Subaru Sunroof Repair for $9 (detailed with photos)

[gpetrowich]

Bringing this back cause im wondering how you got the rain rail out without breaking the plastic pieces it bolts to. I could not get the the bolts cause the glass was in the way.

 

The drip rail is attached to the sliding mechanism for the glass. We removed the entire assembly from the car first. Once the entire thing is out, the removal of the drip rail is pretty straight forward. There are two screws near where the lift mechanism sits in the track (about midway) when the glass is in the closed position. If you're trying to do this without removing the assembly, you can see the screws if you raise the glass to the angle up position. With an angled screwdriver you might be able to remove them (the screws), but be careful since they attach to the sliding mechanism. If the mechanism moves back you might loose something. Remember, you might be able to move the glass manually with the allen key screw on the motor (unless the cables are fully detached already). You did save that allen key that came with the car, right it's in the glove box.

 

I've got an extra assembly here that I can look at if you need more detail. In the photos above, the screw hole for the drip rail is the one that is filled with lithium grease in the second photo, (I think).

Edited August 3, 2012 by gpetrowich

[JJay03]

Yeah I finally figured it out the glass had to be in the closed position. I just put mine back in with it screwed shut in the closed position.

[upnorthguy]

The drip rail is attached to the sliding mechanism for the glass. We removed the entire assembly from the car first. Once the entire thing is out, the removal of the drip rail is pretty straight forward. There are two screws near where the lift mechanism sits in the track (about midway) when the glass is in the closed position. If you're trying to do this without removing the assembly, you can see the screws if you raise the glass to the angle up position. With an angled screwdriver you might be able to remove them (the screws), but be careful since they attach to the sliding mechanism. If the mechanism moves back you might loose something. Remember, you might be able to move the glass manually with the allen key screw on the motor (unless the cables are fully detached already). You did save that allen key that came with the car, right it's in the glove box.

 

I've got an extra assembly here that I can look at if you need more detail. In the photos above, the screw hole for the drip rail is the one that is filled with lithium grease in the second photo, (I think).

 

Bringing this thread back to life. I just acquired a '95 LS wagon and noted that there was a piece in the back when I bought it. I just figured out that it is the drip rail...with a little bend in the middle. I have now determined, thanks to your excellent pics, that the plastic pieces in pic 2 were broken off (and still attached to the drip rail). The part I am talking about is at the arrow in the pic and circled.

Do you know if those plastic pieces on each side in the track just snap into the track or something?

[gpetrowich]

Phew, ok, my 12 year old partner (now 16 - that was 4 years ago) and I just reviewed this and here's what we recall.

 

The drip rail is attached to those two plastic pieces and the plastic pieces are pushed and pulled in the track behind the glass. But... the plastic pieces in the track (that I think you're saying are broken off) have to be inserted into the track from the back and there are stoppers at the back that can only be removed via a screw on the top side.

 

You have to drop the whole track to insert the drip rail. Pretty clever the way it works too. You can see that triangular wedge in the photo that looks like a rail car coupler. When the glass goes backward, that wedge pushes against a spring and into the plastic pieces attached to the drip rail and the splayed prongs are compressed and couple with the wedge attached to the glass. The whole thing goes backward.

 

When the glass comes forward, those two pieces are coupled... until a point in the track where there are two wide spots in the track that allow the coupler attached to the drip rail to open wide and release the wedge as the glass moves to the final forward position.

 

So I think to fix yours, you're going to need two new plastic pieces to attach to the drip rail and you'll have to remove the assembly to slide them in from the back. If you follow the directions, it's not that difficult.

[upnorthguy]

Thanks for the reply and excellent photo of the unbroken pieces. Looks like I'll be making a run to the local salvage yard to try and find those pieces as I do not see them sold separately on any Subaru parts sites (I don't want to buy the whole assembly, of course!).

I'm thinking the drip tray got kinked somehow and hung up and the sunroof was powered forward or back and broke off those pieces, freeing up the tray. I was hoping to avoid diving into the headliner, but I have an assistant that is 11 so maybe he'll be as good and helpful as yours was!

[upnorthguy]

Thanks for the reply and excellent photo of the unbroken pieces. Looks like I'll be making a run to the local salvage yard to try and find those pieces as I do not see them sold separately on any Subaru parts sites (I don't want to buy the whole assembly, of course!).

I'm thinking the drip tray got kinked somehow and hung up and the sunroof was powered forward or back and broke off those pieces, freeing up the tray. I was hoping to avoid diving into the headliner, but I have an assistant that is 11 so maybe he'll be as good and helpful as yours was!

