I think my sunroof is posessed

[Omega]

Hi all,
This is probably a pretty easy question, but here goes.
I have an '84 500SEL, I went to open the sunroof today, it opens just fine, however it doesn't seem to want to close. It's the solid type that retracts into the roof rather than opening up (I hope I described that right). After fiddling with the switch for a few minutes I got it to close. However when pressing the switch other times I get nothing, no dimming of lights etc. This seems to tell me that it's a switch contact that's dirty or something similar. how difficult is it to remove and clean or even replace, they don't seem to be too expensive so that may be a better route to go. Also, what should I use and how should I go about greasing the rails etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.


Mike Hudson

[Holson Adi]

The sunroof paste is pretty expensive but it is special (from reading here.. my sunroof cable is bust so I don't know). You can ask the dealer to get it for you.

The switch could be pried off the dashboard. It's pretty easy. Gently use a screwdriven on top of the switch and pry it out of the wood plate.
Be careful not to chip the already brittle wood..

Good luck

Ha just had to laugh at the title of your post. My sunroof does not work but I have put $5k into my car to get it up to spec and is a great car now. I bought it for 5k believe it or not so, not such a bad deal. I am getting the sunroof fixed next , will keep you posted on my results.

[Omega]

Thanks to both of you for your fast replys.
If it ever stops raining here I'll venture out and try to pull that switch off and clean the contacts. I'm slowly trying to get everything in this car back to tip top shape.
Please do keep me updated on the status of your sunroof. I'm always up for learning new things about these great cars.

[nellotare]

My sunroof, as of yesterday, won't close properly. The corner (closest to rear passenger side) won't "go up" all the way to meet the roof properly. I can hear air coming through when I drive. Is there an easy fix? or How much does an excorcist cost?

[Lance Allison]

I had exactly the same problem last week with my 126. The roof would open fine, but not close all the way without some coaxing. I lubed the rails/guides with sunroof paste and it helped slightly, but the problem still largely existed.

I took it to the dealer and they ended up needing to replace the entire sunroof assembly and cable. Some part of it was bent and the cable was binding. Not a cheap endeavor. All in all, it was around $8xx for parts and $7xx labor...I don't have an exact number yet as they are still waiting on a part. It will be between $1500 and $1600.

Good luck.

[nellotare]

I was going to say Thanks, Lance.. but I'm not sure I wanted to read what you wrote. Yesterday, I opened and closed the sunroof and it closed tightly BUT there is "felt"? the black furry stuff portruding from the bothersome corner on the outside of the car. I'm hoping that I can open it again and push/trim the felt stuff back to normal, and that will make a better path for the roof to go to its natural location. If not, we might just have to ride with it closed all the time for a while since I don't have the amount of money you mentioned to get it fixed.

am glad you responded.

[Lance Allison]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news...but maybe yours just needs to be "lubed" or the felt pushed back.

Best of luck and I hope you don't end up having to replace the whole assembly.

[A. Rosich]

If the sunroof closes incorrectly (uneven or bented or missaligned) it is usually the infamous sunroof guidelines that are bent.

Very sorry to say, but they are quite expensive to replace, and worst of all, in all W126s and W124s they tended to fail constantly.

A. Rosich
S320, 1998
E320T, 1995

[nellotare]

Well, I fixed the felt problem. The felt was so old that it just sort of disintegrated into a cloud of wispy smoke when I touched it. I just rubbed my finger lightly over the fibers that had been sticking out.. sort of filed it down.

The sunroof open and close nicely except with a loud groaning sound at the end of each cycle; as it came to a stop fully opened, and the same sound as it closed. ..sorta like "metal/cable being stretched" sound.

So, for right now I'll use it sparringly.. seems like maybe some lube work might solve it.. but since my AC is now working, I don't have to have the roof open as much.. I really like it at night being open.. more a moonroof than sun.. without the air on at all. But, I've dodged a bullit and will keep an eye on it ..thanks to all.

[JimSmith]

Mike,

Your best bet to understand what is going on, and possibly lubricate the lifting mechanism, is to take the interior headliner that covers the sliding roof panel out and check things out.

I know the simple roof that does not pop up in the back is much more robust and easier to fix. I am not intimately familiar with your model, but I think the general arrangement and design of the era was similar on W201, W124 and W126 chassis cars. I am familiar with my W201 assembly, which was also the simple kind, and I will describe the mechanism here. You can decide if you want to chase this down yourself, but it is pretty simple, no special tools and no special skills.

The headliner on the moving panel is slightly larger than the interior opening, so it is really hard to get of if the roof won't open. Not impossible but more challenging. I will describe the way to do it with the roof open.

Open the roof about half way or more, and then at the front edge of the moving steel roof panel, you pry the liner down. There are four or five spring clips that hold it up, and that is all. Once the liner is loose across the front edge, there are no other fasterners. Just pull it forward, and then feed it out the top, through the roof openning.

Once it is out shine a flashlight at the rear of the openning and activate the control switch to shut the roof. The cable runs in a fixed tube, and is connected to the sunroof panel by a clip that grabs the head on the end of the cable, then protrudes through a slot at the bottom of the guide tube, and then spreads out in a delta shape, with two screws, one in each "wing" that are fastened to a cross beam at the rear of the panel. This arrangement on my car failed when one screw holding the clip to the crossbeam fell out. At that point the clip could rotate about its center, which also let the cable travel a little further, enought to get the entire distorted clip assembly out of the guide tube, so it would not go back in. You will see what I am talking about when you get the access to the area.

Anyway, you will see the cable opens the roof by pulling the crossbeam backwards, which first lowers the rear of the panel and then, once the panel can move backwards the cable pulls the panel backwards, into the space between the rear seat liner and the steel fixed roof. The pivot points of the cross beam can be lubricated, and the cable can be taken out and lubricated if it needs to be lubricated.

The closing action is the reverse of the openning action. The closing runs the roof to the end of its stroke, then the cross beam pivots up and forward as it lifts the rear into position. If one side is hanging up, it is possible the crossbeam, basically stamped sheet metal, is pretty flimsy and could have bent. In this case I think you will have to replace the cross beam. I would go to a junk yard and get a whole roof panel, then swap the moving parts. If you need to, you can take your roof panel out, but I would be afraid to do that without knowing how hard it is to put back in and get it aligned. The intallation of the liner is the reverse of taking it out - feed it in from the top, through the roof hole, and then align the spring clips with the holes in the front edge of the roof panel, and pop them in the holes.

But, if you have the whole back end hanging low, cleaning and lubricating the mechanical joints/pivot points should help make it work better. Good luck, Jim