa &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Freaky: How did yours get fixed?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Unfortunately for your sake, the sunroof seemed to have fixed itself. It periodically malfunctions, and rarely works in the winter due to snow. Hope you find some answers

 

Sorry for the delay.... the car went into the mechanic over a week ago, and it was the switch that had gone. Lucky for me (he was worried) it wasn't the wiring between the switch and the actual roof, just the switch. So he replaced it and now it works perfectly fine. $105 after tax... sounds like a lot for a switch, but if I work it out to cost/use, it's probably less than a penny for the times I've used it since I got the car. Considering the car is now 17 years old, I don't see any reason why the new switch won't last another 17 years. I know the body will be all rusted out before the switch wears out!

Thanks guys!
Melissa

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dogmelissa &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">$105 after tax... sounds like a lot for a switch</TD></TR></TABLE>

That is a lot for a switch. Should've gotten one from a junkyard or a H-T member or eBay. Holy shatz0r that is expensive.

 

Good job on the fix, it's too bad that it was so expensive for a switch and some wiring though