Sunroof DIY Fix???

[SpoCom2nr]

It seems to me that everyone has a problem with their sunroof... Many of us would want it fixed, plus it might help when it comes to trading or selling the car if it actually worked. :rofl:

I haven't discovered how to fix it yet, but I am discovering things very quickly...

Today was my first true go at getting towards the motor etc...

Yesterday, I simply checked the fuse... This is fuse number 21 I believe... It's orange an is rated at 40Amps. This not only helps in powering and protecting the sunroof circuit, but the drivers side and passenger's side door as well... It's safe to say that if you're windows work but your sunroof doesn't, the problem is most likely NOT the fuse...

Yesterday I also checked my tracks on the sunroof... The panel is held in by four torx... I can't remember what size, but they aren't too big... Unscrew those four torx, and the panel comes right off. There are two on the left side, and two on the right side... Once the panel is off you should be able to check if you tracks are cracked or broken...

Today I actually found the motor that powers the sunroof... It's not too hard... It's right above the middle cieling display... First you need a pick to pull on the light panel... This is the panel that contains the two swiveling lights as well as the one that illuminates when the car door is opened (both in one panel)...

Once you get this small panel off, you will see two torx that were hidden underneath it... These need to come out in order to take the actual display out (the one that shows the snow flake, wrench etc). Once these two torxs are out, you simply put your hands behind it (so your hands are almost touching the windshield) and pull down on it...

You will also need to take out the inside hooks that hold the visors... Both passenger and drivers side... My passenger's side came out really easy and clean... I tried to be careful with the drivers side too, but it kind of broke... Just a little. :rolleyes:

Once you have all this stuff out you will also want to remove the weather trim where the sunroof is on the inside of the car... That cream color vinyl trim... It's not glued on or anything, so it should come of rather easily...

Once you have all this off, you should be able to peak pull down the carpet on the cieling a good few inches and see the motor which operates the sunroof... BE VERY CAREFUL... IF YOU USED THE MOTOR RECENTLY, IT MAY BE VERY HOT!!!

I'm currently in the process of testing if my motor is actually bad... I'm kind of confused on how to... But I did probe the switch and I don't think that's bad...

I hope to add pictures of my process so far since directions can be confusing without them... And make this a great how to...:) It's been rather interesting so far...

[kustomcougar]

and did you fix it?

[montauk]

I haven't discovered how to fix it yet, but...

...

[kustomcougar]

so this was pretty much a how to take out the moon roof and look at the sunroof motor?

[montauk]

check out this thread....

http://www.newcougar.org/forums/garage-talk/61122-fixing-my-sunroof-zero-degree-weather-3.html

[skater]

:moved: This is a How-To.

[boarder4life]

The main issues with the sun roof are the sliders at the rear of the track, the vertical portion is made of metal, but the part on the bottom that attachs to linkage for the motor to pull is made of plastic and snaps off with little stress being applied to it. thats why alot of people can't manually close the sunroof afterwards it is being blocked by that piece. the front sliders have broke but normally it is only the rears since the slide around more often then the fronts.

[SpoCom2nr]

so this was pretty much a how to take out the moon roof and look at the sunroof motor?

Not yet done... I'm currently looking for prices on a new motor... I was just kind of writing what I did for now...

I plan to get pictures up and stuff...

Unless this how to has been done already...

I did talk to the master tech at my job today and told him that when I tried operating the sunroof the motor was extremely hot... This is not normal... And I have power going to the motor... So I am almost extremely sure it's the motor... But I am going to look inside the tracks again to make sure nothing is blocking it for sure... I couldn't see anything the first time and second time I looked...

He say says he's good with one of the parts stores... Nu-Way or something like that... Might be able to get me one for $100 bucks...

But I'm still shopping around for this part.

[02coug]

I havnt heard of any good cheap solutions yet. So keep on it and good luck I hope you figure something out:thumbsup:

[SpoCom2nr]

I havnt heard of any good cheap solutions yet. So keep on it and good luck I hope you figure something out:thumbsup:

I hear you. I feel like this isn't going to be an easy task...

If I find out anything though, this forum will be the first to know...

If it cost too much for my taste still, It's going to be plastic bag over the sunroof when it rains deal...:rolleyes:

I'm still talking to tech... And he wants me to find a way to make sure that it is the motor... He doesn't want me to buy the motor and that's not the problem...

