Sunroof won’t stay closed but “bounces” even after cleaning and lubrication

[onemudder]

Just like the title says this has been a real pain.

*** I changed the battery and maybe the sunroof has to reset/initialize itself (?)


First I started with a similar post but didn’t get it resolved:

Sunroof Won't Stay Closed and I am Supposed to Leave for A Road Trip Tonight

forum.ih8mud.com

I removed the sunroof and there wasn’t much of anything clogging. I vacuumed and used a compressor nozzle to blow the tracks and everything clean.

Used Mobil sythetic grease and later Wd-40. Everything sliding well except I don’t think it did a damn thing to solve my problem. Even without the glass in it still behaves exactly the same way by nearly closing (the last centimeter of the glass popping up flush to the roof) and then backing up and staying open about 3 inches. Also, pushing it along to close doesn’t help at all either It’s notable that it will fully open without a problem and will stay open

Little by little I can get the sunroof 98% closed but I have to coax it to get there. Just a PITA. Won’t seal completely so water will still enter and leave through the (cleaned out) drains.

i’m guessing it’s hitting something that it doesn’t like and is a safety feature much like the power windows.

Anyone who can help would be much appreciated. Hoping I don’t have to take the headliner down but not a big deal if I do.

 

[ramangain]

I'd bet dollars to donuts the FSM has the anti-pinch reset procedure.

 

[LexGx]

Mine did that when I first got it. I just slowly tapped the close button until it closed fully. Just tapping it will keep it from going into auto close mode. Once closed I believe you then press and hold the close button in for an extended period of time and it will then go through its motions to reset. You have to continue to hold the button down for the entire time.

 

[Cruiser4me2]

Push the open button,and keep it held there until the sunroof opens fully , keep the button in the open position for 10 seconds.
Then push the button to the close position, keep it there until the sunroof fully cycle's to close, keep the button there for 10 seconds.
You have now reset the the sunroof pathway cycle.
Good luck!

 

[onemudder]

Thanks everyone. Bottom line is something is keeping it open 5 inches.

I do feel better about the issue. I followed the instructions and here is what happened:

1) I turned the key into the 2nd ignition position prior to starting the procedure.
2) After initiating the opening the roof opened up fully, then closed fully, then opened 5 inches then stopped. (I continued to hold down the SLIDE button)
3) After 7 seconds it then closed fully. I was very happy.
4) I continued to hold for another 20 seconds but seemed like that was it.
5) I let go and took the key out I thought by doing this it fully programmed / reset/ re-initialized the roof.

BUT,
6) I went to hit the Slide button again (once, without holding, for the usual roof opening) and it did the same thing:
7) It opened fully, then closed fully and flexed up around just a hair short of 100% flush-to-the-roof- closed (I heard the motor whirring)]
8) BUT then it opened 5 inches, then stopped there.

This did manage to get me to a place where the roof is fully closed but only after I do the duck-walking push-push-push to coax it closed. Not the end of the world but still a bit of a pain considering all the cleaning and greasing I did. I even put 303 Aerospace Protectant around the entire rubber seals on the roof to make sure it glided and wasn't the friction of the final inches of closing that made it think it was pinching something to cause it to re-open the 5 inches. I also tried pulling it along (it went faster) to remove that possibility in triggering a safety mode re-open.

Anyone with some insight? The roof glass is pretty bang-on square to the roof opening in case anyone is thinking maybe it is misaligned.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Cruiser4me2]

Thanks everyone. Bottom line is something is keeping it open 5 inches.

I do feel better about the issue. I followed the instructions and here is what happened:

1) I turned the key into the 2nd ignition position prior to starting the procedure.
2) After initiating the opening the roof opened up fully, then closed fully, then opened 5 inches then stopped. (I continued to hold down the SLIDE button)
3) After 7 seconds it then closed fully. I was very happy.
4) I continued to hold for another 20 seconds but seemed like that was it.
5) I let go and took the key out I thought by doing this it fully programmed / reset/ re-initialized the roof.

