Sunroof Stuck (1 Viewer)

[NorCal Cruiser]

I have the same problem. I bought my LC in May with this problem. Everything else about the truck was perfect.

I found this thread 2 weeks ago after the sunroof button magically started working and my wife opened the sunroof.

With rain forecast for the next three days I went out to the truck to find a fix.

With the sunroof closed, with a screwdriver, I was able to get the sunroof back in place. Just push the mechanism forward (towards the front of the truck) until is stops. Just gently go below the flexible metal bar with a screwdriver and push the part behind it forward.

I needed a few tries to hunt for the spot but it worked. The photo below is where the screwdriver ended up when the sunroof was back in place.

I did this last night and it was a quick way to get the sunroof closed all the way. It only took about 5 minutes and now the sunroof is quieter than it was before- apparently it hasn't been sealing correctly for a while.

 

[kylc97]

Fixed the sunroof corner

Unwiredaventures saved my day. My 97 40th had the sunroof stuck down on the DS rear corner. No $$ or desire to repair. The screwdriver method of moving the alignment fixture to the front, works, without removal of anything. Thanks undwiredadventures. You da-man.

 

[wasilvers]

Logged this into future memory in case I need a quick fix.

This guy is selling the whole setup for $150

96 Lexus LX450 sunroof assembly land cruiser fj80: eBay Motors (item 390251049463 end time Oct-18-10 19:48:00 PDT)

 

[1FZj80]

Just did this fix. There is no need to remove the headliner. Keep it installed and just peal it back around the sunroof opening. That’s all it takes. You can get the rail and cable removed with the main tray in place without removing the headliner.

I fixed my cable instead of paying $400 for a new rail & cable assembly. I bought a piece of nylon (good tensile strength & low friction) and made a replacement track carrier using what was left of the broken cable.

Hope to get another 15 years out of it.

Picts show the homemade replacement track carrier piece using the small plastic left on the cable. I took additional pictures and wrote down the steps in case I have to do it again and can post details if anyone is interested.

Broken piece on top of nylon


Homemade replacement

 

[PabloVTA]

so how'd your replacement hold up so far?

I need a set of 'em if you have extra's for sale.
willing to paypal you funds for shipping too.

 

[1FZj80]

Works great and still going strong. I use the 'tilt' opening all the time. However, I do not usually open fully using the 'slide' because the wear on the metal track does put a fair amount of load on the cable and is what caused it to break in the first place. Adding lube will help, but the tracks just wear out and cause the cable to break

The repair is a one-off based on what I had left at the end of the cable. You really need to custom fab something based on where/how your cable broke . Nylon is a pain to work with. It forms these long stringy fibers when cut. Just use ABS or PVC.

 

[vitorio]

I bought a used sunroof assembly today. Here is a pic with the glass removed. I'll probably start removing the headliner by the weekend. Since the headliner is coming out I'm considering filling the rack holes in the roof and adding a rear interior light behind the 3rd row seats. I might even do something with the speakers. Any other thoughts on what to do while the headliner is out?

How did you remove the glass? I took out teh headliner and the full sunroof, but I haven't been able the take out the glass..... any pics?

 

[Blue Bomber]

Carefully. And I mean carefully. Remove the two trim pieces on the inside of the glass. This will reveal the 4 nuts you need to remove.

 

[TexasLexus]

Having problems with unwiredadventtures' fix to get my sunroof back into position. Here's what I'm seeing. I can't seem to find the carrier by feel...any pointers?

 

[jbee]

I have the same problem. I bought my LC in May with this problem. Everything else about the truck was perfect.

I found this thread 2 weeks ago after the sunroof button magically started working and my wife opened the sunroof.

With rain forecast for the next three days I went out to the truck to find a fix.

With the sunroof closed, with a screwdriver, I was able to get the sunroof back in place. Just push the mechanism forward (towards the front of the truck) until is stops. Just gently go below the flexible metal bar with a screwdriver and push the part behind it forward.

I needed a few tries to hunt for the spot but it worked. The photo below is where the screwdriver ended up when the sunroof was back in place.

This worked for me too. I was able to get the rear drivers side of the sunroof back up into place.

 

[JerseyCruiser]

I have a 93 with a suspended headliner that is a PITA to remove, all the trim and not to mention the windshield to get the sunroof assembly out. I have lots of vertical play in the glass causing it to not seal and leak due to the wornout rubber wheels in the tracks. If I buy the tracks can I replace them without removing my headliner, and accessing everything through the roof opening?

Thanks
George

 

[TexasLexus]

Just did this fix. There is no need to remove the headliner. Keep it installed and just peal it back around the sunroof opening. That’s all it takes. You can get the rail and cable removed with the main tray in place without removing the headliner.

