How to Replace Front Window Regulator 2003-08 Honda Pilot

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Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. I hope this how-to video helps you out, and next time you need parts for your vehicle, think of 1AAuto.com. Thanks.

In this video we're going to show you how to replace the front power window regulator. We show you on the driver side, but the passenger side is basically the same procedure. This is a 2003 Honda Pilot. Should be the same procedure for 2003 to 2008. You'll need a new window regulator from 1AAuto.com, small flat blade screwdriver, Phillips screwdriver, utility knife, 10mm socket and ratchet with extension, and some tape.

Start with a flat blade screwdriver. I just like to pry the bottom of that lens and pull that light bulb out just to save the battery. You can use your hands or a flat blade screwdriver, pry out the top of this triangle piece at the top near the mirror, and the top pops out. Then the bottom kind of goes in and out and now the switch panel, pry at the bottom of it and it comes out and there is three harnesses to disconnect. They all just have little tabs that you press with your thumb or your finger and then pull the harness connection out.

The last one probably had the most difficult time with. Just hadn't been apart before. Press the tab and just pull. I used a screwdriver to help press the tab a little bit. Then it will finally come out after I work it just a little bit.

There's a small trim panel behind your inside door handle. Use a small flat blade screwdriver or a pick and pry the top of it out first. There's two black Phillips screws behind there and then one gold screw behind that blue connector and then one gold or cad plated screw down there. Use a Phillips screwdriver and remove those four screws.

Now take your door handle and pull the top of it out first. You want to pull the top out and rotate it out so you can get to the connection that's behind the door lock switch. Again, that's just a little tab that you press in with your thumb and pull it off. The door lock rod is connected, so there's a little white clip that you have to push off with your finger, or you could use a flat blade screwdriver, you push the clip off and then pull the rod up and out. The door handle comes off.

Now firmly pull around the outside of the door handle to release the clips. I mean the door panel, and lift the door panel up and off. There's one more harness on the drivers side there. Remove the speaker by removing the three Phillips screws that hold them in place. Then carefully pull it out; there's a harness. You want to squeeze the two tabs on the side. It's a little different than most of the other harnesses. You squeeze the two tabs on the side and pull it off. Remove this control module. Press the tab and disconnect the harness. Then there's two screws that hold it to the door. You want to pull back the water shield. Sometimes they'll come back without using the razor knife. You want to be careful though not to stretch the shield or rip it. What I usually do is pull on it firmly and then carefully cut the adhesive with the razor knife. Then you want to pull that down far enough so that you can easily access all the bolts that hold the regulator.

It's a cable-style window regulator so usually you hear a popping and a grinding noise, which means the cable is broken. When the cable is broken you can usually just grab the window and move it up and down by hand. You want to move it to a point where you can see the two 10mm bolts through those holes that hold the window to the regulator. Disconnect your harness by pushing on the tab and pulling it free. Then in the next scene we'll show you you want to push this clip through and then you want to take the harness clip off as well. Use a screwdriver, pull on the backside of that little clip that's pushed through and just push the little tabs in and that comes out. Then you just pry between the green connector and the orange clip and slide the green connector off the clip.

Remove the two 10mm bolts using a 10mm socket, ratchet, and extension, the two bolts that hold the window to the window regulator. I'll speed up here. Try not to drop them, but if you do drop them, it's pretty easy to reach right into the door and grab them. Now you can take the window and slide it up. We use a little painter's tape to hold it in place. To remove the regulator you'll loosen the bolts that have the holes above them and then remove the four bolts that are just in the door. We'll fast-forward here as again I remove the bolts that are in the holes and just loosen the ones that have the oblong holes. Once I've loosened and removed them, you can slide the motor up and out. Then the regulator slides up and you can maneuver it out through the large hole in the rear of the door.

When you go to reinstall your new regulator, make sure you have the two lower bolts in the motor as well as the one bolt that's towards the rear in the upper bracket. The regulator in our vehicle is actually in fine shape; I'm just doing the video to show you so we are reinstalling the original one. New ones from 1A Auto are going to fit in there just like the original and they're going to plug in just like the original. Put it into place, get those two bolts to come through the larger holes, and then slide the motor down and into place. Then hang the top rail up with that one bolt and slide it down. Make sure your harness freely goes through the hole. Make sure it doesn't get caught up in any of the cables or anything in behind. Put it through the hole and clip it back onto the clip.

I'll fast-forward here again. You want to install all the bolts and make sure they're in and going in freely. Then go around and tighten them all up. There's seven bolts in total to tighten. Now reconnect your harness and clip it back into place. Remove the tape and then slowly lower the window down to the regulator. If your holes don't line up with the hole in the door, you can plug your switches back in, turn the key on, and move the regulator to wherever you need to, and then install those two bolts that hold the regulator to the window. You may want to use a little bit glue just to help them stick into the socket so that you can put them in the holes. Get them going and then tighten them up.

Put your water shield back in place. Make sure that the door helped rod is clipped into place and then make sure you put all of the harnesses back in place currently. There's the harness for the module and then there's the harnesses for the door lock, as well as the windows. The windows go through the large hole. The door lock harness goes through the small slit. Then use the little clips as references and just stick the water shield back into the same place, making sure that the door handle rod pokes through the slit in the water shield. Plug into the speaker and secure it with the three screws. The door module, secure that with the two Phillips screws.

Get the panel close and reconnect that lower harness. Then make sure your three harnesses come up through the bottom opening and then your door lock harness comes up through the top opening. Then lift the panel up into place. It slides down to the window ledge. Get the door lock in place first. Usually actually if you pull the bottom out and push it down over the lock, it will go on a little bit easier. Set the door on the door window ledge and then push it down and help that lock through. Once it's on there right, the clips around the perimeter of it line right up and you can just give it a tap right around the perimeter and lock it in place.

Put the bottom of the triangle trim piece in first, and then rotate the top up and lock it in place. Put your door handle in place, bring it around, you'll actually want to reconnect the lock rod first, you just got to work the rod into the hole, and then flip the clip around and lock it back on. It's almost impossible to video so you just kind of see me here working it. You can hear it snap in place there, then reconnect the power door lock harness and then slide the bottom of the door handle in first and then push the rest of it into place.

Fast-forward as I put the four screws back in the two that hold the door handle and if you see me, I put that trim panel back in place as well. The two larger cad plated screws that hold the door panel in place. Make sure your door's unlocked so you don't lock yourself out accidentally and reconnect all the harnesses in the master switch and the mirror switch. Put the front of the switch panel back in place first and then push the rear of it and the middle of it down into place. Replace your bulb and lens.

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