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Sun roof repair

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150K views 60 replies 45 participants last post by  Ock 
#1 · (Edited)
How to repair sunroof.

Vehicle used for documentary: 2003 Chevy Trailblazer LT (other vehicles may have slight difference's)

Symptoms:
loud snap or bang while opening or closing sunroof
unable to close or open sun roof

How to prevent:
clean and grease track regularly, grease that came with repair kit looked like axle grease

Parts needed:
ordered repair kit from http://www.sunroofdoctor.com at time of writing cost is $119.00 (no part number must search by vehicle)


copyright stock image from www.sunroofdoctor.com of said repair kit

Tools needed:

Socket set
Torx set
Pliers
Flat head screwdriver
Rivet Gun
Towels
A friend is recommended for some parts

OPTIONAL STEPStep 0: Remove glass
I found it easier to take the assembly in and out easier with the glass removed.

To remove glass: 2 small torx screws on each side of sun roof opening from inside of vehicle. Picture is of driver side screws.



Step 1: Drop head liner processes vary vehicle to vehicle
To drop the head liner, following items need to be removed:
A pillar
B pillar
c & D pillar
Coat hanger hooks in trunk roof
Trunk light cover
2 plastic pull clip next to trunk light
4 over door grab handles and light covers
2 sun visors (was a huge pain for me)
Center roof console

After all that is removed the head liner can come down. It is attached to roof with velcro in some areas. the head liner MUST come straight down and sit on top of the seats. There are electrical wires hot glued to the roof liner with no disconnects. So pulling the head liner out all together would require alot more work.

Step 2: Removing Sun roof assembly
This is when the extra hands come into play. As its a bulky item trying to carry out over the head liner. From front to back in the photos.

2 small bolts at front of sun roof near winshield


Disconnect plug to electrical motor as shown in 3rd picture below. It is located at the rear of the assembly.
There are 2 drains per side to disconnect. 1 in front and 1 in back, they just pull off, no mechanical fasteners.
Remember how the plastic pin is positioned, as i found this helpful for re-aligning the frame when ready to install back in.
There are 4 bolts on each side as circled below that need to be removed.




Step 3: Dis-assembly of motor
The motor needs to be removed in order to complete repair.

Assembly on table. Unit is upside in picture.


As with any project, do one side at a time.

First part is to remove the bolt circled near the rivets. With that bolt removed the galvanized channel can swing out of your way.

Second Part is to remove 3 rivets located at rear of assembly. They need to be drilled out. Drill size is specified in directions that come with repair kit.



With rivets removed, carefully release the plastic cover that was attached with the rivets. There is some caulk? material holding it down. Again be careful as to not damage this part.



Third part is to remove the motor. 3 torx screws hold it on.


With motor removed.


Step 4: Removing damaged parts

The unit will need to be flipped over. Now the rear drip tray needs to be removed. I believe there is 1 screw on each side to remove it.


Next part is to remove the traveler (pictured below). It will be easier to remove with the motor no long attached.


As you pull the traveler out you will see this coming out of a black tube on the other side. Do not be alarmed, it is just the extra cable from the traveler.


In order to get that parts off you will need to push down a little nub in the track designed to stop the parts. I used a hammer and a screw driver to push it down enough to slide the parts over. YOU MIGHT NEED TO DO THIS STEP BEFORE PULLING OUT THE TRAVELER I dont remember


Now for the damaged parts. BEFORE OR AS YOU PULL THEM OUT REMEMBER HOW IT GOES AND MATCH IT TO THE NEW PART TO INSURE IT GOES BACK TOGETHER RIGHT The pictures here cant show you perfectly how it goes.

But here is what i saw on my passenger side. Clearly damaged.


Slide the parts off once your sure of how it goes together.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Step 4a: the parts

Here are pics of the new parts next to the old.



And the culprit of it all. Broke into 3 or 4 pieces.



CLEAN AND REGREASE TRACK

New parts installed. Reverse of tear down.





Step 5: Aligning the brackets to proper position.

The directions go over this with you also. You use a 1/8" drill bit(?) and slide it through a hole in the 2 parts below to place the brackets in the proper closed position. I recommend checking this a few times including before you put it back in the truck.



Step 6: Repeat on other side

Step 7: Reinstall motor
Reinstall rivets removed earlier.
Reverse of removal.

Step 8: Install assembly
Reinstall assembly into vehicle.
Reinstall glass.
Follow memory relearn procedure and test a few times.

Step 9: Put vehicle together



Extra notes
Motor Information






Many thanks to Tyler (Chevy-TB-lover) for his help on the tear down and reinstall, the pictures, and the use of his shop.
 
#8 ·
Sun roof module programming

For reprograming of the module perform the following procedure:

1) Put the sunroof in the fully closed position
2) Press the open and hold the button until you hear the motor make a sound (this takes 30-60 seconds)
3) Then you should be reprogrammed and roof should operate normally

This procedure is what worked best for me I hope it helps
 
#11 ·
nice write up i have to get this fixed on my tb, the part that pulls the glass back broke ( not sure if its the same one as your dont remember ) and when i drive around 65 or more or on windy days the glass lifts up a bit and is kinda annoying.
 
