has anyone ever replaced their sunroof motor?

[Hupo224]

Sunroof Motor For Sale

In case anybody is in the market for a sunroof motor, I have two that I'd be willing to sell. I have the problem where the tracks and cables are all gunked up and I decided I don't care enough to fix it. I have tested them and they both work fine. Located in Redondo Beach, CA. PM me if you're interested.

How much

 

[Ricktuk]

Went through the same thing on mine. Motor was fine but the cables were seized up. Mine wouldnt come out of one side even after soaking for a week in PB rustbuster and applying MAPP gas. found a junkyard one= same problem. managed to get cable on the other side out. After days of fighting it got it working and put it in. motor still cant do it by itself. but I got it shut. If It is ever desired I will brake down and buy the cable assembly from Toyota.

As for the Plastic I have been told it keeps trash from building up and causing it to sieze (oops didnt work). and guides the cable.

Good Luck.

 

[navygse1]

Thanx bkw!!!

First, get the window into the parked position however you can, or as close as you can.

Expose the motor (pull the headliner off). Pull the motor assembly off the track, leave wires attached. Reconnect the switch panel to the hanging wires. Use the tilt and slide buttons to run the motor and observe the pattern:

Tilt ----- Parked ---- slide 1/2 ---- slide end.

Both tilt and slide buttons just run the same motor. The only difference between tilt and slide is just crossing over a certain imaginary point along the track, marked "parked" above.
When the motor is one one side of the parked point, only the slide button works and the tilt button does nothing.
On the other side of the point, only the tilt button works and the slide buttons are ignored.
Also when you are sliding from parked to open, the motor runs in one continuous run from parked to open as long as you hold the button, until the end of the run. It stops on it's own even though there is nothing stopping it. But when sliding from open to closed, it stops at the half way point and you have to release and press slide forward again, and it runs the remaining half way to the parked position.

Run the motor through all those positions a few times and get the pattern and figure out where you "are" at any given time.

Now just put the motor in the parked position.

Then put the window in the parked/closed position. Manually move the tracks. pay attention to how level it is from left to right.

Put the motor back on the track.
Run the window through all positions and look for even levelness from left to right, look that it parks closed in the right spot, centered in the roof opening. That it doesn't seem to be straining trying to go beyond te stops at either end. If it needs adjustment, just park it, pull the motor, nudge one or the othe track a tooth or two by using a flat head screw driver in the hole where the motor gear normally goes. Put the motor back in and test again.

Then just put the headliner back.

PERFECT SOLUTION to a simple problem!
I was going nuts with all the threads showing the disassembly of the gear drive to align the little symbol (Triangle) with the mark on the gear housing, yet no one ever identifies what position the roof is supposed to be in!
Your writeup got my moonroof working perfectly in about five minutes!
I am embarrassed I did not think of it while searching for the answer. (Definite forehead slapping moment)
Thanx again and Happy New Year!
Mike

 

[Tannersmelf]

Reviving this thread

Hi there!

I JUST got through disassembling and then reassembling my '96 4Runner sunroof. Yes, you need to take out the headliner, which only takes about an hour if everything goes well. Taking out the sunroof assembly and dissecting it takes another 2 hours, if again everything works right. I wire brushed the coating off the cables, regreased the heck out of everything, and reassembled. The cables, as per many other posts, were all gunked up and wouldn't budge before I stripped them down.

PROBLEM: Now that I reinstalled it, and powered it up, it seems the motor is out of sync with the window... so much, that when I hit the "Tilt" button, the window slides back about 3 inches, and when I hit the "Slide" button, it closes and tilts upwards.... ARRGGH!!

ANYONE know how to calibrate/synchronize the motor with the actual window position??? HELP!!!

I have the same exact issue someone please help out !

 

[APhelps]

I found that re-greasing the cable doesn't work and it'll lead to binding up. Whatever toyota did to the original cable works extremely well. If your sunroof is binding up / whatever chances are it is the cable sticking. Likewise you can assembly the guides wrong and is probably the issue.

 

[Tannersmelf]

What did you do to fix yours exactly?

 

[APhelps]

What did you do to fix yours exactly?

I replaced the whole assembly from a junkyard but I look at the cable before I purchased it for $50 dollars. I think at this point you're better off ordering new cables (there are two) from Toyota, the guides and possibly drip tray to do the repair. You can try and get a good assembly from a junkyard but it could be a toss up.

 

[Tannersmelf]

I replaced the whole assembly from a junkyard but I look at the cable before I purchased it for $50 dollars. I think at this point you're better off ordering new cables (there are two) from Toyota, the guides and possibly drip tray to do the repair. You can try and get a good assembly from a junkyard but it could be a toss up.

I got mine moving again and I needed to re calibrate the motor like navygse1 had mentioned I will most likely end up replacing the tracks if this ever happens again. I greased up the tracks and cleaned them a lot so hopefully this will do the trick

 

[Trackwesty]

I know this and old thread
I just replaced my complete sunroof purchased from LKQ because my cables were "frozen" due to rust. If anyone in the Long Beach California area wants parts from my old unit LMK and you can have them everything except for the motor, keeping as a spare, is available. Glass, shade (mistyic blue), track etc.