I searched b4 but no luck Sunroof Problem

[SHWELL]

LEt a family member borrow my car and when I got it back the sunroof did not tilt up anymore..... I thought I could live with that, but it turns out that the same mechanism that does the tilt function also seals the sunroof when it has been opened.... I found out the hard way that the seal does not happen (Heavy Rain)...... If I push the switch to close it, it goes through all the motions, but I hav to give it a push up to seal it..... When I push the button for the tilt option, I can hear the motor do its thing, but it does not tilt, I can freely push it open once I do this, but it will not keep itself up..... Is there a known fix for this without having to replace my entire sunroof? Thanx for any input..... I tried the reset and that did not resolve the issue.... When I asked the driver about it, he said it was in tilt position and he hiot a bump at about 45 mph and it slammed shut.....

Mine has the slide and tilt option....


Thanx for any input you guys can provide......

[jamesdc4]

Originally Posted by SHWELL

LEt a family member borrow my car and when I got it back the sunroof did not tilt up anymore..... When I asked the driver about it, he said it was in tilt position and he hit a bump at about 145 mph and it slammed shut.....

Mine has the slide and tilt option....


Thanx for any input you guys can provide......

*fixed*
Ferris Bueller's Day Off comes to mind.

I'll have to do some research. In the meantime, maybe someone else has an answer.

[hitek510]

got the same problem man...does not tilt up...but will slide open. slight rattle cuz its loose.

i have yet to get an answer to it. HELP!

[Hoss]

there may be one around here, but i found this link a while back to be quite useful:

http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/e39/8023857-4.html


Done by a fellow named Cameron on his 528. I'll re-post it here so at least its backed up somewhere:






After digging in to my sunroof, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to fix. The pics aren’t the best – all the parts are black and don’t stand out well.

Sunroof Repair

Here’s a simple fix for broken sunroof arms. Its moderate-easy difficulty, should take no more than 3 hours with these directions. The beauty part is that you don’t have to remove the sunroof cartridge and it requires minimal adjustments!

Symptoms
One day you’ll cruising along (at the speed limit, of course) and you’ll hear a ‘snap’ when tilting your sunroof – that’s one side failing. A few months later, you’ll hear another ‘snap’ - that’s the other side failing. After that, your tilt stops functioning. The retract feature will work, but the sunroof no longer locks down properly, causing it to rattle over bumps.

If your symptoms are different (such as no retract), then you may have other problems such as a broken cable. This fix will probably not work and may require removing the cartridge.

Parts List (for a 97 528i but cars with all E39s glass sunroof should be the same):
54-12-8-202-295 Left control rail kit (Part 13)
54-12-8-202-296 Right control rail kit

These kits should be about $30 each from the dealer.



Tools & supplies:
T-25 Torx wrench
Screwdriver
Pliers
Heavy lithium grease

Step 1
Retract the sunroof back slightly, and remove the front stops on both sides.



Step 2
Close the roof, then press the tilt button - you’ll probably have to tilt it manually. Place something soft between the glass and roof to keep it tilted. I used a chuck of plastic.

Step 3
Remove the top of the rubber gators (inside car) from the sunroof. Side it inward and back slightly, but be gentle. The bottom will NOT come detached.

Step 4
Remove 3 Torx head screws from each side of the sunroof (inside car). The sunroof can tilt up even more now, which makes the next step easier.

Step 5
Using a screwdriver, remove the sunroof glass sides from the tilt hinge slider pins (Part 9 in the diagram).

Step 6
Lift out the sunroof glass.

Step 7
You should be able to see your broken parts now. The front sliders (A) are broken and disconnected from the control rods (B). You’re in luck, so have a beer.



Step 8
To get the broken pieces out, you have to disconnect the wind deflector from its arms. Electronically, slide the sunroof guides back about 8 inches. Use pliers to pinch the plastics pin that connect the deflector to its arm. Tilt the deflector arms backs and remove them.



Step 9
Manually slide out the tilt hinge slider and the broken front slider piece. Electronically move the sunroof guides full forward.



Step 10
There is a short rubber cover at the back of the opening. Disconnect it from the main rear slider by popping it upward and then sliding it forward slightly. You can leave it in the opening. Note how it is held in place.

Step 11
Remove the screw on the plate over the main rear slider (E) and slide out the pin (C). Remove the cover and disconnect the main slider (E) from the rear guide arm (D).



Step 12
Remove the control rod (B) by slide it forward.

Step 13
Remove the rear guide lever (D).

Step 14
Clean and grease all contact surfaces.

Step 15
Install new rear guide lever (D).

Step 16
Place the front slider (A) on the control rod (B) and slide it on the track. Also slide on the tilt hinge slider (part 9).

