I'm new to this site. Own a 2000 LC that I've had now for a couple of years and after two days of hard rain the driver side floor was saturated appearing to have come down the A pillar. After searching on google and this site it sounds like my problem could be coming from one of the sunroof drain tubes that may be plugged. Unfortunately now my sunroof will not open. Guessing something got wet that shouldn't have. I've checked all the fuses located under the driver side dash which were all fine. So I'm not sure what or where to look at this point. I popped the cover for sunroof switch thinking water may have gotten up there but everything including the sunroof motor appears dry. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Sunroof issues
- Thread starter dna71313
- Start date
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This won't help you get your sunroof open, but there are drain tubes on either front corner of the sunroof that head towards the front pillars.
Hey, I had to replace my sunroof cables this past summer so I know how you feel! I had a similar problem that happened when the roof was covered in snow. The following morning my driver's footwell would be wet. From past experience, the quickest way to get to the drains is to just pull the sunroof glass off the track (if the roof doesn't open in the first place obviously). There are plastic trim pieces on the left and right side of the glass panel that hold four nuts (two on each side). After those are unscrewed just pop the glass upwards and remove (preferably with the help of a friend).
The drain holes are in each corner of the plastic base. The picture shows the "cassette" out of the vehicle, but the drain holes are still accessible if it is still in the vehicle, you just need to pull the glass out.
In terms of your sunroof not opening, did it function properly before? Has it been sluggish lately? Mine started acting up but gave me some notice before it finally died. I noticed it would open and close slower than usual and when it finally gave up the ghost it stopped midway (pinch protection) but I was able to get it closed fully by coaxing it when I pushed the close button. The motor ran fine but the cables inside the metal (copper?) tubing in front had pretty much rusted in place and had to be replaced.
If you're desperate, smearing some liquid electrical tape on the seam between the seal and the roof will help with the initial water leakage, it won't look pretty but it got me through at least six months before I pulled my headliner and fixed it properly.
The drain holes are in each corner of the plastic base. The picture shows the "cassette" out of the vehicle, but the drain holes are still accessible if it is still in the vehicle, you just need to pull the glass out.
In terms of your sunroof not opening, did it function properly before? Has it been sluggish lately? Mine started acting up but gave me some notice before it finally died. I noticed it would open and close slower than usual and when it finally gave up the ghost it stopped midway (pinch protection) but I was able to get it closed fully by coaxing it when I pushed the close button. The motor ran fine but the cables inside the metal (copper?) tubing in front had pretty much rusted in place and had to be replaced.
If you're desperate, smearing some liquid electrical tape on the seam between the seal and the roof will help with the initial water leakage, it won't look pretty but it got me through at least six months before I pulled my headliner and fixed it properly.
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- Thread starter
- #4
Thank you for the responses. I appreciate it. It seems to be draining just fine now and no leaks so far. Still can't get the motor to work though. The motor and parts that open and close the sunroof appear to be in great shape. No corrosion as far I can tell anywhere. It was working perfectly fine until the rain leaked in. When pressing either switch for the sunroof all it makes is a clicking noise. Is there a way to reset it somehow? I tried temporarily disconnecting the battery to see it that would work but no luck. May just take it in to get it looked at.
Do any other mechanical sounds accompany the clicking? Does the roof sound like its trying to move?
Try cleaning the dirt out of the cable slides and lubricate with Deep Creep.
You could also try unbolting the motor assembly from the cassette and push the button to see if it actually runs without any load. The only thing is, I can't remember if you can get access to it by only taking off the switch panel; my entire headliner was out because I knew the cables needed to be replaced but was pleasantly surprised when my motor still worked!
Let us know how you make out!
Rich
Try cleaning the dirt out of the cable slides and lubricate with Deep Creep.
You could also try unbolting the motor assembly from the cassette and push the button to see if it actually runs without any load. The only thing is, I can't remember if you can get access to it by only taking off the switch panel; my entire headliner was out because I knew the cables needed to be replaced but was pleasantly surprised when my motor still worked!
Let us know how you make out!
Rich
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