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Sunroof Problem.

G

georgey

New member
Well as we have had this recent heatwave, I decided to take my sunroof out, what a pain in the elbow! Well it took me 15 minutes to finally figure how to remove it and then the major problem happened putting it back in it;s position. The problem is the two rivet parts that open and retract the sunroof will not have go down or up? They are sticking about half way out, I can hear the motor making the noise but nothing happens. Do I need a new motor, or is their any other way of manually lowering the sunroof to a close position? Your advise is greatly appreciated.

Also I have a very bad smell of petrol when I'm driving the card, there is definitely no petrol leaking, I know that much, but there is a strong smell of petrol. The local mechanic tells me it's due to the age of the car, but I don't buy that reason. Do any of you know what might need servicing to eliminate this smell as it does give me a bad headache especially when the windows are down and your stuck in traffic.
 
Check the usual areas for leaks around fuel tank and pump and especially the fuel lines they do have a tendancy to either rot and leak after so many years or get fixed by botching up with bits of rubber hose rather than doing the job properly. I find my S2 smells a little after filling up but put this done to the tank being full.
 
hmmm, I think the first thing to say is ditch your local mechanic.....geeze....lol

sunroof problem may be stripped teeth on the gears, this is a common issue although I've never had it myself but perhaps someone else who has had this problem will be along soon to report. I'd recheck everything again regarding the fuel smell, you shouldn't be smelling fuel in your car unless there's a leak somewhere, after all it is fuel injected but carbs which yes on old cars can smell of fuel . If you can't see any leaks around the engine check the fuel lines especially over the rear torsion bar as this is a common place for them to fail as they get covered in grim that never gets cleaned off,

pete
 
The drive cog teeth stripped on my sunroof a few weeks ago, they were a fiver each from OPC.
Then its just trial and error to get the sunroof to sit properly by adjusting the lifting arms that the cogs drive to maximum then lowering the roof, the limit switch should operate and if the roof is still proud adjust the arms again by a notch at a time unti it is flush when lowered.
I did it this way so I didnt have to mess about adjusting limit switches or the risk of over closing and stripping the teeth again!!
 
have a look here :

http://www.clarks-garage.com/shop-manual/body-03.htm

Only thing I'll say about these instructions - they say pull the roof lining out from under the sunroof seal. Don't do it - it's a pig to get back in and it's not necessary. Instead use a Stanley or similar very sharp craft knife to cut the roof lining away from around the gearboxes so you can get at the screws securing the gearbox cover. It's all hidden behind the plastic centre strip, so the area cut away is not visible once everything is back together!
 
Don't forget to check the back end before you start pulling the roof end apart. Rear nearside wing behind the carpet (over the battery well) is where the motor etc live. Not sure if you've got the same setup as I had on my 968 coupe (some 944's are, others not), but there's a metal tube carrying the drive cable away from the motor, it had come adrift so no matter what the motor did, the sunroof did nothing. Needless to say I only found this after loads of messing around at the roof end!
 
A lot of people get confused about how to remove the sunroof properly and strip those plastic cogs so I hope I'm not teaching anyone to suck eggs if I repeat:

1. Turn the ignition switch to position 1 (this is very subtley just a few degrees clockwise after you've put the key in). The radio will come on but NOT the dash lights

2. Press the UP button on the sunroof rocker switch. With the key in position 1 this will actually make the arms go down into the roof

3. Undo front latches on sunroof and lift out.


Refitting is the reverse of the above making sure to press the DOWN button which will lift the arms up and lock into the sunroof when the key is in pos 1. Then turn the key to Pos 2 and operate as normal
 
Paul, I agree with what you say with one proviso - do not depepnd on the limit switch to stop the motor - watch the lift arms as they retract or engage and take your finger off the switch once they have travelled far enough - takes a little getting used to, but reduces the risk of stripping the plastic gears! I've taken the other option - swopped my coupe for a cabriolet - but I still miss my coupe, which with windows down and sunroof out is close to a convertible!
 
Some good advice here. I made the the same mistake when I first got my S2.
After the repair I've never taken it out again. Lesson learnt.
When out I also found it very noisy.
 
ORIGINAL: Diver944

A lot of people get confused about how to remove the sunroof properly and strip those plastic cogs so I hope I'm not teaching anyone to suck eggs if I repeat:

1. Turn the ignition switch to position 1 (this is very subtley just a few degrees clockwise after you've put the key in). The radio will come on but NOT the dash lights

2. Press the UP button on the sunroof rocker switch. With the key in position 1 this will actually make the arms go down into the roof

3. Undo front latches on sunroof and lift out.


Refitting is the reverse of the above making sure to press the DOWN button which will lift the arms up and lock into the sunroof when the key is in pos 1. Then turn the key to Pos 2 and operate as normal
Click to expand...

I find it a pig to get the roof back in too. It generally takes a good 5 minutes to get both arms to seat correctly. My problem is that the passenger side always pops out when lowering the roof back down. My girlfriend (and I expect neighbours) probably don't appreciate the deterioration in my language! I'm sure there is a secret to it, but the guy I bought the car off didn't know.

To get the roof out I was told to lift the roof as high as it will go and the pull on the arms to release the ends from the roof, then undo the latches and remove it. Obviously, retracting the arms afterwards!. To get it back in is where the fun starts.

As for noise when out, I find leaving the plastic visor type thing (that the roof latches on to) in the down position prevents the booming noises. My girlfriend raised it the first time so she could see the sky, and the noise was so fierce I thought the car would fall apart!

You instructions, and the ones on the clarks website, do look better though. I'm going to try tonight when I get home.
 
The roof should take 30 secs max, one person. That's removed and placed in the boot.

Roof is removed from the closed position, retract lifting arms, un clip the hinges.

Now with the boot open and drivers door reach in and push the roof up by the lifting arms, pull away towards the boot sliding it off the wind delectour,

Shut clips and place in boot.


Putting it back on, remove from boot, unclip hinges set the wind deflector 2 45deg and slid roof on, against with the drivers door open ( standing outside car, but close 2 it.

Lower down to close, clip hings in place and raise the lifting arms.


Simples
 
Yeah, I'm starting to wish I'd asked on here first rather than relying on the guy I bought it off's instructions! Definitely going to try this tonight, provided the battery isn't dead again.
 
Never had a problem removing my roof, mind you the older I get the heavier it becomes...:(

Pete
 
Although it is possible to remove and replace the panel on your own, I always found it easier and safer to have help on the other side of the car. Retract the arms, release the front latches, then (boot and drivers door open as stated above) push the back of the panel up until the panel is near vertical, then carefully lift it off (lift with the hand on the short side then get other hand underneath centre of front), get a safe grip then take the panel from your helper and place it in the boot. Replacing is the same in reverse - have the panel near vertical and carefully lower over the deflector thing, lower it pushing it forward as you do so the back drops properly into place, engage front latches then lifting arms. Takes no time at all - especially getting it back on when an unexpected shower arrives!
 
Removing it was never a problem, although it turns out my instructions were wrong! Putting it back in has been the nightmare, but I assumed there would be an easier way of doing it. To be honest, it's only been out about 4 times since I bought it. I have noticed that it's not the lightest thing in the world to manhandle while trying not to smack it on the car

Hmmm, if read out of context, I can see at least 6 carry on style innuendos there. Not bad for 4 sentences!
 
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