Also keep in mind that I'm going to school to be a tech... I'm not as developed and my skills aren't steak knife sharp... Lol... So this might take some time... But I want to figure this out and learn something at the same time. ;)

My one question though... How do you wash a car with the sunroof stuck open? Lmao! That just dawned on to me today... I'm a guy who loves washing his car...

[devildog]

My one question though... How do you wash a car with the sunroof stuck open? Lmao! That just dawned on to me today... I'm a guy who loves washing his car...

I usually just run some duct tape around to keep the water from getting in while wash it, but mine is not stuck open just cracked a little. You could just throw like a piece of metal over it and tape it down while you wash it, ha a red neck vehicle umbrella i guess.

[contrapaul]

:biggrin:

Look at my cardomain.

B3NN3TT will kill me dead if I explain here... :rofl:

[SpoCom2nr]

I usually just run some duct tape around to keep the water from getting in while wash it, but mine is not stuck open just cracked a little. You could just throw like a piece of metal over it and tape it down while you wash it, ha a red neck vehicle umbrella i guess.

Guess I'm red neck then, because I already thought of doing those things.:rolleyes:

[SpoCom2nr]

Well I have some good news... I didn't fix the sunroof yet... But after I messed around with the tech, we figured that the following items must be ok:

*The Sunroof Relay
*The Sunroof Switch
*The Sunroof Tracks
*The Fuse

These are key things you will want to test/inspect if your sunroof stops working.

So what we have concluded is that the motor has reached the end of its life... The master tech told me it is probably going to be costly (Surprise! Like all of you didn't know that.:rolleyes:). The motor is made in France, and doesn't come seperate from everything else... So this is why it will cost a lot most likely... I don't know how to define a lot... But probably takes up most of the cost out of the 1,000 that it takes to get it fixed at the dealer... I don't see them paying to much for the job at a dealer since it only takes me 10 minutes to get everything down and out the way to get to the motor.

More good news... I was able to close my sunroof manually... The master tech who helped me though told me this is only possible if your tracks are not broke...

Anyone who would like to know how to close their sunroof manually OR if you need help testing/inspecting any of the following items mentioned above, I am willing to write a DIY to the best of my ability with pics included. If interested just post in this thread...

News just in...

Cougar2 just told me the sunroof motor retails for about $365.00 new if he's not mistaken...

[IdealProductz]

im glad my cou-gah doesnt have a sunroof, just from some of the horror stories i read. Good luck tho man

[SpoCom2nr]

im glad my cou-gah doesnt have a sunroof, just from some of the horror stories i read. Good luck tho man

You're lucky. I can't believe I'm saying that. :biggrin:

I don't think I will get a sunroof on any car I get in the future ever again, just because of this one sunroof issue...

[IdealProductz]

[QUOTE=SpoCom2nr;1461729]You're lucky. I can't believe I'm saying that. :biggrin:

haha every car i ever owned w a sunrood leaked, EXCEPT for my eclipse, never had a issue with it

[freednighthawk]

Both of the car's I've had with sunroofs, my old 87 blazer, and the Cougar, dont have sunroof issues (knock on wood).

I love the blazer's sunroof though, aftermarket manual with removable glass!

[CougarGuy1802]

i'll provide a write up in a few months. i am an electrical tech at a local chevy dealer so i'm thinkin i can figure this out. i just need to get off my lazy butt and diag this thing. im just dissappointed due to me having an 02 and it only opens one side lol. but keep it up man, and don't try to be a tech in michigan, very poor economic decision.

Steve

[tuka]

i can close my roof by hand all the way how do i make it stay down

[SpoCom2nr]

i'll provide a write up in a few months. i am an electrical tech at a local chevy dealer so i'm thinkin i can figure this out. i just need to get off my lazy butt and diag this thing. im just dissappointed due to me having an 02 and it only opens one side lol. but keep it up man, and don't try to be a tech in michigan, very poor economic decision.

Steve

Lol. Very poor decision up here in NY too... After seeing what this kind of job has to offer, I'm thinking of just becoming a state trooper afterwards... I'll have enough college credits to be one by the time I finish the Toyota program...

