So from reading other threads on here I have learned that the sunroof has 4 total drain lines which can become clogged and have in my case. The next issue is the sunroof will not open. The motor attempts to open the sunroof but gets nowhere. The tilt button does nothing at all. Most importantly the leak needs to be corrected, however I would like to get the sunroof working as well. Do I need to get the sunroof open in order to unclog the lines? What could be the reason that the sunroof will not open? By the way it's a 98'. Sorry new to the site but I'll get my profile together next.

Thanks for reading.

Just got a 98 about 2 months ago with the sunroof not opening. One of my buttons does nothing and the other one tries but doesn't move. Still looking for a solution

Hi, did you guys find a solution? I'm having the same problem with my 98 4runner sunroof leaking and wont open even though i hear the motor make some noise. Please help!!!

I've been having issues with my moonroof retracting/tilting on my '98 4Runner. It will retract/tilt up just fine, but more often than not it will not close. I hear a click when I press the button, but no movement. I did try a simple solution that I found while doing some research on the internet, and strangely enough it worked.

1. Remove the single screw holding the moonroof switch panel in place (open the cardholder thingy to access the screw).

2. Pull out the switch panel so that the motor assembly is accessible.

3. Gently rap on the round portion of the motor assembly with the handle of your screwdriver.

4. Press the switch to close the moonroof. If it doesn't work, try rapping a little harder on the motor assembly.

This may or may not work for you, but it is so simple it doesn't hurt to try. I'm guessing my moonroof motor is near it's end of life, so I probably won't use it until I'm ready to replace it. If anyone else has had a similar issue with their moonroof, I'd like to hear how you fixed it (cleaning, lubrication, etc.)

Oh man, this is the most useful information that i have come across for this issues. I understand it is not a long term fix, but thank you for sharing!

I would also really like to know how to fix the “sunroof click” .... I have next to no solution other than just finding more people with the same problem and only a $600-1,200 dealer fix with know mentioning why they did to fix it...

Then again i May just he searching poorly or missed it....

If you read this and have a solution; help a brother out !

Take the headliner off, take the sunroof motor out and see if you can get it to turn on and off. It is likely dead and at this time you should make sure your drains are not clogged.

Mine has been doing the click with no movement since i got it.
Took my motor out without taking out the headliner(dont recommend) and found that my cables are seized. Bench tested the motor and it works fine but No amount of leverage could budge the cables. Luckily it isnt leaking because its staying like that for now.


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I found this and thought I’d share. YouTube

It was the oddest thing, a few weeks ago I randomly tried to open my sunroof and it opened!!! I cleaned and lobbed the tracks and then a week later stopped again....

I was afraid i was going to have to drop the headliner ....

How on earth did you get it out without taking the headliner off? Btw don’t try and degrease the cables, just order new ones from Toyota. I’m beginning to suspect that if you don’t have properly opened drains, water will make its way into the cables and wash out the grease and cause them to rust.

A very thin ratcheting 10mil and a lot of patience. My grease was falling out in dried out clumps but the cables not moving at all with a ton of force on them told me exactly what i feared so i called it at that point.


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I ended up removing the headliner and sunroof unit, unclogged the lines, put in a spare unit and it worked fine. Old unit had a seized cable and clumped grease.
It's not the ideal solution but it got the job done

I pulled the the fuse to the sunroof to rest it, I got the motor turning maybe 1/16 of a turn and then jams, most likely due to the cables....

Man, I wish someone had told me or mentioned SUNROOF MAINTENANCE.... ��*♂️����

Since the motor works... what do you think my parts list should be?
- cable/long screw thingy...? Any thing else I should buy while I have it apart?

So for those of us with sunroofs that still work, is there a way to get in there and grease the cables before we're in the same boat?

+1
that is a very good question, i'd be interested for once i get mine going again but can't imagine any way to service without dropping the motor.

I tried re-greasing my cables and I highly recommend against it. The grease on the cables is somehow wrapped in a plastic like coating (not sure what it is exactly). I'd try spraying silicon in the track with the sunroof open and that's about it.

Pulling the whole sunroof assembly apart is a bit time consuming and confusing so one should document the assembly with photos and assemble with new cables.