The power sunroof on my 1990 RX7 coupe will tilt, but it won't slide back.

I have had the rails cleaned and lubricated, but it still doesn't work. The shop says the next step is to replace the motor. Does this sound right?

Any idea what a reasonable cost would be for motor replacement?

Thanks,

Kris

 

If it opens up then try to Nudge it to make the sunroof slide back.If it doesn't,then It could be a cable issue.(they have cables inside the assembly).
you could always try to manually open the sunroof too.(look at the roof interior.There is a small round piece in the Headliner.Pop that off get an allen key and start to see if the sunroof moves.)
anyways,that is a Start..Right?

 

Theres an excellent write up on repairing the motor, if thats the issue here.

 

wd40, and help it open just slide it over while some one pushes the open button, then lube it... my did that and now it works like a champ!!!

 

I'm guessing if you pay a shop to do this work for you, it can end up being pretty expensive. If the motor really needs to be replaced, you have to remove the headliner and the surrounding trim to do it right. If the shop is not careful, a lot of that 19-year old brittle plastic could be broken which will add to the tally.

If you feel like tackling the job yourself, here is a decent thread with some practical advice:

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...unroof+removal

You can also check the Factory Shop Manual (FSM) which has a lot of detail about sunroof removal. If you don't own a hard copy, you can download it via a link in the FAQ section at the top of this page.

Good luck!

 

I have similar issues. Except only one side of mine slides, and then it binds up. It was a pain in
the *** the first couple times it happened until I realized what was happening. But, I cant
really figure mine out. The manual crack will work, but not very easily. Ill probably have to
disassemble everything and check the motor...

 

I've never had to take mine apart; I must have one of the few with no problems. But if you do a search on this, apparently there is a cable that passes through a copper or brass tube someplace and that is a common trouble spot where corrosion and old accumulated grease can cause things to bind.

 

I worked on it a little bit today. The sunroof will tilt and slide back a fraction of an inch and then stop. I used an allen key to manually crank the sunroof back another inch. Then it would go the rest of the way using the motor. It closes using the motor with no problem.

I read in another thread here of other owners having exactly the same problem.

 

WD40 is not a long term answer for anything needing consistent and continuous lubrication. Get some molybdenum grease and some 10-40 or 10-30 motor oil, mix them till it has a thick enough consistency to not run but thin enough to apply a good layer with a toothbrush or paintbrush. Once you have the moonroof opening properly that is. Make sure to clean off the rails and guides first to get rid of the dirt and grime that is there and slowing it down, or stopping it all together. I just did this with my windows (which were choppy down and SUPER slow up), and also to my moonroof that was also slow. Everything works much better now and moves with what I would consider a much improved speed.

 

Most likely if it is opening, and will retract slightly on one side till it binds, then there is a cable issue with it. The motor will either make it go or not, the cables will be the issue for an unbalanced retraction of the roof.

 

As poster above said, you want the cables to be balanced, in the sense that you have two cables passing by the motor, on each side of the motor gear. You have to clean and lube it all up (tracks, mechanism cable), then before installing the motor back, make sure both cables are positioned equally with the sunroof parallel to the front/rear openings.

Basically, if the motor pulls more on one cable, the roof gets askew and starts binding. How do I know? I fuc*ed that small, crucial step up.

Lastly, if your cable is chewed, get another one. The cable looks like a spiral wire wound around a thicker wire. Similar idea to the antenna mast or power window cable (on some cars).

 

Haha, did you just quote yourself in your own thread?

 

Hey guys, im having the same problem on my fc. i took it to a shop and they told me that the cable did in fact snap so one side will move back and then other wont move at all(even by pushing it) what i need to know is where can i buy just the cable by itself? i dont want to pay for another sunroof and pay 300+, some guy even told me 480 O_O

 

Unfortunately, it's either junkyard or you'll pay a bit.

 

yeah the cables are generally the weak link here. I went through 3 used sunroofs before i got one with good cables.

If it is a motor problem, you should be able to manually open the sunroof with an allen wrench I believe.

Hope Im not repeating anthing someone else already said as I didnt read the entire thread.

 

damn, what are the chances i can find them at a junkyard?