Moonroof broken (open, of course)

[Patrick]

I got in my car to go to work earlier today, and since it was a beautiful day, I decided, "Hey, let's open the sunroof!" It opened just fine, but when I got to work and went to close it... it moved about an inch, and stopped. It'll move back and forth in that one inch, but that's about it.

I got home about an hour ago and pulled the panel off from the headliner over the back seat, and two of the mounting screws fell out, and there was a loose wire with an O connector on it. I found where the two screws went, and could see the motor tighten up into place, but the moonroof still wouldn't move further than one inch back and forth.

Since it will move a little bit, the motor obviously has power going to it, but I'm wondering if it doesn't have enough, because it looks like it's not even trying to move after that. I doubt that any of the "teeth," so to say, have stripped off because it's not making a scraping noise or anything like somethings just not connecting, and the motor isn't vibrating like it's trying to do anything.

Quite simply, it seems to know when it's open, and then when you push the close button, it moves an inch and thinks it's gone the full distance and closed it. Any ideas? I had a long day at work and can't look at it any more tonight, and I'm going on a poker run tomorrow morning so I'm not going to take anything apart to even try to look at it for at least 14 hours.

Any help / walkthroughs / relative pictures you guys can provide will be of great help. Y'all have never let me down before.

 

[driller]

Sound like it lost its synchronization.

Motor Synchronization (Timing)

The motor must be synchronized. Any time the moon roof motor is removed from the vehicle, it must be checked for synchronization before it is installed.

1. Operate glass panel until rear of glass panel is flush with sheet metal surface.

2. Remove motor access cover.

3. Remove two motor retaining screws.

4. Lower motor away from splined motor gear driveshaft of moon roof gear box.

5. Using control switch, operate motor until it is shut off by the microswitch. Check timing of motor (centerline of the gear, the hole in the cam and the centerline of the cam are aligned). Also, check that the notch in the cam for the microswitch and the microswitch are aligned.

If the motor is not synchronized, adjust it as follows:

a. Connect battery ground cable.

b. Connect motor wiring connector to moon roof wiring connector.

c. Operate control switch to advance motor drive gear until notch in cam and microswitch are aligned.

d. Disconnect motor wiring connector from moon roof wiring connector.

e. From the retracted position, crank glass panel assembly flush with roof panel.

6. To time moon roof, align yellow paint line on the splined motor shaft with the yellow paint mark on motor gear cover plate next to it. When these marks are in alignment, the moon roof and the motor are both synchronized.

7. Install motor onto splined motor gear driveshaft.

8. Install motor retaining screws.

9. Install motor cover.

You need a manual.

Crank, that is.

Manual Operation

To close the sliding panel manually, remove the roof access hole trim panel located at the rear of the moon roof assembly. Remove the motor and bracket assembly, as outlined to expose the splined shaft of the moon roof drive gear box. Using a typical corporate door window regulator crank handle properly set on the splined shaft, crank the moon roof panel closed.

 

[Patrick]

hahahaha @ the ending comment. And thanks much for the walkthrough on synchronizing it. Here's hoping it works! (not that I doubt you, or anything...)

Edit: Oh, and one of these door window regulator crank handles... can these be purchased at a place such as Advance Auto? And if there isn't a place that I can get one on a Sunday, is there an alternative?

 

[LeoC2]

My car has this problem nearly every Spring. Before you go through the syncro process above first try cleaning out the entire mechanism. I use compressed air and blow it all clean and then the roof operates normally. It appears to me to be debris in the channels that prevent the window form closing all the way just enough to force it to pop open again. A good blast with the compressor has always worked.

 

[Patrick]

Well, I got it fixed. Thank you soooo much for your help! And I guess I lucked out... it didn't rain last night, even though the weathermen thought it would. You'd think I'd know by now not to trust them... lol!

Edit: I'll go ahead and clean it out soon, too, Leo; I mean, it couldn't hurt could it? Like I said, though, two of the mounting screws fell out, so that was the problem (it fell off the track).