Re: re: 5000 sunroof blues

[TACE96A@prodigy.com (MR NED BENNETT)]

Ernest,  Are you ready for this?  Sunroofs are easy if you can demonstrate
in person..I don't know how well this is going to read...
1. the roof HAS to start in the 'flipped up' position...at least partially
up..sometimes this can only be accomplished by removing the overhead
interior light,the phillips head screw behind the light, the sunroof switch
housing and the three screws that hold in the sunroof motor.  2. from
outside the car, look in thru the roof opening, pull down the upholstery
that flips up with the roof & deattach the 2 springs that are hooked to the
upholstery (you need a coat hanger or such with a hook to do this). 3. back
inside the car,the front edge of the sunroof upholstery has to be pulled
down to release the 4? clips that hold it in place on the sunroof. This is
easier if the sunroof is open a little bit in the front. 4. once the clips
are released, the upholstery is free to slide back into the sunroof cavity
while the sunroof stays in place. 5. you can now see the whole mechanism.
remove the broken parts and if you havn't allready, remove the sunroof
motor(leave the electrical connections connected) 6. slide the roof back by
hand, clean the tracks with Zep 45 or WD 40. this is all the lubrication
needed.  white grease & other heavy lube seem to cause most roof problems.
7. about half way back on the top of each track you will see a line scribed
in the track. this an index but it can't be seen with the roof closed.
continue each line around the inside of the track so they can be seen while
sitting inside the car. 8. install the new slides & position the roof in
its normally closed position (the trailing edge should be slightly
elevated..maybe 1/64th inch).  clips & screws hold the slides in & allow
adjustment using common sense. 9. the front edge of the brackets that move
back & forth to open the roof,(the parts that the motor moves using the
cables), have to be positioned with their leading edges exactly on the
index marks(which you can now see from inside the car). 10. make any final
'normal closed position' adjustments to the roof, turn on the key & play
with the sunroof motor using the switch. notice that it runs then stops by
itself until the switch is released & pressed again. advance it forward
until it stops.  this is the 'normal closed position' and will coincide
with the position of the roof when the brackets are at the index marks. 11.
reinstall the motor using loctite on the screws. 12. hold the upholstery
springs in place using tape (like the factory did), pull the upholstery
forward & clip it to the sunroof. 13. move the roof to its flipped up
position.  14. spend the rest of the day trying to reattach the springs to
the upholstery.
        This sounds like a giant runon sentence but it shouldn't take more
than 2 hours on a good day, 20 minutes the second time.
        If you get freaked out or my english reads like it's a second
language just say so.
        ned bennett