Re: Mobile 1 spray

[DeWitt Harrison <de@aztek-eng.com>]

On Sun, 15 Nov 1998 08:00:40 -0600, Bob Mansker wrote:
>Thought I would post my results of using Mobile 1 spray.
>I have a 87 5KQ & my moon roof was going to slow.
>Sprayed with Mobile 1 & much improved.
>What is the best way of getting the spray where it is needed.
>I was only able to spray the tracks on the sides.
>[ ... ]
The sunroof frame runs on plastic glides along the anodized aluminum
rails. The rails work best when clean and dry save, possibly, a thin
coating of dry lubricant. Anything oily will only collect dirt and gum
things up after a while. The cables are lubricated and tend to gather
crud over time. Unfortunately, I don't know of a squirt-em-up
shortcut to get at these areas.

A careful disassembly and cleaning will often restore a boggy
sunroof to like-new operation. It would also uncover any broken
or missing parts. It's not terribly difficult but it is definitely not a
job for an impatient, heavy handed sort. There are several ways
to screw this up. I would put "scratch the daylights out of the
roof paint" at the top of the list. I suggest having the Bentley
handy; things get confusing as you survey the bits and pieces
scattered over the shop floor or bench. Frankly, this job
intimidated me because of the fear that some delicate and hard
to find piece would snap and effectively immobilize the car. I put
it off for months and months. It turned out that things were not
quite that touchy, but I think my success came mainly from
allowing loads of time, i.e. zero panic factor. I spent a Saturday
afternoon being obsessively methodical. Other, more experienced
hands would consider it a 20 minute job.

To digress, this is one of those "watershed" maintenance situations
I've hinted at in the past, that defines the old car / owner relationship.
"Do I fix it or have it fixed properly, or do I learn to live with it?"
Two different paths, each fraught with hazard.

DeWitt Harrison
Boulder, CO
88 5kcstq