Sunroof problems

[baghloli123]

Awesome!

Hi, I am able to remove the sunroof glass but the sunroof is still stuck at tilt position. I am going to clear the area in and around the track.

 

[baghloli123]

Hi, Many thanks for your observation and suggestions.
I clear what ever was visible to eye by plucking or vacuum it out and also applied Lithium white grease to the visible areas of the cable. Before, whenever, I used to UnTilt the sunroof, it tried to go down and then backed off to Fully Tilted position.

Now, the sunroof goes down and does not back up. But it does not fully UnTilt to close position. It stops about half and inch up. I believe because of this, the slide Open and Close function still does not work..

Any suggestion, how to proceed. I couldnt find any debris in the areas which are visible to eye.

@baghloli123 Clean out all of that debris from the tracks. I tape a small piece of 1/4"dia tubing to the end of my shopvac to get in these rails a lot. Even just using some type of pick, flathead, or end of a zip tie would work. Sunroofs are designed to open back up when they sense an obstruction so it won't catch a body part in them.

View attachment 2513039

View attachment 2513040

View attachment 2513041

 

[e9999]

did you check all the linkages, slots, cams etc to make sure it's all straight and properly aligned?
and squirt penetrating oil in the cable recesses etc that are out of sight?

 

[malyem]

Any suggestion, how to proceed. I couldnt find any debris in the areas which are visible to eye.

I'm afraid it won't be easy to fix it. I finished repairing the sunroof on my 100. It turned out that one of the metal tubes through which plastic cables pass was rusty. The rust effectively blocks the plastic cable from sliding.
The only solution was to replace the metal tube with a new one, because there was a grater inside (walls damaged by rust). In addition, the plastic cable had to be replaced because it was damaged (worn out) during removal from the tube.
Why am I writing about this? Because I can see the same color you have on the plastic cables.
Compare the color of a healthy (left) cable and a rusty (right) cable.

Below what the metal tubes look like - guides.

If you don't want to disassemble whole sunroof and the engine works as it would, but stops after a while, you can try to disassemble only the mechanism. It is connected together with the control computer. After disassembling it, you can connect the cables directly to the engine and set the sunroof in the desired position.
Of course, it's best to disassemble the mechanizm first, unscrew the computer and mount the engine itself. Below is what it looks like

 

[e9999]

if the actuating cables are no longer moving properly, is there a way to disconnect them from the glass frame mechanism so you can at least move the mechanism by hand and close the thing up until the summer, maybe with some tape to hold it shut?

 

[baghloli123]

Thanks. I am able to close the sunroof. it slides open and close now with some difficulty. I can tell, that it struggle to open and close. which is probably due to the rust in the cable system. I can imagine that its only a matter of time when it completely stop functioning.
I am going to keep it as it is and will not try to open the sunroof again.

I'm afraid it won't be easy to fix it. I finished repairing the sunroof on my 100. It turned out that one of the metal tubes through which plastic cables pass was rusty. The rust effectively blocks the plastic cable from sliding.
The only solution was to replace the metal tube with a new one, because there was a grater inside (walls damaged by rust). In addition, the plastic cable had to be replaced because it was damaged (worn out) during removal from the tube.
Why am I writing about this? Because I can see the same color you have on the plastic cables.
Compare the color of a healthy (left) cable and a rusty (right) cable.
View attachment 2517439

View attachment 2517441
Below what the metal tubes look like - guides.
View attachment 2517442

If you don't want to disassemble whole sunroof and the engine works as it would, but stops after a while, you can try to disassemble only the mechanism. It is connected together with the control computer. After disassembling it, you can connect the cables directly to the engine and set the sunroof in the desired position.
Of course, it's best to disassemble the mechanizm first, unscrew the computer and mount the engine itself. Below is what it looks like
View attachment 2517443

 

[malyem]

if the actuating cables are no longer moving properly, is there a way to disconnect them from the glass frame mechanism so you can at least move the mechanism by hand and close the thing up until the summer, maybe with some tape to hold it shut?

