When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
So apparently the motor or track is messed up on my 4Runner. The sunroof has sat like this for a bit but I want to fix it, even if that means getting it in place, disconnecting the motor, and cutting custom wood blocks and siliconing it all in place so it cannot drop back out of position. Hopefully it’s something easy and I won’t have to go that route.
This moon room is th e only one I’ve ever owned that didn’t have a manual option with a hex key or torx drive. Hmm.
Edited to add that I pulled the controls down from the headliner, and the motor seems to be seized or the track is really binding. It only tried to engage for a second or so each way before it cuts off.
Last edited by Zcostilla; Mar 26, 2020 at 08:50 AM.
UPDATE: I got the headliner partially lowered and pulled the motor and tested it out of the mounts, and the motor is absolutely fine. I pressed the slide button very slightly and put the motor in place, hoping it was just an issue where the drive gears were not aligned with the motor timer, and this would trick the sunroof into closing fully. Turns out the drive gear that actually moves the window must be frozen up.
So does anyone know how to make this work without completely removing the sunroof?
Technically nothing. I Was losing a ‘97 to frame rot and had purchased a ‘99 with a bad sunroof. So I swapped the ‘97 to the ‘99.
if you look thru my build-up thread I took some pics. It’s a total PITA because to do it right you have to drop the headliner and that means taking ALL the trim panels out.
The motor does have alignment marks on it, so if it was removed you would want those aligned when fully closed. If you go to the FSM->Body Mechanical->Sliding Roof: Disassembly, you will se what I'm referring to, and if you go to Sliding Roof: Adjustment linked below hopefully you will be able to get it close* enough to close, it looks like its close*, maybe it jammed up and shifted the adjustments of the guide rail, it shows alignment marks for the guide rail in this section aswell.
This video goes over your exact problem, I would probably buy new cables in this case, they might still be available OEM, bare with him to the very end, unfortunately the video doesn't show you everything, he is really detailed with his descriptions though. Also at the end he decided that the window should be in the position yours is in when he aligns the motor, but it could have been something else he was doing to cause this aswell, like sun roof alignment.
This video goes over your exact problem, I would probably buy new cables in this case, they might still be available OEM, bare with him to the very end, unfortunately the video doesn't show you everything, he is really detailed with his descriptions though. Also at the end he decided that the window should be in the position yours is in when he aligns the motor, but it could have been something else he was doing to cause this aswell, like sun roof alignment.
Thanks for the tips and the link to the video. I can’t seem to get everything going to pull the entire headliner, so I’ll giving up. Going to RTV the edges of the window and maybe hit it with some clear flex seal tape. It will look hokey, but it will work. I don’t like sunroofs on vehicles, so I wish it wasn’t even there. Time to list the motor in the classifieds.