W126 Rear Sunshade Repair Write-up w/ pics!

[tinypanzer]

Hello everyone,


I just got done repairing my rear sunshade on my 560SEL. What a pain! Although, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and I did not find it necessary to remove the rear seats as has been stated in other write-ups. I also found an alternative source for the dreaded "rope gear" So, without further ado, here is how I fixed my rear sunshade.

First, we need to remove the track that the rear shade rides on. There are two Philips screws that attach its bracket to the ceiling. Remove those screws, and then slide the track out of the hole in the hat deck. See pictures 1 & 2.

After removing the track, we now remove the brake light. Grasp it firmly by the sides being careful not to break the rear cover and pull it straight out. See picture 3.

Next, we need to remove the two clips for the first aid and whatnots hatches. Again, a Phillips head screw. See picture 4

Okay, now the fun part. Removing that flap that covers the gap between the hat deck and the rear seat back. Most insist that you have to remove the seats. Not so. You'll need to make yourself a tool, however. See picture 5. This is a mini vise-grip with a really grippy Phillips bit in its jaws.

[tinypanzer]

When you flip up the flap, you see this (see picture 1). Now take the homemade screwdriver and CAREFULLY and PATIENTLY loosen the screws that secure the flap to the body (see picture 2). Once you get them loosened, you should be able to remove them by hand. It will be much easier if you disconnect the clips holding the rubber bands first.

IMPORTANT NOTE - anything you drop down there will be very difficult to retrieve! You may wind up pulling the seats out after all!

The rubber bands are likely to break. See picture 3.

Once you have removed all 6 screws securing the 3 hinges, simply lift this piece out and set it aside.

I should point out that if you get grease on your hands at any point in this process, STOP AND WASH YOUR HANDS before it gets all over the upholstery.

Now that we have the flap out, it's time to remove the speaker grilles. Grasp them from behind at the base (see picture 4) and pull towards the front. The grilles are held in by three tongues on the rear, and one clip in the front. You may have to slide a screwdriver under the grill to try to pop the front clip. It will in all likelihood break the post on the grille that goes through the clip. 20+ year old plastic...

Once you remove the speaker grilles, you will be treated to a dust cloud of deteriorated foam. See picture 5.

Time to get the shop-vac and clean all that crap up.

[tinypanzer]

Now that we have removed the speaker grilles, it's time to remove the speakers. These are secured by two screws in the front of each speaker, and a tongue in the rear. Remove the two screws (see picture 1).

Use a flat-bladed screwdriver to pry at the speaker until the seal gives way. Be gentle and patient. It will give. See picture 2.

Once the seal has yielded, tilt the speaker up at the front then lift it out so the tongue at the rear clears the rear deck. See picture 3.

Set the speaker down on a piece of newspaper or something to prevent it from dirtying the cloth on the hat deck, and pull out the speaker wire. The plug is covered in foam. See picture 4. Slide the foam back to reveal the plug and unplug it. See picture 5.

Set the speakers aside.

[tinypanzer]

Now for the difficult part - You have to remove the hat deck without breaking it. It's not so hard. It's very flexible, and the only spot likely to break is the thin part right in front of the speakers. This is easily repaired with a splint and some wood glue if it should crack. Bend the hat deck upwards in the middle, and get your hand underneath it. Then gently pull one side forward until it clears the C-pillar. Reach underneath the hat deck and unplug the wire going to the shade motor. Lift the plug receptacle in the brake lamp mount straight up to free it from the brake light mount, and then poke the wire down through the hole which it feeds through. Tada! You have now removed the hat deck! See pictures 1 & 2.

Now bring the whole hat deck inside and place it upside down on a nice CLEAN bench.

The shade mechanism is attached to the hat deck with four nuts. Remove the nuts and separate the shade mechanism from the hat deck. Three flat-head screws attach the motor to the shade assembly. See picture 3. Remove the three screws being sure not to lose the 6 washers that go on either side of these screw mounts. As you can see, the tube which stores the retracted "rope gear" is clipped into the assembly with two nylon clips. Remove the motor and storage tube from the assembly taking care to to break the nylon clips. See picture 4.

Now go get a rag, because it gets messy from here. Use a flat-bladed screwdriver to pry open the nylon gear box cover. Hey! That picture is missing from my phone! Anyway, be careful not to break this cover as the gear will jam up without it snugly in place.

Next, remove the three screws holding the motor to the gear box. Set the motor aside. See picture 5.

[tinypanzer]

Now we have to remove the old "rope gear" from the storage tube. In all likelihood, it will have broken right where the gear is. Grab it with a pair of needle nose pliers, and pull that sucker out! See picture 1. This is after I pulled it part of the way out.

