'81 300D Sunroof
 

Hi all,

I'm troubleshooting the sunroof on my '81 300D - it opens great with the motor, but won't shut. The motor does not appear to get any juice at all in "close" mode. I'm guessing it's the switch. Anyone know how to gain access to the back of the switches on the center console? Is this a royal pain or is there a simple trick I'm missing?

Cheers,
Andy

It is not that hard but it does require that you take your time. That "panel" and the switch in question just "pushes out" from the back. I have always removed the climate control pushbutton unit and then pushed it out. You can take the switch apart and clean it. Just be particular and don't drop the little balls that are in there.

Ah OK - thanks

That explains why I couldn't seem to find any screws or anything to get at it! So it's just snapped in there or pressure-fit then?

There is a weird side-note to this - the fuse for the power roof (marked "d" in the fuse panel) was blown, yet the roof still opens via the motor... replacing the fuse seems to have had no effect on anything (and it didn't blow again, and the roof still won't close)... <insert Twilight Zone music here>

OK - I tested the switch and it works fine... and the sunroof is blowing fuses again. I guess I need to head to the motor end of it now - it's located in the trunk by the hand-crank, right?

The motor is in the inside left in the trunk. You will need to remove that black plastic "cover" inside there to get to the motor.