Sun roof repair question

[wmw999 2,589]

This is where I come for technical help now on many subjects
Anyway, I have an aftermarket (but probably dealer-installed) sunroof on my 1995 Mitsubishi Galant that seems to have closed its last close. Unfortunately it did that just before it opened its last open.

It's not raining (good). However, after changing the fuse (which looked OK), and taking the motor and all of the covers off, I'm at a loss. I tried to hand-crank it with a pair of pliers rammed into where the motor cog goes, but nothing happened. I've cranked windows with pliers, so I'm aware that there's resistance, but there's usually a little give in there too. It's got a double screw mechanism; it's the type that slides back and up over the roof.

I don't care if it ever opens again after I get it closed. I kind of like it, but not enough to go through this again. I also really don't want to spend several hundred dollars fixing it.

Ideas? Should I be able to hand crank it, or should I take it somewhere and ask to put it out of its misery, or is it likely to take expensive surgery?

I don't have the time right now to try iterative repairs, so many diagnostics are probably not practical.

thanks a lot

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[Keith 0]

Does it work on a cable system? If so maybe the cable is jammed somewhere? Otherwise I have no clue, unless a little lubracation might help with the resistance problem?

Keith

Don't Fuck with me Keith - J. Mandeville

[tigra 0]

The sunroof on my Saturn broke twice on me and I only had the car 5 years. The first time it was under warranty and the second time, it cost over $300.00 to fix. I did love having a sunroof, but twice in 5 years? The car I replaced it with doesn't have one!

Sorry, no advice, just commiserating!

[tso-d_chris 0]

I had a 1994 Galant, and IIRC, there was something in the manual about closing the sunroof when and if this happened.

It never did with me, so I never had to try out the instructions.

[Keith 0]

What a crock! I went to the Mitsubishi website hoping to find a pdf copy of the owners manual. In order to get any info you have to be a subscriber to the site. They charge $19.95 for a 24 hour subscription up to $1499.99 for a year subscription. Ford offers this info for Free.

AND, when I clicked the "contact us" button it said I had to log in, if I wasn't a subscriber click the "close" button. Don't think I'll be buying a Mitsubishi.

Keith

Don't Fuck with me Keith - J. Mandeville

[jraf 0]

Wendy, dear...

...take your car to sunroof place. Have people fuck around with it. return. pay. have working sunroof.

jraf

Me Jungleman! Me have large Babalui.
Muff #3275

[SudsyFist 0]

Quote

unless a little lubracation might help with the resistance problem?

[Broke 0]

should have gone with a T-Top modification... I miss T-Tops

Divot your source for all things Hillbilly.
Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[Keith 0]

Quote

Quote

unless a little lubracation might help with the resistance problem?

Steve you Pervert!

Keith

Don't Fuck with me Keith - J. Mandeville

[SudsyFist 0]

Quote

Steve you Pervert!

Ah, you love it!

[wmw999 2,589]

I'll bump this. I've tried a couple of shops. The dealer referred me to one on the other side of town (Houston is pretty big), and the other said "I probably can't just close it, but bring it by and we'll see . I could see the dollar signs ka-chinking.

Hopefully one of the intrepid auto mechanics is on his lunch break...

thanks
Wendy

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[davelepka 4]

There's isn't an access cover somehwere near the sunroof? It should look like a round plastic plug in the head liner, and it should cover the manual crank thingy to close it. It usually uses an allen wrench to close it.

Also, if you have the motor off, check to see if there's power going to the motor (it should be 12v DC). A good fuse with no power to the motor may be a bad switch.

The other thing you can do, is jump the switch alltogether, and get it closed. You'll need to re-install the motor, then make sure it's grounded. If there are two wires going to the motor, one is the power, the other is the ground. You can jump the ground wire to the body fo the car with a short peice of wire.

If there is only one wire, the motor is most likely ground by it's attachment to the car.

Now you need to run a wire from any 12v source (fuse panel, battery, etc) and touch it to the power wire on the motor. Unless the motor is shot, this will make it go, and hopefully close the sunroof.

Is it safe? Kinda, just don't touch the wires directly, and you should be fine. Better yet, find some young guys with nothing better to do, buy them some beer, and let them fix it for you.

[wmw999 2,589]

Thanks -- I'll try jumping the motor. I've got all of the covers off the sun roof mechanism, but it didn't help make any of it turn any easier.

It could be the switch; during our recent hurricane there was some water blown in there, but it's been working since then. I tried unplugging and plugging it back in (nothing nasty and burned-looking either) but that didn't help.

There's an obvious inset cogged thingy where the motor fits in. I'd hoped that I'd be able to use that to turn the whole mechanism, but it was really really stopped-feeling. I don't see anything else that a motor does besides that, so I"m a little baffled there. I can't imagine that actual electricity makes the plastic screw mechanisms work when elbow grease won't.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[chutem 0]

You might have someone wiggle the sunroof side to side/up and down while trying to turn the cogged thingy. I'm not at all familiar with this system, but it might have a bad bushing/bearing/roller allowing it to Jam. Jumping power to the motor also sounds good. If the motor is not case grounded (has a ground wire) you might try hitting the switch without it hooked up to the cogged thingy. Good luck,
James

[davelepka 4]

Quote

I can't imagine that actual electricity makes the plastic screw mechanisms work when elbow grease won't

The motor will be able to apply waaay more torque to the thingy than you can with a pair of pliers jammed up in there.

Wiggling the roof around is also a good idea. If the motor gets power, and still can't move it, try the wiggle thing when the motor has power as well.

[Channman 2]

Wendy,

Spoke to a friend of mine that knows a great deal about cars and repairing cars.

(1) When operating the switch, do you hear anything at all. Does it sound like the motor is running, in a bind, humming.

(2) Is the cable that drives the sunroof visible and if so, is it still attached to the gear driver that tracks the window back and forth. Possible the cable is broken or the gears that drives the window have slipped or stripped and would require replacing.

(3) Usually there is a manual crank that may have come with the car that allows you to crank the window closed. It could possibly be located in the gloove compartment, or trunk with the tire tools.

The crank location is usually located above an inspection cover, which you may have already removed and you can place the tool there and manually crank it in.

I have not had luck on finding anything on the web.

good luck

[wmw999 2,589]

Thanks.
1. nope. no motor sound at all.
2. it's a screw drive, not a cable. nothing looks like it's misgeared, and none of the rods are crooked, broken, or anything else.
3. nope, no crank. darn it.

But I still like Dave's bigger-hammer approach of just zapping the motor directly. If that doesn't work, I'll probably try to take the cog off the motor and jerry-rig that onto a hand crank of some sort.

I once made a throttle cable for a car from a bicycle brake cable and housing, and a set screw (it was saturday at the DZ). I can jerry rig anything if I try hard enough... And since taking it to a shop means a couple of hours probably (on work time no less), it's worth the investment.

thanks
Wendy

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[turtlespeed 226]

"Jerry Rig"

Are you blasting Jerry's all over the world?

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[JohnRich 4]

What's the matter with you? You're a skydiver - you should know the answer to this problem: duct tape!

[chutem 0]

How many wires from the motor? What color are they? If there is 3 it is probably one ground one open and one close. If 2 it might be case ground with one open and one close or it might use one as pos. and one as ground to open and reversed to close. A wireing diagram would be nice since you don't want to damage a poss. good motor by jumping it incorectly.
James

[Broke 0]

What kind of rig does Jerry fly?

Divot your source for all things Hillbilly.
Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[chutem 0]

By open and close I ment the wire that gets the positive power applied to open or close the sunroof not open or closed circuits
James