#12 ·
come help me fix mine....mine did the dip thing in the corner and goes crooked during operation and jams....i just shoved it back into place so it wouldn't leak...I never heard a snap or anything though it just happened
 
#14 ·
Why is my sunroof different than this one. I have a 2003 Envoy SLE and my sunroof shattered and i got an envoy/trailblazer sunroof and its like this but is like 2 inches smaller than mine from side to side but is the same front to back. do any of you know why mine is different and how i would find the right sunroof glass to replace it?
 
#15 ·
great sunroof repair post!

04 envoy, broke just like the pics. Headliner down, sunroof on the bench ready to install new parts. It's getting late so I'll attack this again tommorrow when I'm not so tired.:sleepy: Thumbs up to sunroof doctor, great customer service and fast shipping! I'll let you all know how it went when I'm done!
 
#16 ·
Holy Crap...i've been working on this all day....found a busted piece of plastic in the passenger side rail. It sucked cause it was a beautiful day and all I wanted to do was open my sunroof.:( Heard a snap and that was that...wouldn't close all the way again and the more i tried, the more it ripped the seal on the glass. I've pulled the liner and now i'm down to two screws to pull of the frame. Thank you very much for the write up...the pictures showed me what part broke before I even pull the frame. Going to see about getting the rebuild parts now....since gm direct want 500+ for the part. I don't think they will sell the pieces individually...looks like just the frame. Thanks again:thx:thx:thx
 
#17 ·
Ok...so I repaired all the broken parts on the sunroof and put it back in. I tried to relearn the positions but the motor doesn't stop...it almost crunched the new parts with the torque. I took the motor off and it will open but won't close. The motor was working fine originally so i'm thinking I might have done something wrong while i was reteaching it. Is there any way to clear it??? If I just hold the button to open, it runs continuously for 30 seconds and then shuts off. If I try to close, nothing.:confused: any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks
 
#19 ·
hmmmm i'm not sure... when i did mine i didnt have to do the relearn. it wouldnt do the relearn correctly but it worked fine when i put it back in. so i'm lost to... maybe disconnect the battery and try again. but i have no idea... sorry i'm not much of help in this spot.
 
#21 · (Edited)
So after much research and reading, I came across the envoy manual and it states how to reteach the controller and it worked great:woot:. I thought I would post the pages for anyone else who might be doing this. One thing to note also...after installing all the new parts and before you reinstall the frame, make sure the rear hardstop tabs are raised back up a little or it will drive the sliders too far back and it can damage the new parts that you just installed.



 
#25 ·
Same problem on my 06 Envoy. At first I had to take the glass out just to get the arms to lower so my roof wasnt stuck open. When the glass was off it looked like I could just change out those 2 sliding pieces of plastic without dropping the headliner and all the extra work. Wondering if anyone has messed with it that way rather than removing the entire assembly. I'll find out next weekend!
 
#26 ·
Sun Roof Repair and Sun Visor Remove / Reinstall

Anyone have a trick or suggestions on how to reinstall the sun visors ? Holy crap, they're a pain. I got visors off, lowered the headliner, repaired sun roof and got everything back in place except fo the darn visors. I had to about break them to get them off. Now I'm having a hard time getting them back on. Anyone know the proper proceedure helpful hints ? :grouphug::thx
Looking at the visor fastening mech. while off, and pushing a stiff wire thru the hole, I don't see how / what it's supposed to release ? Help :undecided
 
#27 ·
I may not be 100% reliable on the visor issue, but I replaced my driver-side visor a few months ago. In futzing and futzing with the one I removed, it looked like pushing a wire from the hole isn't meant to release anything, rather to apply pressure to a white plastic retaining mechanism in order to force a clip (grey, on the inner assembly) to engage with a wedge (on the white ring) that upon further rotation pulls the white retaining ring inward, releasing pressure on 3 gray retention tabs further up the assembly that hold the thing to the roof. If you twisted the base of the mounting mechanism after removing it, they can be a pain in the rear to re-retract to get back in the roof. It's a matter of re-aligning the holes and re-twisting, applying the pressure, to get the ring to sink back in, then reinstalling SHOULD really be as simple as the reverse process. There's a point at which, when turning the visor back into place with the stiff wire in the hole, the ring's wedges will rotate off the clips and the visor base will pop back out flush with the mount housing. On the reverse process, the stiff wire is catching on the hole itself in the white ring inside the assembly, while the gray mounting part (the middle section of what you can see when it's installed) is rotated the wire carries the white ring around until it pops off the gray retaining tabs, which are fixed in place inside the roof. Yeah, easier said than done, I know.

I know, delayed reply, but hope it helps someone... hope you were able to get it back in. :)

Anyone have a trick or suggestions on how to reinstall the sun visors ? Holy crap, they're a pain. I got visors off, lowered the headliner, repaired sun roof and got everything back in place except fo the darn visors. I had to about break them to get them off. Now I'm having a hard time getting them back on. Anyone know the proper proceedure helpful hints ? :grouphug::thx
Looking at the visor fastening mech. while off, and pushing a stiff wire thru the hole, I don't see how / what it's supposed to release ? Help :undecided
 
#30 ·
sunroof to low

I just repaired my wife's sunroof on her 06 trailblazer or I attempted to repair it. I got the kit form the sunroof Dr. Everything went ok but when I reinstalled the sunroof it is about 1/8 inch to low. It works fine. Opens and closes but when its closed it looks like it is a little low. It is not getting a good seal and leaks. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
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