I fixed my cable instead of paying $400 for a new rail & cable assembly. I bought a piece of nylon (good tensile strength & low friction) and made a replacement track carrier using what was left of the broken cable.

Hope to get another 15 years out of it.

Picts show the homemade replacement track carrier piece using the small plastic left on the cable. I took additional pictures and wrote down the steps in case I have to do it again and can post details if anyone is interested.

Broken piece on top of nylon
View attachment 565209

Homemade replacement
View attachment 565210

View attachment 565211
View attachment 565209View attachment 565210View attachment 565211

Would love to see additional pictures and details here.

 

[1FZj80]

I will see if I have any photos when I get home from work
If not I did wrote down the steps and can post that of I can track it down

 

[speyrod]

Bubbling this up did you find any additional info. I have a friend who S/R appears to have a broken cable.

 

[1FZj80]

Here are some photos. Used Picasa instead of re-sizing and uploading here.

Picasa Web Albums - mark schmid - Sunroof

 

[1000-oaks]

With the sunroof closed, with a screwdriver, I was able to get the sunroof back in place. Just push the mechanism forward (towards the front of the truck) until is stops. Just gently go below the flexible metal bar with a screwdriver and push the part behind it forward.

I needed a few tries to hunt for the spot but it worked. The photo below is where the screwdriver ended up when the sunroof was back in place.

Thank you sooooo much for posting this, mine broke the same way more than a year ago and I'm really tired of having to use the wet-dry vac to vacuum water from the floorboards after every heavy rain (or having to strap a sun shade over the sunroof to block the rain). Thanks to the CA drought it doesn't happen often, but it's still a pain in the butt.

The screwdriver trick worked like a champ, and just for good measure I used thin strips of black gaffers tape to seal the remaining crack between the body and the glass seal. Now I can put off pulling the headliner another year, and I'm ready for El Nino!

 

[NewbieMcNewster]

I know I'm late to this party, but unwiredadventures totally saved the day here. Way to go dude.

Question though, I can get mine mostly back into position, but it can still be pushed a little more flush with the hole in the roof, with a little pressure on the glass from below. Makes me think it isn't totally sealed, even though I can't move the broken bit any further with the screwdriver (although by leaving the screwdriver jammed in there it's actually shimmed up a little bit closer).

In any event, think I'm gonna go out tomorow and get some of this stuff to temporarily seal it... DAP Seal 'N Peel 10.1 oz. Removable Weatherstrip Caulk-18351 - The Home Depot Seems like kind of an ideal solution since I'm so used to not using it anyway.

I'll leave it to the next guy to decide whether to seal it permanently or try to replace and fix it. I'm about to replace my 80 with an LX450 that was recently featured as the "nice price or crack pipe" on Jalopnik (it took a 62% "nice price" win, which I think was low because a lot of people balked at 183K miles without realizing how relatively low that is), which is totally built and looks amazing, so I'll let the buyer of my darling 80 ("Ranger") decide what to do in the long run on the sunroof. Sorry, I'm so excited about the new car I had to get it out there for people who might care!

(oh yeah, and if anyone's interested in a pretty well built 80 in Dallas for something like the $10K range, let me know!)

 

[BILT4ME]

I was cleaning my 80 for my son to drive to Prom last weekend and I thought I would try to actuate the sunroof to "make it seal just a little tighter"....... Now, the LR corner doesn't go up at all....So, I have to do what's been done here. Not looking forward to it.

In the mean time, since it's spring here in KC, it rains every other day, so Gorilla Duct Tape over the seal on the roof until I can get to it.

This thing has been leaking like a sieve since before I bought it. The PO had it to the dealership MULTIPLE times to have them get it to seal, to no avail. I know they literally spent over $1K just on trying to get the sunroof to seal, and it didn't get there. But it DID contribute to how I got it SO cheap......... There was a pond on the RF floor that a bunch ran out when I opened the passenger door. That's why I pulled the plug on the floor on that side.....

If I went through a car wash, whoever was on the passenger side front got a free neck and ball wash and the rear passenger got a knee wash.

I love the sunroof and want to use it, so I will eventually fix it and it will work......or I will do like my neighbor did and seal it shut with roofing polyurethane.

 

[Lal00o00]

Picked up a landcruiser and the moonroof wasnt sealing correctly the back had a 1 gap.
Figured it was dirty and there since the glass seemed stuck. After taking down and cleaning it, it seems like i might have this problem there is visible rust in there. Any idea on to remove the two trim pieces to get to the glass? Do they unclip, pull down, or have male/female fasteners?

 

[AtlWagen]

They simply break when you remove them. They are sun-dried, and 15 years ago they would just pop out and back in., now they just break when you attempt to remove them.