I need to know how to replace the motor for the sunroof and, is there a way to manually close the sunroof until we do get the motor fixed? we replaced the switch...but, that didn't fix it. (the sunroof is up) So, we can't drive the truck when it's raining..or, they're calling for rain! Ugh!

charge your battery its low.

check fuse and relay if good than possible motor ot track problem their should be a mechanical bypass that will let you close it if stuck open the following information is courtesy of monte carlo forum

To check the condition of your original sunroof guides:

1. Gl*** in closed position.
2. Locate & remove 3 torx bolts on each side of sunroof glass. Lift glass out of sunroof opening & set aside in a safe place.
3. Locate "J" shaped cover plate at front of sunroof track assembly. Remove 2 torx bolts from each cover plate.
4. Lift up bracket to remove.
5. Inspect the plastic guides on each side. The sunroof cables attach to guides on front outer corner. Inspect this area closely for damage.
6. Do not operate the sunroof with the J plates removed.

Troubleshooting:

If the sunroof guides are not broken & the glass is a uniform height along the rear edge your problem may be a stripped gear inside the motor. The motor has a manual override:

1. Get access to the motor by removing the map light/switch console or lowering the front of the headliner.
2. Insert a large standard screwdriver into the nylon bushing at the center of the motor hub. Push up & turn the screwdriver to manually move the sunroof glass. If the unit will fully open & close manually, you most likely only need a replacement motor.

If your sunroof is stuck in the open position follow these steps to get it closed:

1. Remove the glass.
2. Try to close the unit without the glass. Many times one side will still be operational and close correctly.
3. Try to slide the inoperable lift arm forward. If it moves, slide it forward until it stops.
4. You now need to slide the original plastic guide forward to lower the arm to the closed position. Using a standard screwdriver, push it forward. The lift arm should begin to lower.
5. If the lift arm will still not fully lower, remove the J plate as explained above, sometimes the sunroof cable will need to be lifted up to allow the guide to fully slide forward.
6. Reinstall glass.

If you remove any gear that is coupling it to the motor you should be able to slide it back to where you want. I would put gear back just to hold it in place and keep it from moving. But you do have to replace that gearbox for future operation.

depending on the vehicle you may be looking at a bad sunroof motor, or the regulator(roof track and cables) could be bad, on some cars you can replace these things seperately, and on some you have to replace it all as one assembly. In most cases if you pull your headliner down so that you can see the motor there will be a manual opperation "port" usually a 1/4 or 3/8 drive ratchet opening so that you can manually close the roof until you get it fixed. In most sunroof motors I've seen the manual opperation port is either a red plastic circle with the ratchet drive opening in the middle, or there is a round plastic insert that you have to pull out to access the ratchet opening. hopefully this helps, if not try updating the question to include year make and model of the vehicle. Good luck!

Sunroof not working


Fixing sunroof on 2004 Volvo S80


Call Volvo dealership and ask for a mechanic to give an estimate to repair.

Some cars have an access panel behind the sunroof inside the car. If you remove that access panel there should be a way to crank the sunroof closed manually. Not all vehicles have this unfortunately and if yours does not you may be stuck until the motor is replaced.

THE ELECTRIC DRIVE SYSTEM FOR POWER SUNROOF IS NOT ADJUSTABLE.DONT REMOVE THE SUNROOF MOTOR UNLESS THE SUNROOF IS COMPLETELY CLOSED.OTHERWISE A NEW MOTOR WILL HAVE TO BE INSTALLED AND TIMED WITH A TOOL THAT COMES WITH THE NEW MOTOR.THE GLASS PANEL CAN BE ADJUSTED.OPEN THE INTERIOR SUNSHADE ALL THE WAY BACK AND OPERATE THE SUNROOF UNTIL FULLY CLOSED.THERE ARE THREE GLASS MOUNTING SCREWS ON EACH SIDE OF THE SUNROOF OPENING.INSIDE THE VECHICLE LOOSEN THE SCREWS SET THE FRONT EDGE OF THE GLASS TO BE JUST 1MM BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE ROOF.ADJUST THE GLASS AT THE REAR EDGE TO BE JUST ABOVE 1MM THE ROOF AT THE REAR TIGHTEN THE SCREWS.

The sunroof oy my 1999 malibu will not close, the motor seems too want to work when i try and open it further but when i try and close it, it doesn't move.

there is no relay in the roof assembly, just the motor. So, heck the fuse #21 on the fuse panel. Your owner manual will tell you location.

ALso, you can use a wrench, torx bit or hex wrench to close the roof in an emergency. It's on the motor. Your owner manual will tell you how to close it.

check fuse #21, 40 amp.

check switch

check motor

I know this is an old blog but some people may still find it helpful. There are 4 wires in the roof window switch hooked up to 2 smaller harnesses that have 2 wires each.

Remove the switch and use only the metal contacts in the harnesses. One should use a light tester to confirm which one is the ground and live. this is how it turned out for my car.

One harness has a light blue wire with a black stripe, and a black wire. the blue one is live, the black one is ground.

The other harness has a red wire and a darker blue wire (silly ford) these are the motor connect and return wires.

You must hook up thhooked to (example, if the live wire was connected to blue motor wire and the ground wire was connected to red motor wire and it opened it, that would mean you would want to put the live wire to the red motor wire and the ground wire to the blue motor wire)

When doing these wire connections, it is advised that you have the ignition turned off. Once you make all the connections properly, you can turn on the ignition and if done correctly, the roof window will move. Once it is closed, remove the wires frome the harnesses and LEAVE THE ROOF WINDOW ALONE UNTIL YOU HAVE A NEW SWITCH.
e power (Live, light blue) wire to a motor wire. You must then run another wire from the other motor wire. To complete this circuit there is only one place that this last wire can go and it is to the ground. once this is connected the roof should either open more or close.

To reverse the operation of the roof, simply reverse the position of the live and ground wires in respect to which motor wires they are