Messed Up Sunroof

[zockslexus]

hey guys and gals...now I have a problem.

Sunroof will not open or close...easily.

It sounds like the gears are grinding when I push my button. It will move a bit, then grind.

furthermore, the buttons do not always do what they are supposed to do. You know, like back or forward wont work it, but tilt will...visa versa...but only for a sec. because it then grinds.

how do these things work, I saw cables in the tracks...possible cable off the track? bad gear box, bad sunroof computer?

[gbhrps]

zockslexus,

From what you describe your sunroof unit has a problem that cannot be corrected without pulling the headliner out of the car, and then removing the entire sunroof as a unit from the car. You have stripped the drive cables to the motor, or the sunroof lift/slide mechanism has broken or stripped components.

To make any repairs at all (other than replacing the drive motor) the entire assembly must come out. If you do it yourself, and then purchase an entire used unit from an autowrecker, you can swap the used one into your car. Believe me, it is not rocket science or hard to do. If you have the dealership do it ..... count on big dollars, mainly for the time it takes to remove and then replace the unit and headliner. The time and money for the actual repair of the sunroof mechanism will be small by comparison.

Another alternative is to remove and replace the headliner yourself and let the dealership do the rest. Or go a little further and remove and replace the sunroof assembly yourself, but take it to the dealership for repair. You will save a great deal of money. I did this a year or so ago on a dual sunroof Subaru Outback Wagon. As it was the cost was over $300, the dealership wanted over $600 for the entire job.

About 2 weeks ago I removed the entire tilt and slide sunroof assembly from a pickup truck, and swapped it with a used assembly, and I'm just a backyard mechanic who has been in the backyard a while. I do my own brake jobs, and I have tackled a transmission swap or two, but I'm a long way from being a service technician.

The main thing to make sure to do correctly is to ensure that all of the sunroof drain tubes get properly reconnected, and that when you reinstall the sunroof assembly, that it is fully in the closed position when placed into the roof opening. Snug up the 10 or so nuts securing the assembly, hook up the motor and wiring and test several times before tightening everything up and installing the headliner. Good Luck!