Re: Mobile 1 spray

[Zsolt Kovacs <zsolt@telusplanet.net>]

My sunroof is stuck (I bought the car like this) and the crank doesn't even
work. The problem is that on the highway, the back flips open 1/4" or so, and
it's really noisy. Any ideas how I could close it?

DeWitt Harrison wrote:

> 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