Mk2 sun roof repair..

[R.O.R-2.0]

ok, so the other night, i heard one of my sun roof cables snap, and havent messed with it since then. i was just grateful that i got it closed enough to seal.. (i live in one of the wettest places on earth, read OREGON)

anyways, i would like to know, before i tear into it, kinda how hard it is, what needs to come out, and any tricks that may make my life easier?

im going to be doing the work to a parts car first, to get the cables, or sunroof assembly out of that car, so i dont mess up my DD. i can live with a messed up sun roof IF I REALLY HAVE TO..

but, since my car has no a/c, and being that im a smoker, and most of my passengers smoke, its kinda an important window to me..

[ORCoaster]

Man you have the worst luck.  Is this one of those sunroofs that crank at the front?  I have a similar one on the 1981, and I just had it off a week ago.  Since you have a second to practice on you are going to get to do it several times and get good at it.  I will be replacing the felt gasket around the outside of my roof next weekend if it isn't raining.  Like you say, the wettest place on earth, wet yes but not the wettest.  Try Hawaii. 

To remove my roof I needed to get the screws out of the handle then around the outside of the mechanism of the roof.  The spring that keeps the windbreak up after you open the roof past a certain point can make it difficult to work with that part so I just tape it down and then remove the screws at the two arms and the front of the mechanism.  Once you get that off you will notice a metal piece at the crank, it has two threaded holes that the screws on the inside of the car go into.  This kind of pinches the cables in place at the gear driven by the crank it self.  I take that off and then lift the cables out and make the go straight out and over the windshield.  Yeah they are a bit long.  They are also greasy hence getting them out of the way keeps me clean.

I take the rest of the screws off down the sides and then pull on the cables to bring the sunroof back up to about the middle of the track.  Oh, didn't mention that I open the roof full back upon start.  Step one here at about step 4, what the heck, at least you know.

It slides well to the front and then I reach across with a cloth and grab up the cables and sort of curl them up in the cloth and put it on top the roof you are removing.  Then I grab the roof itself and lift the front up and pull it forward a bit.  There are two points at the back of the tracks that go into holes in the top of the pan that contains the roof when you open it.  They may be a bit tight if you haven't pulled it out before.  Mine slides right out as I had to repair it a year ago. 

There are two clips that attach to the inside panel that then clips to the mechanism you are removing.  Watch to be sure you don't knock them off they have plastic parts on them that help the whole thing glide into the pan.   Mine were pretty worn so when I did the headliner I used some of those stick on felt pads that go on furniture to keep from scratching the floor.  Seem to do well. 

Once the entire mechanism is free from the car swing it out over the windshield and place it on a workbench or the ground on some sort of cardboard.  Otherwise you may forever see the imprint of something over your head on the headliner.  Now go back up to the opening an check all four corners for good clean holes that drain this area.  Remember you have a bit of moisture coming in the next 6-8 months.  I found that two of the rear tubes that drain out the rear window hatch area were completely plugged.  Good for me because over the 30 years the car had aged and the stock hoses had shrunk to the point where they became disconnected from the outlets.  If the drains would have been open the water would have been pouring down just over the rear wheel wells and likely rusting the bottom out of the car. 

The front drains go down the windshield posts and out from there.  You might be able to blow them out if they are still dry.  I used a combination of vacuum and pressure and a thin rod to clean them good. 

Not an overly hard task, the toughest part seems to be getting the cables to stay in the track in the corners as you put the plate over them at the end.  They are under tension and I have a heck of a time to make sure they are where they need to be as I am screwing that plate in place.  I start in the corners first and maybe I shouldn't do that.  I guess I can always try it the other way when I replace the gasket next weekend. 

Any questions?  I will make up answers later.

[CRSMP5]

actually you did that wrong...

slide roof back enough to grab the headliner piece.. pull down.. it clips in.. then slide it back..

next close it again..

in the rear is 2 phillips screws per side.. the piece has big hole in middle with another philips in that.. thats the rear adjustment.. so do not mess with middle hole phillips..

up front.. again there is 2 per side.. on a little plate like thing.. pull them.. and get the cable unstuck there..

life whole panel front edge up.. and slide rear out of hole...

now you gots all the sily tracks and such to remove..

on the rear of each track is a piece of plastic.. sometimes they fall out.. so look in the pocket.. thats the rear locater of the tracks.. so dont loose them..

hope my words help.. and that piece of felt/seal is big big $

[ORCoaster]

thanks CRMSP5 I will try it differently next time.  Yes the gasket was like 80 but hey you know and I know that it is going to be worth about a dollar per inch of rain this winter.  I am not fixing this car up just to have it flooded out in the wintertime.  I have already replaced the windshield since it had a couple of rock holes that were just under the windshield wipers.  Leaked on the move and if I parked it on a sidehill.  
All the rain would run off the wiper and cross the hole and guess where it ended up.  Should not be a problem now.

I needed to get that sunroof gasket as we kind of sanded parts of the other one away during the paint job.  It was on it's way out anyway.  Had to be replaced either way.  I think my bill for seals and such was near 300 bucks.  The wife says it is all in the box in the shop.  Next weekends work.  Oh part of that 300 was a new grill so make it closer to 220.  

It never stops.  The spending that is.

[R.O.R-2.0]

actually you did that wrong...

slide roof back enough to grab the headliner piece.. pull down.. it clips in.. then slide it back..

next close it again..

in the rear is 2 phillips screws per side.. the piece has big hole in middle with another philips in that.. thats the rear adjustment.. so do not mess with middle hole phillips..

up front.. again there is 2 per side.. on a little plate like thing.. pull them.. and get the cable unstuck there..

life whole panel front edge up.. and slide rear out of hole...

now you gots all the sily tracks and such to remove..

on the rear of each track is a piece of plastic.. sometimes they fall out.. so look in the pocket.. thats the rear locater of the tracks.. so dont loose them..

hope my words help.. and that piece of felt/seal is big big $

thanks for the advise. its just what i was looking for. and as for the seal, i will PROBABLY be re-using the seal out of my parts car for the sunroof. the 92 seal appears to be in MUCH better shape than my original seal..

[R.O.R-2.0]

dang.. that was SOO easy.. thanks for the help!

[CRSMP5]

yep it is... .