99 Honda CRV no reverse lights and other ??

[Drewet1988]

Hey everyone I recently bought a 99 CRV with 191,000+ miles, manual transmission, and there are a few things I should have noticed that I didn't like the drivers side window only going half way down (back when I was a smoker that would've been noticed), the weird squeak/squeal it makes when doing U-turns, and no reverse lights. I'm going to start with the reverse lights since it seems pretty important too me.

I've already changed the light bulbs and checked the fuses and neither helped. I only have about a month to get it working or I'll have to take it to the shop and let them hunt down the problem so hopefully that is more than enough time.

Where should I start in trying to get my reverse lights to cut on?

~Drew~

EDIT: I think the squeak/squeal may just be from the rear diff after doing some more reading. I'll change the rear diff fluid and see if that helps with the problem.

[DeltaP]

Need to get a wiring diagram for that year CRV. Check reverse switch and connections. Then start tracing wiring. See if ya got power going to the switch then see if power goes thru the switch with car in reverse, key on. Use the wiring diagram to trace wiring harness and harness connectors down the line to the rear lamps. Make sure you use a WIRING DIAGRAM not a SCHEMATIC DRAWING. The latter is theory and can be confusing.
The diagram can also help with the power window issue. Usually a regulator, motor or both on a car with that mileage. HTH

[Drewet1988]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll see if i can find a manual at AutoZone or something tomorrow, hopefully that has the wiring diagram in it. I'll reply again with an update after i have some results.

EDIT: Got a manual at Autozone and it has a wiring diagram. First I'm going to check the shifter linkage, I've heard slack in the linkage can cause the switch to not complete its circuit, and if thats not the problem I'll change the backup light switch.

Thanks again
~Drew~

[Drewet1988]

O.K. so I never checked the shifter linkage because it was easier to test the electrical and the switch and I figured I should start with the easy stuff first.

All signs point to a bad switch, its special order so I will have it between 2-4 days depending on if I can find the time to order it today. To test the switch i went to the back up light switch on the transaxle and checked for power to the plug. It had power but the switch doesn't engage, when I bypassed the switch by directly connecting the wiring together the lights came on so I think its the switch.

[jrsick]

Did you check the fuses? The owner's manual will give you the location for the reverse lights. Also, was the vehicle wired for towing? If so, the previous owner may have spliced into the line and developed a short. This shouldn't be a difficult problem.

[Drewet1988]

Originally Posted by jrsick

Did you check the fuses? The owner's manual will give you the location for the reverse lights. Also, was the vehicle wired for towing? If so, the previous owner may have spliced into the line and developed a short. This shouldn't be a difficult problem.

Sorry it took so long for me to reply its been a busy month so this car got put on the back burner for a while. I checked the fuses and everything else it wasn't any of that. I ended up changing the back-up light switch and that fixed all of my problems and only took a few minutes.

Now I can change out all of the fluids and see if that is the squeal/squeak I occasionally hear. If it isn't I'll have to start another thread haha.

Thanks for all the help this time around it was the back-up light switch which is a simple fix.

~Drew

[DeltaP]

Thanks for posting back.That's what makes these forums work. Did you get anywhere with the window?

[Drewet1988]

Originally Posted by DeltaP

Thanks for posting back.That's what makes these forums work. Did you get anywhere with the window?

That's exactly why I wanted to make sure I posted the end results, didn't want to leave out something that could potentially help others.

I didn't get anywhere with the window, I asked at my local auto zone about changing the brushes in the motor but they don't sell the brushes, only the motor. I'll try looking around for them some more but if I can't find any I'll just have to try my hand at replacing the motor.

~Drew~