2002 Factory Sun Roof Problem
#11
04-09-2021, 05:29 PM
I'm not optimistic about my video but here is the procedure for replacing the parts and bringing the sunroof back to life. I spent about a day and a half but I had no guidance and had to figure it out. An able pro could probably do it in four hours.
If possible, get the sunroof in the tilted forward position, it will make it easier to get the screws out of it but it will be possible with it laying flat. When putting it back together it will be more important but you will be able to run it up there with the switch. Remove the four torx screws from inside the car, two on each side and lift the glass out.
To the rear of the hole topside is a cross member that is held in with one Phillips screw on each side, remove screws and cross member.
Slide the cover forwards and out through the slots in the front of the channel. It comes out but it takes a little oomph. While you're up there, you can pop out the connector rod that connects the pieces together. One rod on each side and they just pop out. If it's not all broken to pieces up there, take some pictures and note how the assembly works.
Pull the A pillar covers off (they just pop out) and remove everything from the roof inside the vehicle. The clips on the front that hold the visors in place are 'special', they're like wall anchors in that they collapse when the screw is tightened. Don't remove that torx screw all the way, loosen it and push on it to expand the wings on the other side. Getting it out isn't too bad but getting it back in is more challenging and you'll need a tiny screwdriver to help push all the stuff in. The overhead console is held in with one screw towards the front then just pops out. You can disconnect all the wires or leave it hang, your choice, it will feed through the hole in the headliner. Remove all handles and hooks from the headliner. Also remove the #50 torx screws on the walls in the seat belts and pop those covers loose from the body. The dome light is removed by opening it like you're going to change the bulb and it drops down...an interesting setup.
Work the trim off of the headliner from around the sunroof. I did it just using a finger and sliding it along. The headliner might be glued up at the windshield. I don't know if it's glued or just stuck from being there for 20 years. And the same above the windows in the rear. I just shoved my hand up in there and used my fingers like a chisel and it popped loose. Once that's done the headliner is loose and it's just a matter of wriggling it out of there. Slide it forward to get it out from under the trim back at the rear door. If you can figure out how to get that trim off back there, that would be good but not necessary. It did tear a small piece out of the headliner from what looked like could be a fastener under that trim piece but it was not detrimental. Pull the headliner out the back door and set it aside.
Now you have access to the whole track. At the back end of the track is an end that needs to come off. It's held onto the track with three 3/16" x 1/4" pop-rivets. New rivets are included in the repair kit. I used a #16 bit but 3/16" is probably comparable. There is also a bolt in that end piece holding it to the roof, remove that too and pull the end off. It has some sort of glue on it that's still tacky after all these years. I just left it there when I put it back together.
Next you'll need to reconnect the sunroof switch if you disconnected it and run the mechanism all the way to the back until it disconnects from the motor. On mine the left side was longer than the right side so just hold the switch until they both stop moving. Start sliding the pieces out and the one that's attached to the motor just pulls off of the cable sideways once it's out of the track. It has two notches in it that the cable slides onto. Slide the rest of the stuff out, there are three pieces there total and pay attention to how they come out. The front piece works the wind deflector in the front, the middle piece is the one that the cable connects to and the back piece is the one that the cross member mounts to that works the cover inside the car. I cleaned my track out with Acetone, it was gummed up in there. I lubed the track with the lube that comes with the kit now that it's empty and cleaned up.
Next, push the front piece up into the track and you can push it all the forward or just let the rest of the pieces take it up when you install them, your choice. After the front piece is in, attach the middle piece to the cable and push it in, followed by the third piece, the one with the rod attached to it. With the pieces all inside the track and pushed as far as they will go, measure the distance to the pieces from the end of the track, mine had about a 1" difference between left and right with the right one being up in there the farthest. This is the most tedious part of the job. If yours are equal, God bless you, you win but if they're like mine you need to move the long one forward with the motor until you have them equal and it's not fun or easy to get them in sync. I used a machinists rule, which has 1/32" increments and actually got them equal after just two attempts. You push on the back of the piece while running the motor forwards and they will reconnect and start moving.