 

Here is what my broken pieces look like (as attached the kinked drip rail I found in the back of my "new" wagon):

[upnorthguy]

Update: I found a local pick and pull near me in northern VA. It had a same year/model sedan that matched my wagon ('95 LS). I dove into the sunroof removal. Gpetrowich is not kidding...it is quite involved and tons of screws! I was trying to figure out how to get at some of the fasteners. I was not able to remove the glass like Gpetrowich did as this salvage yard car did not have power and I couldn't figure out where the screws were for the glass. It probably took me close to an hour to get the sunroof assembly removed as one unit.

I was going to try and just get the drip rail out (all I need) but then I found out the price for the entire unit (glass, frame, and motor) at this yard...$26!! I just hauled the entire thing home. I may try and figure out how to swap out the sun shade as my interior is a different color, but that is pretty minor.

The instructions in this thread are excellent and made this happen for me. The only really tricky party I'm not sure how I will solve is removing a couple of plastic snap in fasteners that hold up the headliner at the rear of the car. I could only get them out by breaking them, so I'll have to be more careful on my wagon.

 

Little things I came across as I was getting at the headliner:

 

Don't forget to pull out the trim piece that lines the inside edge of the sunroof opening. Took me a while to figure that out.

1. Pop out the ceiling light (the clear cover pops off) then 2 screws to remove and disconnect the wire.

2. Each of the "oh shit" handles need to be removed. Carefully pop off the little plastic cap at each end (they are secured by a little tab in each long side) and then slide in towards the center of the handle. 1 screw on each end of the handle.

3. The door/pillar trim needs to be snapped off. I just grabbed an edge and gently pulled and the fasteners started popping. (Not a good idea if it is cold out!). You need to undo the edge all the way around the ceiling. I left the A-pillar piece in place where the seatbelt is and it being loose was enough play to get the headliner free.

4. Pop out the clear lens of the front light next to the sunroof motor controls. There is a screw above there. After that, the entire motor control housing pops out (it is held in place by a couple of metal spring clips) and undo the wire connections.

5. A couple of the screws holding in the motor control frame were really stuck. I did not have my impact screwdriver with me so I had to improvise (BFH and a flathead screwdriver to punch out the metal round one of the screws above the windshield). Impact screwdriver may be needed.

There were three round plastic fasteners at the rear of the headliner. I couldn't get them to pop out so they were broken on removal. I tried dual flathead screwdrivers but the plastic circle was not stiff enough to facilitate removal. Be ready for that.

 

Happy sunroof removal!

[EJ252NA]

Hi Guys! Just bringing this up, I just want to know how you remove the screw covers of the sunroof? Pics attached.

 

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b248/wanbol/s-l1600_zpsct9xvwal.jpg

[jdplgt]

Hi all! New poster, new to the Subie fam - actually new (again) to car ownership! Dove back in with an '05 LGT wagon (auto) and have been mostly loving it, despite the quirks, until the dreaded tilt problem began in my moonroof... One side of the tilt will pop up, but then the glass is warped and stuck in the half tilted position, and the main glass will not move at all.

 

After removing the front glass and digging around a little I noticed this tiny cylindrical piece of off-white plastic that clipped into a break in the rail on both sides of the car, and the pass side had cracked and as a result the little arm that was held in place pops out. I can manually force it in, get the bracket back down into the frame and then the glass back on, but I would love to be able to repair this tiny piece without having to go the way of replacing the entire moonroof as I've read about... pics below, and sorry if there is a thread out there already!

[niembrigh]

It looks complicated. Great work on the sunroof repair.

[mra32]

Hi all! New poster, new to the Subie fam - actually new (again) to car ownership! Dove back in with an '05 LGT wagon (auto) and have been mostly loving it, despite the quirks, until the dreaded tilt problem began in my moonroof... One side of the tilt will pop up, but then the glass is warped and stuck in the half tilted position, and the main glass will not move at all.

 

After removing the front glass and digging around a little I noticed this tiny cylindrical piece of off-white plastic that clipped into a break in the rail on both sides of the car, and the pass side had cracked and as a result the little arm that was held in place pops out. I can manually force it in, get the bracket back down into the frame and then the glass back on, but I would love to be able to repair this tiny piece without having to go the way of replacing the entire moonroof as I've read about... pics below, and sorry if there is a thread out there already!

 

Just to update this thread; I had the exact thing happen to mine today (Plastic barrel broke and it didnt stay in the slot) and I fixed it for free. Disclaimer: I am a Mechanical Engineer with access to a full machine shop.

 

Thanks so much for the detailed description and pictures it really helped me out.

 

I had enough of the broken barrel to get the dimensions off of it so I could machine a new one. Snapped it on and put it in the groove, added more grease to the front of the track and everything worked like it should.