Step 17
Install new cover and pin (C). Screw in place.

Step 18
Pop the rear rubber cover in place.

Step 19
Electronically slide the assembly back about 8 inches. Reinstall deflector arms and connect to wind deflector.

Step 20
Electronically slide the assembly forward and check the tilt function of the assembly. Leave the assembly tilted up.

Step 21
Reinstall sunroof glass. Getting the hinge pins in place is a bit tricky – align them as close as possible, and work from the inside of the car with a small screwdriver in the hole next to it to get them in. Expect some cussing.

Step 22
Install the 3 Torx screws on each side, but leave them just snug. These screws set the alignment.

Step 23
Close the sunroof electronically and check for alignment. There’s a BMW procedure, but I just winged it. If you have to make adjustments, tilt the sunroof back up, loosen the screws and reset.

NOTE: Do NOT retract the sunroof more than ½” or you will crush the gators.

Step 24
Reinstall the gators and check full operation

Step 25
Reinitialize the sunroof by pressing the tilt button for 30 seconds.

Step 26
Take the $1400 you saved by NOT going to the dealer and put it toward a cool mod, like an upgraded theft deterrence system.

[SPLITSENSETAM]

Guys ! i have the same problem as you ..but i dont feel confident in fixing it these sunroofs are very delicate with lots of plastic

i have the diy right here ...anyone around nyc can lend a helping hand on this fix ???

http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/e39/8023857-4.html

[BSDeeZNutZ]

Well, if you were out here on the left coast we could try this together.
My battery died on Monday, and I replaced it with a 100 month warranty (ORly?) Diehard battery.
I went to tilt up the sunroof a few hours after the battery replacement, and I heard things breaking apart.
I ended up with the exact same problem - won't tilt up, rattles, but will still slide open and shut.
The local stealership has the kits in stock - $65 for both (not too bad).
I'm willing to try this one out as a DIY because the main problem most seem to have is getting the sunroof to align properly after replacing the kits.

I'll let you know how things turn out.

John

[12CoolDude]

Nice DIY re-post there Hoss...looks like the fix that is needed.

[SHWELL]

That is def it.... Thanx alot guys, I have been racking my brain about this..... This fix will def work. I will order the parts today and have at it next weekend... I will post up my results.......

[Hoss]

keep us posted on how it turned out.

[hitek510]

i will be doing this tomorrow i think. i will let u know how this turns out. *crosses fingers*

[BSDeeZNutZ]

Originally Posted by hitek510

i will be doing this tomorrow i think. i will let u know how this turns out. *crosses fingers*

I picked up the two kits from the stealership today for $69.50 so I will be doing this tomorrow too.
I'll take as many pictures as I can while I work through this process.
With the help of this reposted DIY, I don't think it's going to be a very big deal.
(Of course that's what I thought about replacing my front rotors....)

John

[jamesdc4]

Write-up added to the DIY section.

Thanks

[BSDeeZNutZ]

Almost perfect write up.
A few observations on it.
Step 8 - "Use pliers to pinch the plastics pin that connect the deflector to its arm."
The plastic pin inserts were somewhat brittle, and I found an easier way to do this without destroying the pin holders.
Just pop the 2 spring tabs on the wind deflector out with a pair of pliers and the whole assembly lifts up.


You can then pull the deflector out of the arms without destroying the plastic clips on the arms.

Between steps 20 and 21, add "20.5 Replace front stops on both sides."
I set the glass in and fortunately had all the old parts laid out on the top of the roof on a heavy cloth.
I dropped the roof glass in and went to grab the 3 new torx screws for each side and discovered the front stops with the torx screws laying there.
Fortunately it was BEFORE I got the glass roof bolted back in.

Otherwise, great DIY!
The results are in the picture.


What a great DIY day it was for me.
Rotors AND the sunroof.

John

[Lustig]

This fix for the GLASS sunroof seems like a great solution but doesn't appear to apply to my METAL sunroof.

My sunroof panel interior cover is fixed and in the way of accessing any attaching hardware from inside the car.

I've detached the motor and can manually move the sunroof front to rear without resistance, but cannot get it to either close all the way or tilt up.

The rear of the panel will only move up to an almost fully closed position on one side but the other rear side is loose and can be pulled up with a piece of wire with a hook on the end, so I guess that side has a broken arm.

Any helpful hints ... other than remove the complete headliner from the car ?

[Buildscharacter]

Just the other day, I had my sunroof tilted up while driving, and it was fine. I pushed the button to bring it back down and heard a snap. Now it only goes up 1/2" and will only retract back about 1". Do you think this is the same issue? I'm going to attempt to take it apart tonight and see if I can't figure it out. Thoughts?

[Doru]

And here is another DIY that complements the Roadfly one.