fuzzysig

my success rate with fixing the windows is about 70-80% without replacing the whole assembly its just a little bit time consuming(a good weekend project)
many Hondas suffer from this along with other cars
first gen cr-v especially is notorious for non working windows
the short cause of the problem
1 dirty seals that put more load on the motor
2 neurotic friends that keep pushing the button even though the window is already up or down they continue to hold button or keep pushing it again and again to"make sure its closed"
are pretty much the only causes of non working windows. so when you see your buddy holding the button you have a right to slap him and tell him never to do it again or pay for the window repair later.

how to tell:
when you press the window button you hear a relay click but nothing happends or window gives off a squeal and moves 2mm and stops every time it is the dead motor
when you push the button and nothing at all happends theres no relay sound that means its the window regulator button that has its contacts burned and they are coated with non conductive dust from sparking.( also from holding the button too long or clicking it continuously with window up or down ) you can also take the button apart and clean contacts if its an emergency)

the problem:
in most cases besides cables or rails breaking which is less common, the brushes on the window motor overheat and fuse to their sliding rails. eventually wear out to a point of not making contact
and spark. creating more heat etc
they get stuck in place and spring doesn't push them out to make contact
theres dust from the brushes also that doesn't help anything




solutions:
1 very temporary solution. when window is half way down and you just need to roll it up or put it in position to remove the glass etc
bang the door on the door handle. or wherever the bigger bolt holding it to the door metal so it transfers the shock to the motor and break the brushes loose
I have relatively high success rate doing that
2 take the door panel off and find the 3-4 10mm bolts that hold the window regulator assembly in place. pick one or all 3 and use a socket or extension and give it few decent hammer bangs.
not hard to bust your window or make a dent. just enough to give the motor a good shock so the brushes get loose.
3 if you re into DIY then you can go to pick and pull and take apart a good working window and take the motor parts from there and swap them to yours, or just pay 40 bucks for the whole regulator assembly.
4 obviously can also just buy the whole regulator assembly and replace it.


note. the motor itself is identical on all 90s even some newer Hondas. but the gearbox and cables/rails are different for each model.
you can check part numbers on acuraautomotiveparts and majestic Honda to see if they are interchangeable.
the buttons are sometime also interchangeable but those you will have to compare when in hand and taken apart