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Sunroof repair is not always easy. First, what kind of sunroof do you have, a simple one that just retracts, or one that does the lifting of the rear edge, and retracting?
The clicking is not a bad sound, just the clutch on the drive motor letting go when the torque gets high enough and the cable doesn't move. The rest of this is from memory and I am getting old, so my memory isn't that sharp - in other words, when you get in there and things are slightly different, I don't want to debate anyone about these details. The system on the simple sunroofs operates with a cable that comes out of a steel tube just behind the opening in the roof for the retracting panel. The tube has a slot in it at the 12 O'Clock position, and a fitting that grabs the end of the cable, then extends through this slot and has little delta wing like protrusions with holes for screws to fit into the actuating bar on the sliding panel. As the sunroof retracts this cable is just pulled down the tube and roof follows. The "actuator bar" it is attached to is a lever that first unlocks and lowers the panel when it opens and then, when it shuts the last few inches of cable travel raise the roof panel and lock it into position.
The first step is to get the interior liner off the sunroof panel. This part, on the cars I have worked on with just the retracting feature, is held to the forward inside edge of the moving panel with those MB metal spring clips. I used a knife and pried the first one off and then used my fingers to get the rest off. If the roof is stuck closed, as mine was, you have to bow the headliner panel once it is free and pull it into the interior. The front edge has metal frame parts and it will bow, but be careful. If you can open the roof, open it about half way or less and them pull it out the top (the roof openning is larger than the sliding panel, and the headliner, so it comes out easier that way). Once the headliner is out of the way, you will need a flashlight, but the rest of the stuff is obvious. The cable and tube, the connection and the lever/actuator arm and its connections. That is likely where the problems lie.
On my car the little delta winged thing lost a screw and instead of coming to a stop in the closed position, the cable continued being played out, as the connection to the actuator lever was now a pivot and the cable wound around itself, and came out of the guide tube too far.
Simple fix for me, about $0.32 for a new delta wing connector and another few pennies for two new screws. Good luck, Jim
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Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles
Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)
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