Gen III Sun Roof Mechanism Repair

[Imnosaint]

As mentioned in the Gen III Roof Rack Mod post, I repaired the sunroof mechanism that stopped working on our coastal tour to Oregon.

As I removed grab handles and other interior hardware to remove the headliner, I noticed how loose everything was (not a single lock or friction washer to be found). When I dropped the headliner and inspected the drive motor for the sunroof I found that it was missing one of the three bolts holding it in place and that the remaining two were on the edge of falling out as well.

I removed the motor and drive gear, a one piece unit, and saw where it had been grinding along the drive cable instead of engaging it directly.





Sorry the second image is blurry, iPhone photography without my reading glasses. This shows where the gear from the motor engages the drive cable. I cleaned it all up, lubricated the drive cable and reassembled the mechanism using lock washers.

Once I got the headliner back in I connected the electrics to test the mechanism and it engaged flawlessly. Once the interior was completely reinstalled I reset the sunroof control following the owner's manual instructions.

 

[jlocster]

What type of lube did you use on the gears, saint?

 

[Imnosaint]

What type of lube did you use on the gears, saint?

WD-40 has a new silicone-based lube that I thought best to use.

 

[handturkey]

Thanks so much for this post! I have an '03 with a sunroof that quit on me after a particularly bumpy trail. After seeing this guide, I popped the headliner and found the motor completely detached from the roof of the truck, with the bolts rolling around the front as well. $.33 worth of lock washers and a little silicone grease and everything was working again. That enourmous sunroof was one of my (and my wife's) favorite features of the truck, glad to have it working again.

 

[Imnosaint]

Thanks so much for this post! I have an '03 with a sunroof that quit on me after a particularly bumpy trail. After seeing this guide, I popped the headliner and found the motor completely detached from the roof of the truck, with the bolts rolling around the front as well. $.33 worth of lock washers and a little silicone grease and everything was working again. That enourmous sunroof was one of my (and my wife's) favorite features of the truck, glad to have it working again.

Ah, good. That makes me happy.