OK, I took off the headliner (very easy BTW) and I found the problem.

It seems that the cable has come out of its channel and is warped and slack. So when I open the sunroof the slack is taken out and it opens no problem. When I close the sun roof as the cable pushes out against the sunroof as it twists out of its channel. The grind I hear about midway is the sound of the cable grinding against the sunroof, once it overcomes this resistance it continues to open almost the rest of the way. It won't open all the way though bc there is too much slack due to the cable coming out of the channel.

So now my question is, assuming I need a new cable, can I do this myself? Does the sunroof need to come out for this? If done by a shop how much should I expect to pay?

I have tried putting the cable back into the channel, but upon closing it pops out again. Maybe if I could restrict it somehow from popping out of the channel, hmm... Or could I adjust the tension of the cable at the motor end?

Any help would be appreciated, thanx.

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1987 300E