BUT,
6) I went to hit the Slide button again (once, without holding, for the usual roof opening) and it did the same thing:
7) It opened fully, then closed fully and flexed up around just a hair short of 100% flush-to-the-roof- closed (I heard the motor whirring)]
8) BUT then it opened 5 inches, then stopped there.

This did manage to get me to a place where the roof is fully closed but only after I do the duck-walking push-push-push to coax it closed. Not the end of the world but still a bit of a pain considering all the cleaning and greasing I did. I even put 303 Aerospace Protectant around the entire rubber seals on the roof to make sure it glided and wasn't the friction of the final inches of closing that made it think it was pinching something to cause it to re-open the 5 inches. I also tried pulling it along (it went faster) to remove that possibility in triggering a safety mode re-open.

Anyone with some insight? The roof glass is pretty bang-on square to the roof opening in case anyone is thinking maybe it is misaligned.

Thanks in advance.

I had the issue years ago,mine was a worn out worm wheel on the motor.
This makes the start/stop sensor lose track of where it is in the circuit.
Thats why the 7 seconds reset works but not normal operation.
Good luck!

 

[onemudder]

THANK YOU. I will check the worm. If it is indeed worn what can I do? Can the Worm be repaired/replaced?

BTW, I just chased down a picture of a sunroof motor... this for 2003-2007 model LCs.. Is the worm the sprocket wheel? Or possibly the motor encased that looks alot like the little door lock motors that get worn out from 1000's of lock/unlock sequences? Thanks

 

[Cruiser4me2]

THANK YOU. I will check the worm. If it is indeed worn what can I do? Can the Worm be repaired/replaced?

It can but it takes some"Digging"
I'm not sure if they sell a overhaul kit in the USA.
Sounds like you are in for the long and dirty weekend!
Lots of luck bud!

 

[willchaf]

Any luck with this problem?

This exact thing happened to my 2001 100 series Land Cruiser on Sunday. It is the jam protection function according to the manual but nothing apparent in the way? I may be crazy but when i make it close all the way by holding the close button for an extended time it looks like the glass is slightly out of alignment with it sitting pretty flush with the roof opening front on the drivers side and a slight gap on the passenger side so maybe I have a cable that is bad?

Disconnected the battery and now it won’t slide automatically back or forward but rather I have to hold the button the whole time.

Also the thing will not tilt. The button has power because when it was sliding automatically I could stop it if I pressed the tilt button.

Is there a tilt motor or is it all combined in the moon roof motor?

Hate to bring it to Toyota but not sure what else to do.

 

[onemudder]

As for the uneven tilt you have to use a flathead screwdriver and remove the black plastic moldings. From what I can tell they are designed to catch water coming in from the openings should there be a failure. Very easy straight down snap down to remove each of the 4 tray moldings. This will expose the adjustment screws that hold the glass to the sunroof frame. There are small torx heads and phillips heads. Just make your adjustments and re-tighten. I took the entire glass out and cleaned everything up (glass, weatherstripping, greased the tracks. You will get a good idea of the condition of the cables. Take the opportunity to apply white lithium grease to the tracks and clean out the drain holes. There are two in the front and 2 in the rear. The rears are tougher to get to but as long as you have the front clear you should be good. See separate threads for this entire job.

Ultimately, you will have to address the same problem I still have of not having it 100% operational as it should. I still have to hold it down and make the fine adjustments to get it closed completely. I think changing the worm gear just may create more work than its worth. I don't use the roof very often and the handful of times simply isn't worth the trouble for me.

Yeah, the tilt won't work for the same reasons.

 

[willchaf]

As for the uneven tilt you have to use a flathead screwdriver and remove the black plastic moldings. From what I can tell they are designed to catch water coming in from the openings should there be a failure. Very easy straight down snap down to remove each of the 4 tray moldings. This will expose the adjustment screws that hold the glass to the sunroof frame. There are small torx heads and phillips heads. Just make your adjustments and re-tighten. I took the entire glass out and cleaned everything up (glass, weatherstripping, greased the tracks. You will get a good idea of the condition of the cables. Take the opportunity to apply white lithium grease to the tracks and clean out the drain holes. There are two in the front and 2 in the rear. The rears are tougher to get to but as long as you have the front clear you should be good. See separate threads for this entire job.