Once you have them in sync with each other, run everything up to the front and connect the second piece to the first one with the two **** in the track of the front piece. You'll have to push the last piece up by hand. Up in the cavity of the sunroof the track has notches in it that let the **** on the mechanism go up and down through to let the **** on the pieces through. You'll have to play with it to see how it works. A video of this would sure be nice. Once you have everything in its proper notches, you can push the rods on the rear pieces into their holes on the front pieces and connect the whole shebang together. At this point you can run the thing back and forth and make sure it's working right and that the wind deflector works right but don't take it all the way to the rear.
Next you can attach the back ends to the track with a rivet (I recommend only one in case you need to take it back apart) and put the bolts back in loose. Put the sliding cover back in the hole. It does go in through the notches in the front but it's not easy. be careful to not destroy the felt that's glued to it. Once that's in, slide it back and reinstall the cross member. The cross member seats in a notch and takes a little to get it in there. With the mechanism all the way forward, install the glass and fasten it into place. The holes for this are oblong to permit adjustment but you should be able to see the marks from how it was set before. I adjusted mine to those marks and it seems good. Once that's in, run it back and forth and check for proper operation and park it towards the rear and tighten the back bolts of the track to the roof and install the remaining rivets. The bolts at the back are oblong to permit adjustment and this procedure should ensure that the tracks are not too close for the glass to slide back.
Run the roof through it's paces to ensure it's working and if so, reinstall the headliner reverse of removing it. Mine went in easier than I expected.
If possible, get the sunroof in the tilted forward position, it will make it easier to get the screws out of it but it will be possible with it laying flat. When putting it back together it will be more important but you will be able to run it up there with the switch. Remove the four torx screws from inside the car, two on each side and lift the glass out.
To the rear of the hole topside is a cross member that is held in with one Phillips screw on each side, remove screws and cross member.
Slide the cover forwards and out through the slots in the front of the channel. It comes out but it takes a little oomph. While you're up there, you can pop out the connector rod that connects the pieces together. One rod on each side and they just pop out. If it's not all broken to pieces up there, take some pictures and note how the assembly works.
Pull the A pillar covers off (they just pop out) and remove everything from the roof inside the vehicle. The clips on the front that hold the visors in place are 'special', they're like wall anchors in that they collapse when the screw is tightened. Don't remove that torx screw all the way, loosen it and push on it to expand the wings on the other side. Getting it out isn't too bad but getting it back in is more challenging and you'll need a tiny screwdriver to help push all the stuff in. The overhead console is held in with one screw towards the front then just pops out. You can disconnect all the wires or leave it hang, your choice, it will feed through the hole in the headliner. Remove all handles and hooks from the headliner. Also remove the #50 torx screws on the walls in the seat belts and pop those covers loose from the body. The dome light is removed by opening it like you're going to change the bulb and it drops down...an interesting setup.
Work the trim off of the headliner from around the sunroof. I did it just using a finger and sliding it along. The headliner might be glued up at the windshield. I don't know if it's glued or just stuck from being there for 20 years. And the same above the windows in the rear. I just shoved my hand up in there and used my fingers like a chisel and it popped loose. Once that's done the headliner is loose and it's just a matter of wriggling it out of there. Slide it forward to get it out from under the trim back at the rear door. If you can figure out how to get that trim off back there, that would be good but not necessary. It did tear a small piece out of the headliner from what looked like could be a fastener under that trim piece but it was not detrimental. Pull the headliner out the back door and set it aside.
Now you have access to the whole track. At the back end of the track is an end that needs to come off. It's held onto the track with three 3/16" x 1/4" pop-rivets. New rivets are included in the repair kit. I used a #16 bit but 3/16" is probably comparable. There is also a bolt in that end piece holding it to the roof, remove that too and pull the end off. It has some sort of glue on it that's still tacky after all these years. I just left it there when I put it back together.
Next you'll need to reconnect the sunroof switch if you disconnected it and run the mechanism all the way to the back until it disconnects from the motor. On mine the left side was longer than the right side so just hold the switch until they both stop moving. Start sliding the pieces out and the one that's attached to the motor just pulls off of the cable sideways once it's out of the track. It has two notches in it that the cable slides onto. Slide the rest of the stuff out, there are three pieces there total and pay attention to how they come out. The front piece works the wind deflector in the front, the middle piece is the one that the cable connects to and the back piece is the one that the cross member mounts to that works the cover inside the car. I cleaned my track out with Acetone, it was gummed up in there. I lubed the track with the lube that comes with the kit now that it's empty and cleaned up.