As for the sunroof thing... I'm not going to bother replacing the motor since I was able to get my sunroof closed... I am thinking of getting a different car at the end of the year anyways... But then I might just drive this into the ground also...

I'm sure people would like to know how to fix their sunroofs tho... So if you could write a DIY I'm sure it'd be useful to someone.;)

[DetroitCougar]

My moon roof broke after a year of ownership on my 2000 Cougar. Here I am now 4 years later because it was difficult to close it after it broke and it has not leaked a drop since and I pretty much just left it. Now I miss it a lot and think its time to fix the problem. I remember what was wrong with mine as some small connector piece which held the roof to the track on the driver side had snapped in two. I believe this is the plastic piece susceptible to breaking under stress that was described earlier. Is there a part number anyone has for this part by chance or where to get one. The best way to describe the part is a small flat piece with a notch to connect to the track and a notch for the roof. Once this broke only the other side would move as it was connected and the broken side would not as the connector piece was broke though the track still moved on the broken side.
Would this be hard for someone with a fair amount of experience working on the car? Is this one part hard to get? Any links or info would be great

[matemorh]

I have a broken track AND a good working sunroof motor to sell for cheap........ if it could help you!

[bodkins_adam01]

i don't know what is wrong with mine when I took my headliner out the motor wasn't connected to the switch and the motor was also broken. The spindle part at the end just fell out of place. Since I got it the roof was closed so I haven't been able to check the tracks for fear of not getting it closed again. A friend of mine took his powered sunroof out of his grand am and replaced it with a sheet of metal and cant really tell it was ever there. But he also told me it took alot of time and prep and screwing up and then a year later it started bucking on him. So i wouldn't mind having mine fixed but I don't know where to start.

[Wild_Cougar]

Do I need to consider myself lucky if my sunroof is working perfectly?:rolleyes:

[skater]

Do I need to consider myself lucky if my sunroof is working perfectly?:rolleyes:

If you have a '99 or '00, yes. Most of them have broken. If you're really lucky, it's possible it broke at some point and was upgraded to the metal tracks (if you're not the first owner of the car), which means it's very unlikely to break on you.

[xcortneyx]

The main issues with the sun roof are the sliders at the rear of the track, the vertical portion is made of metal, but the part on the bottom that attachs to linkage for the motor to pull is made of plastic and snaps off with little stress being applied to it. thats why alot of people can't manually close the sunroof afterwards it is being blocked by that piece. the front sliders have broke but normally it is only the rears since the slide around more often then the fronts.

so how do you get that plastic piece replaced?

[xcortneyx]

Do I need to consider myself lucky if my sunroof is working perfectly?:rolleyes:

i said that a week ago...lol

[boarder4life]

so how do you get that plastic piece replaced?

make one, take i apart and install new one. its not easy but one person has proven it worked when he just epoxied his old ones and they lasted 2 days fine. so a new metal one should have the same affect except long term

[xcortneyx]

the new sunroof asembably ordered is $1860.00 at ford plus $1200.00 labour.... cause i cant find a way to fix it nothing holds to the lithium grease... but i found a whole one used in the state for $500.00.... and no aftermarkey sunroof companies will touch a cougar here:(

[frinesi2]

I would wager that it isn't the motor. Electric motors get hot, especially large ones which spin at high rpm. As best as I can tell from my own inspection. the motor pushes a piece of metal sort of like a spring, which in turn pushes a long piece through a closed channel. The end of this rod connects to the rear most sliders to which the actually sunroof panel connects. This plastic is already brittle, and time and the elements certainly do not help, so the stress of moving the very heavy sunroof panel back and forth causes the long plastic rod to break in all sorts of fun, interesting, and entirely irreparable ways. Now that I think about it, I don't actually know how long the rod is that ends in the clip, but it breaks anyway.

Then, of course, the entire lower assembly is one big piece of plastic thanks to plastic welding, so it is not a serviceable assembly without time (which I don't have this summer) and a dremel tool (which I do have).

I have plans to take my sunroof out again when I know I will have a great deal of time to work on it. I will either attempt to disassemble and repair the clips, modify the current sunroof to work, whether in the way ford intended or not (think manual), or just design an entirely new system which accepts the stock panel and build it myself (I happen to have access to some pretty quality equipment).

Don't hold your breath waiting though . . . my plan is to have this done before I graduate, and I am only entering my sophomore year.