Sunroof auto-stop calibration

[Lock]

Does anyone know how to calibrate the plastic cam gear (under the zipper in the roof) that clicks the microswitch to stop the sunroof when it's in the closed/fully open/tilt position?

The switch was unplugged when I got the car so no auto-stopping. When I plug it in, the sunroof will stop at random positions. I've tried 'adjusting' the cam gear, just manually skipping it forward or back with a screwdriver, but then it will stop in other positions and I can't figure out how to get it aligned to stop when the sunroof is in the closed position, fully open, or tilted.

I have a '79 with the motor in the trunk. Worried that if I keep 'skipping' this old plastic gear to get it right, it's going to break and then I'll have no sunroof at all.

[Mike W.]

Run the sunroof with the switch to get to the correct closed position. Manually turn the allen in the nut if you have to fine tune it. Then with it in the right spot, drop the motor assy and run it to where it stops. Try both directions to make sure you're at the close point, not the all open or popped point, with the motor, not the sunroof, it'll go a long way in one direction, then short in the other. Then reattach the motor assy and you should be good.

[Lock]

Thanks Mike, I'll try it out when I have some time. It flattens my battery to run the sunroof a few times so need to do it with the engine running.

Only thing is, I have the trunk motor not the roof motor, so running it without the gear just runs the, what would you call it, the long toothed snake gear thing driven by the motor from the trunk until it ends. The switch cam gear isn't linked to that, it's driven by a once every 360 degree tooth that is at the base of the sunroof gear.

I can take pictures if it helps. I figure if I can reverse engineer the microswitch cam, to figure out at what angle of the wheel against the microswitch "program" means closed sunroof, I just need to move it there. Just can't see it clearly and it's all fragile stuff.

By the way, thanks for your posts in mye28, needed to look up the steering idler arm bolt torque, and you've already answered it there.

[Mike W.]

Somehow I missed that it was a trunk mount, even though I had a '79 and know about it. Most of it should still apply but I've never been into it there.

[Lock]

I'll see how I go, I get what it's trying to do, just have to be gentle with the old parts and figure out how it's all supposed to be aligned.

Do you happen to know if the roof mount motor/setup is a drop in replacement? I see the e28 guys can replace their metal panel with a glass one which I'd like (from an old SAAB) - are the late roof-motor e12 sunroofs the same as the e28 ones?

Just wondering what my options are.

[Mike W.]

I think the sunroof panels are the same on 77+ cars thru E28s even though the drive changed from the trunk to the headliner. I don't think the motor/drive assy is interchangeable between trunk and headliner without major work. So I think you could put one of the SAAB panels in even with the trunk mount drive. Not sure, but I think so.

[RonDwyer]

Having overhauled a few of these over the years I find a complete removal of the cables a worthwhile project. Take everything apart, clean, polish and lubricate. I like DOW Corning Moly dry assembly lube for this. Grease is sticky and holds dirt.

[Lock]

Thanks I had actually just been greasing the cable as it went by but something that doesn't catch the dirt would be helpful.

[RonDwyer]

My favorite is a Dow Corning Molybdenum Disulphide spray called 321.

I've used it on over a dozen engine builds on all metal to metal surfaces like cams, cranks, rollers, dryer drum roller shafts, etc. I even sprayed the cylinders on an Opel GT motor I built. It was a leftover monster from the 70's with Venolia pistons, Carillo rods, an Isky cam, Crane roller rockers and a humble stock distributor with pertronix. Without a doubt that was the most incredible car I ever built, and that engine did not burn a drop of oil.

Purists say it gums up the oil system...history shows the discover of Moly was in Moly mines where the equipment just never seemed to wear like in other mines. Unlike the teflon additive fraud of the 80's, moly particles do indeed get jammed into the metal surfaces and they stay. Plastigage the crank first, spray the journals and the sealing surfaces and dry overnight. Assembly oil the bearings. I even spray them. Makes me want to go build another engine!