w108 sunroof does not close all the way - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

vandor · #1 12-04-2021, 07:12 PM

Hello,

On my '72 w108 the electric sunroof's rear does not go up in the fully close position. The front seems to be all the way against the body, but the rear does not lift up. If I try to push the switch more, I can hear that the cable is skipping in the trunk, likely from being worn at the very end. I plan on removing the sunroof to inspect/lubricate, but was wondering:

1. Is the cable available new? I only found the w124 cable after perusing a few vendors
2. Is it likely that only the cable needs replacing, or maybe the ramps are work/broken that are supposed to lift up the rear of the sunroof?
3. I saw the procedure for removing the manual sunroof, is the electric one similar?

Thank you!

Tony H · #2 12-05-2021, 12:58 AM

The sunroof on my coupe does not move under it's own power after being stored for a time. Not sure if repair involves removing the headliner (which needs to be replaced anyway) It went slow when it did work. Probably old, dry grease.

rumb · #3 12-07-2021, 03:02 PM

You only need to remove the headliner panel on the sunroof. Open the roof about half way and unclip the leading edge of the headliner. then pull forward and up thru the roof opening. You should then be able to adjust things as well as remove the cable. The glides may also be worn. The cable is NLA and a bit hard to find. Everything will enjoy new grease. https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-mercedes-benz-parts/sunroof-lubricant-half-ounce/0019894651~a/

The side rail you can remove the top cover and get to some areas to lubricate.

New seals help, but be prepared they are a lot of work to install. It takes time to get them into their channel correctly.

Try https://mbzparts.com/ for the cable.

vandor · #4 12-07-2021, 09:42 PM

Thank you for the comment! How do I remove the headliner part form the sunroof? I was expecting to see screws on the front edge, but there are none. Do I pull just the material away, or is there a metal strip embedded in the material aswell that comes with it? The rear part of the headliner is coming off the sunroof, I will have to figure out how to put that back too.

Thank you!

rumb · #5 12-08-2021, 07:45 PM

slip a plastic pry between the headliner edge and the sunroof, there are several clips holding it on.

vandor · #6 12-08-2021, 09:18 PM

I will try that, thank you!!

Idle · #7 12-10-2021, 12:07 AM

I had this problem on a 123 and greasing the slides (well, just greasing everything that moved) fixed it. But I think I just got lucky.

I think a previous owner had this trouble and solved it by just standing down on the switch to make the roof force close. This would mean that the end of your cable very likely is eaten up.

But as tough as these are to find I would pull your cable out and make sure it needs replacing before buying another one.

You might also look for a cable from a 111. There is a good chance they are the same. The motors in the trunk are.

vandor · #8 12-16-2021, 05:19 PM

Hi, I've been working on this for the last couple of days, ended up buying the printed sunroof guide from that guy in the NW that sells them. I took everything out, cleaned everything, put it all back together, but it still did the same thing. I had assumed that the end of the cable was chewed up, but it looked fine, so the deduction is that the clutch at the motor is slipping too much and can't put enough force on the cable to lift the roof. I tried to adjust the clutch tension by tightening the nut in by the motor, but it had no effect. I played with it, loosening and tightening and now it does not work at all. I will have to take the clutch apart to see what is going on.