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Since I spent some time this weekend repairing my malfunctioning sunroof, I thought I'd share my newfound knowledge with everyone. My sunroof symptoms started out with one side of the window needing manual assistance to slide shut, but it slid open fine. Then it ceased to prop up on that same side and therefore wouldn't make a proper seal when closed without the other side being propped up too high. Which in turn kept it from sliding open at all. So I removed my entire sunroof assembly in attempt to repair it.
Tools you'll need:
10mm socket and drive ratchet (I used 1/4" drive)
#2 and #3 phillips screwdrivers
flathead screwdriver
trim panel clip remover (looks like a forked head screwdriver. You can try using a flathead screwdriver)
Removal:
Remove all three "Oh sh*t!" handles by popping the end covers off using a flathead screwdriver. You need to pop them off on the sides you can see when looking up at them, not the rear ends. Once you get one side of each they'll pop off. Be very careful or you'll tear the headliner. Mine was old and nasty and in need of replacement so needless to say I didn't care if it ripped. Once those are off, use a #2 phillips screwdriver to remove the screws holding the handles in.
Remove the visors, and visor clips using a #2 phillips screwdriver.
Pop the sunroof switch bezel loose by carefully prying on the driver's side with a flathead screwdriver.
Pop the lower cover off on the rearview mirror bracket, caefully using a flathead screwdriver. You only need to pop it loose on the two sides on the end where it mounts to the roof. Then use a #2 phillips screwdriver to remove the 3 screws that hold it in.
Use a flathead screwdriver to pop the domelight cover off. Then use a #2 phillips screwdriver to remove the two screws that hold the dome light in. Remove the dome light from the harness.
Using the panel clip remover, remove the 4 tabs that hold the rear of the headliner in.
Again, using the panel clip remover, loosen up the rear window surround panels. You don't need to take them all the way out, just get them loose along the top edge and a couple loose down on the sails and on the door pillars.
Remove the trim that finishes off the sunroof opening on the headliner.
To take out the headliner, first, lay both seats flat, then work the headliner around and out the passneger's door at a diagonal.
Using a #3 phillips remove the screws that are holding in the brackets that the handles were mounted to.
Using a #2 phillips, remove the two plastic scews that hold the plastic trim pieces to the sunroof glass panel. Then remove the plastic trim pieces to expose the 6, 10mm nuts that hold the glass in.
Using a 10mm socket and ratchet, remove the 6 nuts that hold the glass in and remove the glass and shims.
Using a 10mm socket and ratchet, loosen up the sunroof frame nuts on the drivers side and passenger's side, and remove the front ones entirely. Also remove the 4 metal brackets that hold up the rear portion of the sunroof frame, they each have 3 bolts.
Release the single wire harness that's just above the drivers visor area and slip the domelight wire off the plastic clips that hold it to the sunroof frame.
Slide the hoses off each corner of the sunroof frame's drip tray.
Remove the nuts on the passenger's side and then slide the whole frame towards the passenger's side. Then carefuly maneuver the frame out of the car.
Repair:
Lay the frame flat, preferrably on a large table or a pair of saw horses.
Use a #2 phillips screwdriver to remove the screws that hold the stops in on the ends of the tracks. You only need to remove the ones that you can see down in the track, the ones on the ends can stay in, just loosen them.
Use a #2 phillips screwdriver to remove the 2 screws that hold the rear, sliding drip tray in.
Use a #2 phillips screwdriver to remove the 2 screws that hold the metal switch bracket over the motor.
in and remove the motor.
Use a #2 phillips screwdriver to remove the 3 screws that hold the motor in and remove the motor.
Manually slide both of the brackets that the glass was mounted to, to the end of the track until they come out.
You'll likely find that one of the cables has come loose from the metal tube on the rear slider/bracket. This was the case for me, the driver's side cable had come loose. I used a drill bit to clean out the metal tube. I was going to reinsert the wire and recrimp the tube, but the tube appeared to crack when I did so. So I filled the tube up with epoxy and slide the wire back in. I would recommend you go to the hardware store and go to where they have metal cable, and see if you can find a small metal ferrule that you can crimp on the portion of the wire that sticks out of the end of the tube. You need to make sure the ferrule is no larger than the metal tube on the slider, so that it will fit into the channel on the track. You may have to grind the crimped ferrule with a dremel or file it down once it's crimped and elongated to make sure it will slide back in. I would use grease to coat the cables and spray the tracks down with silicone spray lubricant, or grease them. When you slide the cables and slider brackets back into the tracks, make sure when you put the rear sliders in, that you compress the white plastic tabs a bit so they don't break off, and also make sure the front and rear sliders are as far away from each other as possible, otherwise you'll find that a rivet on the rear slider will keep it from sliding back in.
