Sunroof Seals

Par911 · 12-17-2003, 07:59 PM

I am looking to put new seals in the sunroof of my SC. I was wondering if anyone knows the difference between the "velvet" sunroof seals and the flat sunroof seal. All three are sold here at PP, I would like to know which ones I need to order. Thanks.

ubiquity0 · 12-17-2003, 08:10 PM

There are 2 velvet seals (1 attaches to the sunroof panel & the other to the edge of the opening in the car's roof. The rubber seal is glued to the sunroof panel behind the velvet seal. You'll need all 3.

Par911 · 08:16 PM

You're right Ubiquityo, Thanks. Also, I just read about sunroof repair in Wayne's 101 Projects and figured it out, it seems I need all three.

aigel · aigel's Garage

While we are talking sunroofs:

What's the major failure mechanisms on them? Mine does retract 'crooked' and then bind. I'd like to diagnose it without taking it all apart. Driving now with an open sunroof would be a bad idea.

Basically, with those symptoms, what parts would you recommend I buy???

Cheers, George

ubiquity0 · 12-17-2003, 09:27 PM

Yep- drive for a day in the bay area at this time of year w/ sunroof stuck open & your going to need scuba gear! I would guess the cable on 1 side is broken. The cable end guide tends to pull apart from the cable itself. If its not this I suppose it could be that the motor gear isn't meshing w/ a cable properly. You can examine the motor stuff by unzipping the headliner & removing the access panel.
I'm betting its a cable though. The old style cables are NLA so you would need a 964 cable, which requires a little filing to fit the guide rails.

Good luck

aigel · aigel's Garage

Oooops, on the non avialability on the SC cable!

I looked at the motor side and that looks okay. I will double check. So, a 964 cable will work okay with some minor fab, eh?

TIA, George

howie944 · 12-17-2003, 09:38 PM

Retract the sunroof about 1/3. Then gently pull the headliner panel from the roof and slide it back a bit. Check to see if the attachment points at the front of the sunroof are both still in place and clipped. (Once open and exposed you'll se what I mean) If one of the atttachment points has come loose it would make the roof retract canted. Hope its as simple as reattaching and not a broken cable. Good luck!

aigel · aigel's Garage

Thanks! I will go inspect! I am about to drop in a roll bar which will eliminate the access to the motor. The bar is bolt in, but I'd rather get the sunroof fixed before hand. Especially if it may be as easy as re-installing a cable.

George

ubiquity0 · 12-17-2003, 09:45 PM

I used a dremel to remove some of the extra metal on the 964 cable end guide piece- not a big deal, just use the old one as a visual guide. Hopefully it is something as simple as a loose attachment- but cable replacement isn't a big deal- 3 hours or so if you're slow like me.

Par911 · 09:06 AM

Hey George, it looks like my sunroof is having similar problems. The motor works and the sunroof retracts fine, but it will get caught and make a noise that sounds like an uzi when I try to close it. So when I am trying to close it the sunroof gets stuck halfway, I have to push it forward and up while pressing the sunroof button. Folks, does this sound like a cable problem?

Mike Andrew · 12-18-2003, 09:37 AM

I would start by checking the gear that drives the cables. If it isn't meshing completely with the cable it will skip & make the Uzi sound while damaging the cable.
Then proceed as noted above & check the whole system. While it seems complicated, once you have it apart, it's really pretty simple as noted in Wayne's book.

Par911 · 12-18-2003, 11:31 AM

Thanks for the advice Mike, I am planning on taking my sunoof off next week after I order my seals. I will check the gears first. Now that I think of it, it's the same noise my acura legend used to make when the window came off track. It would grind the gears down every time I put the legend's window up. So I think you may be correct.