HELP!!! My 1993 400SEL (W140) sunroof will open up and down, but will not slide open. Any ideas

MORE INFO!!! Does it try to open? Any noises prior to failure? Has it been worked on previously? HELP!!!

Thanks ILUVMILS for the reply. It tries (makes noise) to slide back, but doesn't.

Most likely a broken lifting or sliding angle bracket. This requires removal of the roof panel to repair. It's really not that hard to do, but it can be a bit confusing if youv'e never done it before. A thorough read through of the work instructions to familiarize yourself with the procedure would be a good idea. By the way, is it a glass roof or sheet metal?

Thanks again!!! It is metal. Where can I find detailed instructions on how to remove the sunroof and repair the bracket??

Did they make a glass roof for the 93' 400sel?

nope

__________________
"If I teach you half of what I forgot, you'll still have enough to compete with most people"

So...my next question. What was the first year for the glass version and will it fit into a 93'?

The glass roof was an option, both factory and dealer installed. The proceedure is involved and centers around removing the metal moon roof adding different brackets/seals etc. There was a service bulletin describing the process. Finding all the parts could be difficult. There are also two special tools refenced and the bulletin allowed 3.5 hrs of labor to install.
The bulletin starts ou by telling you to verify that you have all the parts and going on to discard the metal panel and the sliding roof panel. Bulletin 280 Group77 dated july1992.
I dnt know if I would attempt it unless you have parts & tools

Would anyone have a copy of the above mentioned service bulliten?

I did this retrofit, last year. Parts are no problem but expensive. I can't remember exact price something like $1300. I did not use any special tools. Here is Work Instruction 280:

Attached Files

sunroof retrofit.zip (58.6 KB, 514 views)

Great! Thanks for the info Myamar, this will make a nice spring project......

Any Idea where i can find these directions??
I've messed mine up. It was going back and forth but not up and down. I decided it'd be a good idea to punch/force it up. Now the drivers side goes up and down but the passenger side is limp, and it no longer slides back and forth.
I've really got to realize that brute force just doesn't work with the W140.

Hi guys,

on my 93 300SD W140, the sunroof (glass), won`t close more than, say, 40 percent. It goes back and forth, but won`t pass that point.

I think something is holding it on the left side (drivers side).

Does anyone have any idea how to go about fixing this ?

Thank God it`s not raining...

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Portland, Oregon

1986 300 SDL, 1993 300SD, 1986 300SE, 1994 S350D, 2002 S500, 2008 ML320CDI

W140s have soundproofing insulation glued to the under side of the roof inside the sunroof well. This stuff is famous for falling down and screwing-up the sunroof slider mechanism. It looks like paper-backed linoleum tile and is glued to the roof with a very sticky tar-like substance. The problem is that in warm climates this tar liquefies in the hot sun and allows the insulation to fall down. I had this problem on both my cars.

It's relatively easy to fix if you can get the sunroof enough to slide something in there and knock the insulation out of the way. I actually went so far as to remove the sliding liner under the roof. I was then able to reach in with my hands and various tools and completely pull the stuff out.

Here's a link to a photo DIY I posted on benzworld. One thing to note is that this procedure was done on a car with a glass sunroof. This may or may not work for a metal one.

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w140-s-class/1448445-photo-diy-removing-sunroof-liner.html

__________________
"It's not about how fast you can go, but how well you can go fast."

Bob in Richmond

'97 S320 (LWB), Ruby Red Metallic, 73k miles
'97 S420V, Smoke Silver Metallic, 155k miles