Next, push the front piece up into the track and you can push it all the forward or just let the rest of the pieces take it up when you install them, your choice. After the front piece is in, attach the middle piece to the cable and push it in, followed by the third piece, the one with the rod attached to it. With the pieces all inside the track and pushed as far as they will go, measure the distance to the pieces from the end of the track, mine had about a 1" difference between left and right with the right one being up in there the farthest. This is the most tedious part of the job. If yours are equal, God bless you, you win but if they're like mine you need to move the long one forward with the motor until you have them equal and it's not fun or easy to get them in sync. I used a machinists rule, which has 1/32" increments and actually got them equal after just two attempts. You push on the back of the piece while running the motor forwards and they will reconnect and start moving.
Once you have them in sync with each other, run everything up to the front and connect the second piece to the first one with the two **** in the track of the front piece. You'll have to push the last piece up by hand. Up in the cavity of the sunroof the track has notches in it that let the **** on the mechanism go up and down through to let the **** on the pieces through. You'll have to play with it to see how it works. A video of this would sure be nice. Once you have everything in its proper notches, you can push the rods on the rear pieces into their holes on the front pieces and connect the whole shebang together. At this point you can run the thing back and forth and make sure it's working right and that the wind deflector works right but don't take it all the way to the rear.
Next you can attach the back ends to the track with a rivet (I recommend only one in case you need to take it back apart) and put the bolts back in loose. Put the sliding cover back in the hole. It does go in through the notches in the front but it's not easy. be careful to not destroy the felt that's glued to it. Once that's in, slide it back and reinstall the cross member. The cross member seats in a notch and takes a little to get it in there. With the mechanism all the way forward, install the glass and fasten it into place. The holes for this are oblong to permit adjustment but you should be able to see the marks from how it was set before. I adjusted mine to those marks and it seems good. Once that's in, run it back and forth and check for proper operation and park it towards the rear and tighten the back bolts of the track to the roof and install the remaining rivets. The bolts at the back are oblong to permit adjustment and this procedure should ensure that the tracks are not too close for the glass to slide back.
Run the roof through it's paces to ensure it's working and if so, reinstall the headliner reverse of removing it. Mine went in easier than I expected.
#13
04-10-2021, 06:20 PM
Happy to help. If you get caught up with any questions just ask. I have a gasket coming for the window and when I pull it out I'll get a still shot of the mechanism assembly so you can see how it looks when it's together.
#14
05-02-2021, 07:47 PM
Needed Factory Sun Roof Parts
Log onto www.GMPartsGiant.com:
1. Fill in the required vehicle information
(Home, Chevrolet*, Blazer*, Year, Model ),
2. Go to Parts and Categories
3. Cab & Body Structure
4. Sunroof
5. This will list the need parts for your Sun Roof.
* applies to the GMC Jimmy, Oldsmobile Bravada,
. as well.
1. Fill in the required vehicle information
(Home, Chevrolet*, Blazer*, Year, Model ),
2. Go to Parts and Categories
3. Cab & Body Structure
4. Sunroof
5. This will list the need parts for your Sun Roof.
* applies to the GMC Jimmy, Oldsmobile Bravada,
. as well.
#15
07-31-2022, 04:29 PM
I know this is an older thread but I'm trying to install a repair kit in my 2003 ZR2 sunroof. Front motor. I can't figure out how to get the trolley guide (the middle of the 3 pieces) to come out. Does it have to come out from the motor end? I don't see how. It doesn't move in either direction.
#16
07-31-2022, 06:10 PM
This is really infuriating. I drilled out the rivets on the motor end and started pulling out the cables - fine. But the shroud or channel that the cables run through block anything from being pulled out from that end of the track. The track is blocked by the inner edge of the shroud. There is a seam that could theoretically be bent up and out of the way, but I'm skeptical that's the way to do it. The metal already started to tear when I tried prying one of them up and I'm afraid of damaging the cable threads. I cant find into on this POS anywhere.
#17
07-31-2022, 06:39 PM
Sorry but I can't remember exactly how it got done but I do remember that the carriage will come out the back. You have to remove the headliner to get it and you might have to take out some rivets. Have you checked on youtube? And I do recall that when I reinstalled it, it was a little trial and error to get the cable even for both sides.
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