It's hard to say, but you should know that the plastic cables are blocked by the motorized mechanism and the glass frame is blocked by this. Carriage which moves the glass frame is permanently attached to the plastic cables and as far as I know is not possible to disconnect it.
Please see below, unfortunately I don't have a better picture.

You can also try moving the carriage forward and backward after removing the mechanism and glass frame. Additionally, you will know if one or two sides are damaged.

 

[e9999]

well if it's not possible to disconnect them at the sunroof, how about at the motor? You can perhaps yank them harder by hand from the top than to push them with the motor.

 

[malyem]

well if it's not possible to disconnect them at the sunroof, how about at the motor? You can perhaps yank them harder by hand from the top than to push them with the motor.

Of course you can remove the motor (mechanism), which I wrote about above. It's relatively easy to do, just unscrew two screws and pull down. On the rear side there is a latch plate that needs to be folded back.

 

[e9999]

^ thank you, but I mean disconnect the cables from the motor so they are loose and can be moved to enable motion of the glass frame by hand to close it.

 

[suprasvobodea]

I have 2000 lx 470 and its sunroof leaks because one of the drain pipe is partially blocked. I covered the sunroof with the tape around the boundaries but somehow the water is still leaking in. I am not sure how water is getting in and leaking into the car. What can I use to make it water tight?

The sunroof has also stopped functioning. I opened it up to unclog the drain pipe but it got stuck at the tilt position. If I press the tilt button again to bring it back to close, the sunroof attempts to go down a bit but then move up in the tilt position. The slide button does not do anything now. Can you help? I dont wish to fix it. If there is way to manually force close it. I will prefer that.

Once I am able to close it, I want to seal it. How may I do that?

Hello

I have a 2002 LX470, and I replaced the complete sunroof cable mechanism several months ago. There is a complete post about replacing the sunroof mechanism in the forum. It requires the removal of the entire headliner, trim pieces that hold up, it's a huge job, but if you follow the steps, it can be done in several hours.
But what I wanted to comment about, ( from someone who has replaced/repaired a non-functional sunroof in a Lexus/LC is this. I\'ve been having some issues with the tilt and open switches NOT working. I had to play with both of them to get the roof to tilt up or open. Then it would stop halfway or stop two-thirds of the way when closing. At first, I thought it was the switches, but I quickly realized these rarely go bad. It's ALWAYS the sensor for the movement that seems to cause the roof NOT to close or open as designed. I have read posts about Lexus models that talk about a "RESET" of the mechanism by holding the open switch for 10 seconds for a reset. As per my experience, this does NOT APPLY for LX 470, which had LC models!!!

Ok so for LC & LX 470 roofs, its the movement of the cables and track. THEY MUST BE CLEAN AND FREE OF ANY DEBRE~! My issue was a very small gouge in the flat of the track that was causing the roof to stop. I think this occurred when one of the 2 scres that hold the tilt arm in the rear portion, felt out and got caught in the track when it was operating. I have some pictures of this below.

This is what I recommend to use for lubricating the track and cable drive. Its DRY and wont attract dirt and grime

There was a small burr here that I sanded down flush to the flat track surface. I cant believe that this little burr , that I could hardly feel with my finger was enoght friction to cause the sensor to halt the travel of the roof! The white residue is the teflon dry lubricant. Be sure to apply with the red tube into the white plastic screw (cable) that drives the roof.

I suspect that this missing screw got lodged in the track and caused the burr to form in the flat track surface. Thats the only reason I can think of as to how that burr got there in the first place.

POINT OF THIS COMMENT>> KEEP THE TRACK AND WHITE CABLE CLEAN AND LUBRICATED AND YOU WONT HAVE ANY RELATED PROBLEMS WITH IT NOT CLOSING FULLY OR STOPING WHEN OPENING.!