300E Sunroof, Need Help...MAYDAY...MAYDAY!

[appatula]

Okay, well so far I can tell you one thing, sunroofs are a PAIN IN THE A$$ with that aside I am now stuck and I think I am royally screwed.
First I needed to disassemble the roof without being able to open it as the cable was completely frozen. After gutting it meticulously I soon learned that the cable was not frozen but completely jammed in and would not budge for the life of it. I got bold, cut it, pulled it through the back where the motor would be and then realized that the little sections of plastic sheathing were what jammed it, now they sit comfy inside the guide tube and I HAVE NO CLUE how to get them out. I have tried pushing them out with the larger part of the cable but it just gets halfway up the pillar in the back left side and stops. WD-40 isn't doing magic either.

If I don't find a way to push these plastic ba$tard$ out, I cannot fit a new cable in and I will never be able to see that sunroof work again

What would the dealership do in this type of predicament? What would you do?

[dukegrad98]

I'd silicone the sunroof shut -- or better, weld it. I've always thought they were a stupid feature that only adds weight far above the car's center of gravity. Also, if you've ever had a rollover accident, you know another major weakness of large movable panels on top of the car...

I realize this doesn't help you at all... I've just resolved that when my Benz sunroof gives out, I'll just seal her off and be done with it!

Good luck...

Cheers, John

[865sp300e]

Originally Posted by appatula

pulled it through the back where the motor would be and then realized that the little sections of plastic sheathing were what jammed it, now they sit comfy inside the guide tube and I HAVE NO CLUE how to get them out. I have tried pushing them out with the larger part of the cable but it just gets halfway up the pillar in the back left side and stops. WD-40 isn't doing magic either.

If I don't find a way to push these plastic ba$tard$ out, I cannot fit a new cable in and I will never be able to see that sunroof work again

What would the dealership do in this type of predicament? What would you do?

The dealer would most likely removed/replace the guide tube but that is a lot of work and very expensive.

I experienced a similar situation, however, the "little sections of plastic sheathing" were binding in the tube jamming the cable. i was able to remove the cable without cutting. unfortunately, it appears when you cut the cable the plastic got left behing in the tube. My advice is to fashion the old cable somehow with a drill type end and use it with a drill to remove the obstruction. Either that or find a long cable you can use to do the same thing such as a parking brake cable, old speedometer cable, etc. It appears the obstruction is about half way in the tube so it will be difficult. Try pushing in the opposite direction from the way you removed the cable. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Uncle Acky]

appatula:
Please do your best not to bend the tube from its origional shape.

I agree with 865sp300e, that you try to push them out from the front end.

The front end of the tube is either flattened or crimpt shut, if I remember correctly. Try to open the end and push them out with a suitable flexible shaft, wire, or tube of some sort.

Take your time with it. If you run into difficulty, stop and take a break and go back to it later trying a different method.

Good luck,
Acky

[appatula]

Thanks guys, your positive attitudes are keeping me going, I have been trying to use the original cut cable to push the plastic sections out but it keeps jamming, maybe a more ridgid cable with an impact drill would work or like 865 said about a drill. I will keep you posted, I hope I dont have to drop the headliner if so how much should I expect a bill like that to be.

and BTW

Also, if you've ever had a rollover accident, you know another major weakness of large movable panels on top of the car...

I'm 17 and no longer a stupid driver, sunroof or not I owe my life to Mercedes Benz engineering. Yes it had a sunroof.



It was a 1999 C280, I plan on keeping my 1986 300E longer. Just a lucky life lesson.

I WANT MY SUNROOF!!! ahhhh! lol

[dukegrad98]

Yowzer...having a sunroof was definitely the least of your problems in that one. You don't have to be young or stupid to have a rollover...I had one on black ice a few years back. Car rolled end over end down a highway embankment (yeah, lengthwise) since the mountain road didn't have any guard rails. Two and a half rotations, landing on the roof. It was an American SUV, and boy did it ever hold up better than your C-class did. PM me details if you're bored -- you definitely goofed up the shiny side on that one, and got lucky to still be talking about it!

Oh, and continued good luck with your sunroof.

Cheers, John

[appatula]

dukegrad98,
I would like to say that it wasent my fault but I was driving to fast, around a corner, supposedly traveling 70-80mph, also not thinking about the worst case senario. Anorther car happend to be doing the same thing, I turned to avoid him and the RWD sedan swung out like a hinge, skidded sideways twice, with ASR working against me I was bound for an embankment encounter. Of course with my luck I hit a pile of rocks a mason left on the peoples property from a wall job. The left side of the car flew up and the rocks severed the oilpan. It chopped a small tree down while it was in the air and landed right on the roof 40 ft later according the the police report , it skidded on the roof until it hit a pretty decent sized tree which ended up falling on top of it, thus the circular indentation on the rear passenger side in the second picture. I walked away after I became consious, so did my best freind located in the passenger seat. I ended up with a $200 speeding ticket thanks to my uncle who has a law degree. However there isnt anything more impacting than waking up, comming to, and finally realizing that the car your looking at was yours while firemen are prying the flipped car apart to get your best friend out. When I woke up and saw the car I started praying for obvious reasons, and I am by no means religious in any way. I was lucky. I would also like to add that the 7 grand I saved up for the car is a cheap life learned lesson that, under the circumstances was a miracle. I am a diffrent driver for life, however the thing that scares me is that there are people out there who still drive like I did. All in all I'm still alive and still pissed off at mercedes for designing the sunroof cable with stupid plastic sections that jam the cable and get stuck in the guide tube AHHH!

Benzbro from benzworld.org mentioned using compressed air, a pretty nifty thought that I will try this weekend when I get the chance to drive to my dads shop. I'll let you know what the turnout is guys!