Sunroof issues

joe_keefer · Post by **joe_keefer** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 7:49 pm

hi guys,

so by now you guys can tell i`m new to these cars. lol. i have another good one. so my sunroof decided to stop working with the rear tilted up. in my vw`s the have a crank to spin them closed. how do these work? thanks in adavance!!

alotawatts · Post by **alotawatts** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 9:01 pm

What year ? Tool kits have a roofwrench....hex....allen type Z shaped. Main pupose is to help close......as in your case. Not so good for opening and closing !

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=54&fg=05

joe_keefer · Post by **joe_keefer** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 10:15 pm

alotawatts wrote:What year ? Tool kits have a roofwrench....hex....allen type Z shaped. Main pupose is to help close......as in your case. Not so good for opening and closing !

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=54&fg=05

oh man,

i can`t believe i didn`t think about the tool kit. mine`s a 79, and the kit is complete. i will be looking as soon as the sun comes up. thanks soo much!

joe

Mike W. · Post by **Mike W.** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:36 am

I'm not sure that works on 79s with the motor in the trunk. There is a special tool for it though, kind of a thick screwdriver on one end and a hex on the other, maybe an inch or an inch and a half long. Goes into a hole in the drive motor assembly in the trunk. It takes a lot of torque to turn it too. Works, but not very well.

joe_keefer · Post by **joe_keefer** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 12:32 pm

Mike W. wrote:I'm not sure that works on 79s with the motor in the trunk. There is a special tool for it though, kind of a thick screwdriver on one end and a hex on the other, maybe an inch or an inch and a half long. Goes into a hole in the drive motor assembly in the trunk. It takes a lot of torque to turn it too. Works, but not very well.

so whats the motor looking thing that the switch is pluged in to in the roof? i found the tool this morning. i noticed was a bit different than discribed. but i figured it out. so the motor is in the trunk?

Mike W. · Post by **Mike W.** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 2:14 pm

joe_keefer wrote:
Mike W. wrote:I'm not sure that works on 79s with the motor in the trunk. There is a special tool for it though, kind of a thick screwdriver on one end and a hex on the other, maybe an inch or an inch and a half long. Goes into a hole in the drive motor assembly in the trunk. It takes a lot of torque to turn it too. Works, but not very well.
so whats the motor looking thing that the switch is pluged in to in the roof? i found the tool this morning. i noticed was a bit different than discribed. but i figured it out. so the motor is in the trunk?

Well, all the 79s I've seen have the motor in the trunk, and 80+ has it in the headliner, but if yours is up front that's a good thing, it's a better design IMO. The rear one seems slower and more of a pain in general. Either way, especially if it's the trunk one, make sure the relay is plugged in tight. If it is in the trunk, it would be on the drivers side up by the trunk hinge against the side.

socalfiver · Post by **socalfiver** » Tue May 10, 2011 2:46 pm

Where is the relay located on '80 and '81?

My sunroof just stopped responding to the switch all together. I use it every day, and it normally works perfect. yesterday, though, I get no response from the switch.

joe_keefer · Post by **joe_keefer** » Tue May 10, 2011 3:11 pm

socalfiver wrote:Where is the relay located on '80 and '81?

My sunroof just stopped responding to the switch all together. I use it every day, and it normally works perfect. yesterday, though, I get no response from the switch.

i'm not sure on the relay, but the fuse is in the main box in the engine compartment on the drivers side. mine was old and weak and popped.

socalfiver · Post by **socalfiver** » Wed May 11, 2011 12:37 am

I replaced the fuse as soon as I had trouble, but the switch still doesn't have any effect.

socalfiver · Post by **socalfiver** » Wed May 11, 2011 1:59 pm

I found the sunroof relay up in the zippered ceiling panel.

Then I figured out that my heater fan wasn't working. A trip to the fuse box shows that they both get power from the same bus. I guess I need to open the fuse box and fixure out why that circuit is dead.

joe_keefer · Post by **joe_keefer** » Wed May 11, 2011 3:38 pm

socalfiver wrote:I found the sunroof relay up in the zippered ceiling panel.

Then I figured out that my heater fan wasn't working. A trip to the fuse box shows that they both get power from the same bus. I guess I need to open the fuse box and fixure out why that circuit is dead.

uh oh, that sucks. well good catch just the same!

socalfiver · Post by **socalfiver** » Thu May 12, 2011 6:37 am

The problem turned out to be a failed Relief Relay.

joe_keefer · Post by **joe_keefer** » Thu May 12, 2011 11:14 am

socalfiver wrote:The problem turned out to be a failed Relief Relay.

was it up under the zipper area?

socalfiver · Post by **socalfiver** » Thu May 12, 2011 11:33 am

The relay in the ceiling on my '80 is the sunroof relay. I only got as far as locating it, didn't even unplug that one.

When I opened up the fuse box, I learned that the hot wire that powers the suspect bus runs directly from the relay labeled "relief relay" in the fuse box.

Since I removed my Hella fog lights after shattering them pulling into a steep driveway, I just swapped the fog light relay for the relief relay and all is good. Guess I need to pick up a few spare relays.

alotawatts · Post by **alotawatts** » Thu May 12, 2011 10:57 pm

socalfiver wrote: I just swapped the fog light relay for the relief relay and all is good.

When I first got an E12 I thought the 'Relief Relay' meant it was a spare-non functional...

Still wonder why it's called relief .............? load dispersement ?