Ultimately, you will have to address the same problem I still have of not having it 100% operational as it should. I still have to hold it down and make the fine adjustments to get it closed completely. I think changing the worm gear just may create more work than its worth. I don't use the roof very often and the handful of times simply isn't worth the trouble for me.

Yeah, the tilt won't work for the same reasons.

FWIW I took it to the dealer to have an assessment done. They say one of my cables is bad. $2600 to fix.

I asked them if they could reseat it in the correct position to where it seals properly and then pull the fuse that operates the sunroof so nobody accidentally opens it and they agreed to do it, so that’s my temporary fix until I can find a Toyota guy in the Houston area.

 

[onemudder]

I’d like to keep using the sunroof as it is. It’s really not too much trouble just for me to close it using the initialization procedure each time.

 

[Mark WV]

I had a similar problem on a Lexus IS

None of the button pushing reset procedures would work. I had to bump it closed with the button. I was 100% confident it was a micro switch or other physical problem

I finally plugged it into Techstream and went to the sunroof control module. I cannot explain why, but simply connecting to the module in techstream fixed it. I can only assume the sunroof module was not properly communicating with the main ECM and connecting techstream somehow reset it. Worked fine for years afterwards…

No guarantee it will work on the lc / lx but I would assume the systems share a similar design.

 

[willchaf]

I had a similar problem on a Lexus IS

None of the button pushing reset procedures would work. I had to bump it closed with the button. I was 100% confident it was a micro switch or other physical problem

I finally plugged it into Techstream and went to the sunroof control module. I cannot explain why, but simply connecting to the module in techstream fixed it. I can only assume the sunroof module was not properly communicating with the main ECM and connecting techstream somehow reset it. Worked fine for years afterwards…

No guarantee it will work on the lc / lx but I would assume the systems share a similar design.

The dealer claims I have a cable that is binding. They were not able to Completely close the sunroof. There is still a tiny (<1/16”) in the front passenger side of the sunroof leading me to agree that a bad cable could be the culprit. No way am I dropping $2600 to fix that. When driving it home I can hear wind whistling into the cab. It’s too tall with the tires and roof rack to fit into the garage so I did the only think I could think of: silicone sealant all around the gasket .

Anyway, I’m not familiar with Techstream and just googled it. Can you share a link to what version you use?

Thanks!

 

[Mark WV]

How-To: TechStream In 5 Minutes

forum.ih8mud.com

Most up to date info is in this thread

 

[Mark WV]

I don’t disagree that it could be a cable issue, but I do know that many dealers don’t really want to mess with a sunroof repair- Their answer is to quote you the new sunroof assembly, rather than spend hours on diagnostics and repair of the existing unit.

You can find the whole sunroof assembly in a salvage yard- check car-part.com

If you can find one close enough where it doesn’t require truck shipping that may be an option to consider (if in fact there is a physical issue with the sunroof).

Definitely try the software fix first…

How many miles and year of your vehicle?

 

[willchaf]

I don’t disagree that it could be a cable issue, but I do know that many dealers don’t really want to mess with a sunroof repair- Their answer is to quote you the new sunroof assembly, rather than spend hours on diagnostics and repair of the existing unit.

You can find the whole sunroof assembly in a salvage yard- check car-part.com

If you can find one close enough where it doesn’t require truck shipping that may be an option to consider (if in fact there is a physical issue with the sunroof).

Definitely try the software fix first…

How many miles and year of your vehicle?

250K 2001. Would really appreciate a link to the software. Thanks!!

 

[Mark WV]

You will need a laptop and a MINI VCI cable that will plug into the ODB II port on the vehicle. See the thread shown above. The cable will come with a link to the software download The thread on Techstream has many useful tips to get it working