[graycaddy08]

Hi folks. My sunroof is acting up and looking for some experience on here to help solve.
Car is 08 STS.
Sunroof will open in the vent position and close just fine.
When I try to open it (slide it back), it only goes about 1" then it binds up on the driver side. I can see that it wants to open but it's like there's something in the track stopping it. It ends up crooked after this attempt.
I can get it closed fine but the funny thing is this... After unsuccessfully trying to open and close it, if the next thing I do is open the vent, the driver side has some clicking when it opens. Only does this once after an unsuccessful opening and closing. If I just open the vent and close it several times, there is no clicking.

I'm pretty handy but have never had to mess with a sunroof. Now, I'm sure I could better troubleshoot it if I could get this thing open to see the track. Problem is that I can't see the track and what may be in the way.

Does anyone have a diagram of the sunroof on this car that I could study and better understand what I am not seeing.

Will I have to remove the headliner to get to the bottom of this? I tried using my fingers to feel as much of the track as possible but cannot feel anything loose or in the way.

Any and all advise is welcome.

 

[sapien]

Here's a scan from the service manual... the mechanical components are pretty simple, most of the troubleshooting in the service manual pertains to electrical issues.
Check to see if the deflector is moving out of position, you may be able to hold in place as you open the roof. It's plastic, as are the weak hinges on the frame it hooks onto; on mine one of the hinges broke, and the glass was hanging up on the deflector as it tried to slide.

I removed the deflector piece, the moonroof works fine without it.

 

[graycaddy08]

Thanks for the info. I tried holding down the deflector but no joy. The glass will only slide open about 1" on the passenger side. The driver side immediately jams up because it doesn't move. I think I'll have to pull down the headliner to tackle this one. Only problem now is removing it without damaging it. Any experience doing this?

 

[sapien]

I haven't. If you can open it to the vent position, the bellows (#11 above) can be unsnapped from the underside of the glass; get your finger behind it and carefully pull toward the center of the glass. Then you'll be able to see if there is something loose/broken in there that is jamming up the track.

 

[graycaddy08]

Fixed the sunroof! Once I removed the bellows I saw where I could remove the glass. With the glass removed I was able to really see the tracks and found that on the driver side, there was a plastic piece that was getting hung. I shaved the plastic part down and now it works perfectly. Thanks for the advice on removing the bellows. I would have never found the solution had I not.

 

[sapien]

great to hear! with the glass wide open, take the opportunity to clean and lightly regrease the tracks and you should be good to go.

 

[ITSQUIK]

On another Sunroof note, is there a way to program how much it opens in the vent position? Mine barely opens enough to slide a piece of paper through!! All other function seems normal!!