Push the sliders manually all the way to the front of the track.
Reinstall the plastic sliders that the rear drip tray mounts to and reinstall the drip tray.
Reintstall the rear track stops. Loosen the rear screws to get the holes lined up and then put the screws back into the track and retighten the rear screws.
Reinstallation:
Reinstall the sunroof track in the car.
Reinstall the glass panel and shims.
Connect the motor to the switches and to the power wire harness.
Reconnect the hoses to the drip tray. (If they ever get clogged later on down the road, find the hoses where they come out under the car and blow them out with compressed air.)
Calibration:
With the motor still uninstalled from the track, push the "close" button until the motor stops. Then push the "down" button until it stops.
Make sure the glass is still slid all the way forward.
Reinstall the motor.
Push the up button in short bursts while checking for a proper seal and flush fitting glass up top.
Once you have the glass aligned where it's flush and the seal is set, remove the drive motor.
Push the "down" button until the motor stops and then reinstall the motor.
If you have it calibrated properly it should return to a flush and sealed position when you slide the window shut or tilt it shut.
Reinstall everything else and you're done.
__________________
- Rob
Wicked White '08 EVO GSR "Jaws"
Last edited by Toolapcfan; 04-26-2004 at 04:38 PM.
Reason: typos, etc. forgot stuff
Well the glue didn't hold more than a few days. Then I broke the metal tube that the wire is supposed to be clamped into, when I was trying to fix it. So now that I got some used parts to fix it, the used part had the same problem. The wire wasn't coming out entirely but it was loose. So I crimped a 14-16 gauge ring terminal on the end and cut the ring off, so just the metal ferrule is crimped on. We'll see how long this one works. I tried to find the right part to fix this with no luck. What I need is a steel or aluminum ferrule that isn't split that is just a short little, thick walled tube that I can crimp on the wire. I'm pretty sure these are made for crimping on the end of braided cable to act as a stop to that the cable won't pull through a hole.
Rob you never cease to amaze me. I belive the b14 is identical i should know ive had mine out 3 times.
__________________ myspace
96 super black se-r caged, turbo, and gutted
03 blue by you evo 8 you know its modded
08 altima vq35 6 speed coupe wifeys daily and stock
I was at the hardware store and found what I was looking for last time but for some reason didn't look hard enough. They were at Ace hardware in the isle with the braided wire cable. They have different sizes of these and I bought what looked to be the right size, although I know it will required drilling out the hole on the round ones to make them large enough for the wire cable used in the sunroof. The ones laying on their sides are more oblong and have more oblong shaped holes, like if you were going to loop the cable and have two pieces of it in there. I think a person could bend the cable ends back over themselves and then slip one of these on and crimp it tight and it should be a permanent fix. I'm not going to mess with mine until it breaks though.
Last edited by Toolapcfan; 05-30-2004 at 08:57 PM.
WoW, that's freaking awesome. My mom said I better not touch the system, but I'm damned sure going to do it anyways. It's still in her name until I get my insurance for it. Thanks man!
Mine is still acting up, although it only needs assistance at first. I'm thinking that due to slack in the cable connection on one side, it's just getting in a bind. I'm planning to just weld a bead to the end of the cable, right where it meets the aluminum, that way it will NEVER pull through.
Toolapcfan, for those of us that have crusty sunroof shade, how do you remove just that if we wanted to replace it? Not to mention the visors are gone to hell and the headliner is drooping.
-Mike
__________________
I've always wanted a RWD SE-R, maybe after I win the Lotto.
I don't know but I think it's common that if the thing quits working due to it binding up it's because the cable came loose from the metal ferrule it was crimped into. Since you have to pull the headliner out, you can scrape the old foam backed fabric off and get teh cardboard cleaned up. Then spray it with headliner adhesive until it's tacky and then lay the fabric over, just make sure it's tacky, not wet, and don't push it in hard, otherwise you'll soak the glue through the foam into the fabric which will ruin it, and it'll look like sh*t. As for the visors, I'd do the same with those I guess. You pretty much have to pull the whole sunroof track out to get the sun shade out.
Kudos to you my friend...this is very helpful and insightful. I am gonna take a stab at is this weekend. My 91's sunroof doesn't retract but it does flip open and closes.
Thanks man.
I tried to do the repair, but I didnt see any wires sticking out of the tubes? I also could not remove the brackets the sunroof glass attaches to? Any suggs?
Thanks
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I/H Pulley, shifter, and lowered.
