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Sunroof stuck open! How do you access the motor?

atikovi said:
The sunroof in my '07 is stuck open. Where is the motor for it and how do I access it so at least for the time being I can hot wire it closed?
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I cant help with the hot wire part.  But the motor is in front of the sun roof.  Between the opening and the over head console.

You'll need to remove the trim piece around the sunroof. (just pulls out)
You'll need to remove the overhead console. (it's screwed into the roof and you'll need to drop the headliner)
You'll need to remove (atleast 1 maybe both "A" pillars)
You'll need ro remove (atleas 1 maybe both sunvisors)
All these things keep the headliner up into the roof.  You'll need to drop them so you can pull down the headliner. (This will give you about 6" of room around the motor to work with)

If you need to pull the headliner dowm more, you will have to remove the "B" pillars as well. (where the front seat belts are)
 
Once in a blue moon my 03 gets stuck open..If I wait a few minutes it will suddenly work. Has not happened in a while though  :love:
 
This link
http://www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com/cafcna/index.php/topic,108246.0.html

shows how to remove all of the above.  Sorry there is no picture of the sunroof motor.  It is just behind the opening left when the overhead console is removed.  Maybe just removing that will give you the room you need.

and this thread
http://www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com/cafcna/index.php/topic,91411.0.html
shows how to remove the overhead console
 
Troublemaker said:
Is your 07 still under warranty??  I'd let the dealer fix it...  (y)
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That is the best answer.   (y)  and check the fuse
 
Thanks for those links.

Is your 07 still under warranty??  I'd let the dealer fix it...
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Not with over 80K miles

and check the fuse
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I bought the truck this way so I assume if they taped up the sunroof opening with cardboard and duct tape they would have checked the fuse by now. But I'll check it anyway.
 
Hope you got a really good deal if you bought it that way.

Things like that kinda make me keep on looking down the road.
 
Chances are the motor burned up and you will not be able to hot wire it to get it to close.

Sometimes the transmission goes bad and the motor binds up, but not all the time.

One more thing that no one else mentioned.  The wires goes down the A Pillar on the drivers side and there is no plug to disconnect, so you have to cut the old wires and solder the new wires to the harness - when you get your new motor.

Just my opinion, but if the dealer breaks something when he is changing the motor.  Usually, they will not charge you - such as for the clips of the covers over the A Pillars.  You would be better off to take it to a dealership and have them replace the motor and give you a warranty, then to try to repair it yourself.

The job sometimes takes as long as 3 hours.
 
Monte Carlo Man said:
One more thing that no one else mentioned.  The wires goes down the A Pillar on the drivers side and there is no plug to disconnect, so you have to cut the old wires and solder the new wires to the harness - when you get your new motor.
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Gee, wierd idea here.

Make the wiring connections UP AT THE MOTOR instead of tearing up the rest of the interior.
 
Just my opinion, but if the dealer breaks something when he is changing the motor.  Usually, they will not charge you - such as for the clips of the covers over the A Pillars.  You would be better off to take it to a dealership and have them replace the motor and give you a warranty, then to try to repair it yourself.

The job sometimes takes as long as 3 hours.
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Thanks for those ideas. As for taking it to the dealer, I think I'll pass on that. 1 1/2 hr. diagnosis + 3 hr. repair + $300 retail parts = $750 minimum plus their add-on fees, shop charges, taxes, etc., not to mention the time to drop it off and pick it up. Instead, a days time + $50 for a used SR motor at carparts.com looks better to me.
 
trAVelingman said:
Your a GENIUS!!!!!!!!!
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I can go even further to the genius level - make yourself a nice set of connectorrs instead of just soldering wires, then if it happens again, you can.....I dunno.....replace it easier?
 
DougD said:
I can go even further to the genius level - make yourself a nice set of connectorrs instead of just soldering wires, then if it happens again, you can.....I dunno.....replace it easier?
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Or do like me, when something starts giving your trouble, trade the AV in on a new one........... >:D
 
Well it looks like the motor is OK but I get just a rapid click click clicking noise when I press the switch. I don't see that any cables are seviceable so I'm probably looking at replacing the frame assembly.
 
Have you tried using a different switch? I'm just guessing here to illiminate a switch issue. I wonder if it could be a stripped gear like inside  the old electric window moters?  Hope you get it figured out
 
Tango Chaser said:
Have you tried using a different switch? I'm just guessing here to illiminate a switch issue. I wonder if it could be a stripped gear like inside  the old electric window moters?  Hope you get it figured out
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Could be, especially if they continue to use the GM classic mentality of metal gear against weak nylon gear.  TransAm/Fiero headlight motors anyone?
 
DougD said:
Could be, especially if they continue to use the GM classic mentality of metal gear against weak nylon gear.  TransAm/Fiero headlight motors anyone?
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yep, <86 firebirdchicken>
 
I got the motor out and it looks like the sunroof cables (actually cheap ribbons of plastic, thanks GM) are broken. So I'll have to replace the whole frame assembly since you can't get just the cables, thanks again GM, which means I have to drop the headliner.

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Got the headliner down and removed the sunroof frame. Half-way home! It did find a few other plastic bits broken that may have caused the cables to break.

standard.jpg


Just better not rain tonight.
 
Installed a new sunroof frame assembly and got everything back together. The roof works fine while manually holding the switches but I couldn't reset the system by pressing and holding the vent mode switch as the manual says. A few hours later after testing the switch and the motor it looked like the electronic parts of the motor didn't work right and of course you can't just replace the electronics portion. I installed a used one for $50 from a junkyard and everything works fine now.
 
Well that's at least one big issue taken care of in this massive project, congrats!
 
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