Once it's out completely (see picture 2), you can see why this is such a crappy design. The plastic gets a big-time memory from the bend in the storage tube, and this creates friction, which causes it to eventually break.

At this point, I decided that I was pretty much screwed for the day. No way to get this part and put this thing back together on a Saturday. Or so I thought... A friend of mine mentioned that the "rope gear" looked just like the rope gear inside a Volvo power antenna. She just happened to have a broken Volvo power antenna lying around, so I figured "What the hell" and decided to break one open. See pictures 3 & 4.

Whaddya know? The two are almost identical. There were some slight differences; the gear spacing was different by a tiny amount and the notches in the gear weren't as deep as the original. However, I decided to give it a shot because it was so darn close. I don't necessarily recommend that you use this approach, it is probably far easier to order the correct part in advance of tackling this job, but in this case I went for it.

Either way, the next step is to feed the new rope into the mechanism as far as it will go. Start by inserting the rope into the gearbox and push it past the first gear. You may have to use pliers or a tiny screwdriver to get the rope to make that first turn around the gear, but once you get it past the gear and entering the storage tube, you're in good shape.

You can now re-attach the motor to the gearbox.

Take a 14v cordless drill battery, or any 12-14V source you may have which has adequate current available. Pry open the plug on the motor after labeling which wires go where. Remove the terminals and wire from the plug and peel them apart just a little bit to allow you to apply them to the terminals on your drill battery.

Make sure that the rope is seated all the way at the bottom of the gearbox, and is entering the storage tube. See picture 5. If it looks like this, you can go ahead and snap the nylon gear box cover back in place.

Apply 14V from your drill battery to the motor. If you are lucky, the rope will now retract into the storage tube. If you are unlucky, it will spit the rope out and you will have to start over and this time you will connect the battery in opposite polarity than before.

Retract the rope all the way into the tube until it stops. Then, cut off the excess, leaving about 4-6" extra. You don't need anywhere near that much, as you'll see in a moment.

[tinypanzer]

Okay, we're almost done now.

The next step is to re-mount the motor and storage tube back into the shade assembly. Note that the plastic sleeves on the storage tube line up with the nylon clips. Screw the 3 flat-head screws back in, remembering that a washer goes on both sides of each screw mount.

Shove the excess rope through the hole in the assembly.

Now we need to cut off the excess rope. Using a magic marker, make a mark on the rope at the exact point where it leaves the assembly through the hole. See picture 1.

Using your drill battery, extend a few inches of rope out of the assembly. Using cutters, cut off the excess rope 1 centimeter BELOW the mark you made. Using the battery, feed the rope all the way back into the storage tube. Take the slider portion of the shade and verify that the rope has retracted enough to allow it to sit flush with the assembly. If not, cut off a bit more rope. If so, it's time to start re-assembly.

At this point, installation is now the reverse process of removal.

Take your time and be patient, and you will succeed!


I hope you found this post useful.


Cheers!

[mbzman]

Would this repair also apply to the W124? My shade has stopped working and is currently stopped in the fully down position with the switch having no effect at all.

[tinypanzer]

If I had to guess, I'd say that it is probably similar. Don't know if you can get the hat deck out as "easily" though....

[tinypanzer]

If someone could post a link to the correct part for this procedure, it would really round this thread off nicely!

[Stretch]

Originally Posted by tinypanzer

... You'll need to make yourself a tool, however. See picture 5. This is a mini vise-grip with a really grippy Phillips bit in its jaws.

Would a 1/4 inch drive ratchet and a Phillips bit work too? (My weedy little 1/4" drive set has actually been very helpful on my W123)

[tinypanzer]

Originally Posted by Army

Would a 1/4 inch drive ratchet and a Phillips bit work too? (My weedy little 1/4" drive set has actually been very helpful on my W123)

I tried, but couldn't fit mine in there. You might have better luck if it is a really thin wrench.

[Billybob]

Originally Posted by tinypanzer

If someone could post a link to the correct part for this procedure, it would really round this thread off nicely!

White plastic toothed drive cable = MB # A000 812 03 87 - Rope, about $34 from Fastlane and a couple dollars more at the MB dealership. The same part number for 124 chassis, this part is installed and trimed to a correct length afterwards for either chassis installation.

[tinypanzer]

Originally Posted by Billybob

White plastic toothed drive cable = MB # A000 812 03 87 - Rope, about $34 from Fastlane and a couple dollars more at the MB dealership. The same part number for 124 chassis, this part is installed and trimed to a correct length afterwards for either chassis installation.

Thanks, I couldn't find that info for some reason. Well, I guess that about seals this write-up. Hope somebody finds it useful.



Cheers!