Different kind of sunroof problem

[Black88GTA]

Hi all, running into an issue with the sunroof on the '92 project. Can't seem to find any threads on this particular failure mode, so figured I'd post and ask if anyone has any ideas. This is a '92 LS-L with @123k miles that has been parked for 10 years.

The motor runs fine, and the clutch seems to be adjusted properly. However, since the car's been sitting so long, I think one side has frozen up. When I hit the button, it usually runs, maybe moves a bit. When I hit the button and push up from underneath, the drivers' side comes up, but the right side makes terrible gear stripping noises and stays flush with the roof It does the same thing with the hex key in the motor. See pics / video at the bottom of post. I've ran a credit card all the way around the seal edges, so it's not binding to the roof.

I'd like to either fix it, or be able to swap the sunroof cassette with the one from my parts car...however, all of the removal instructions I can find involve opening it first so the screws can be accessed.

Any ideas for how to unstick the right side? I've tried spraying Deep Creep in there, but that hasn't helped yet.

Is there any way to remove a sunroof assembly when it won't open?

In the event I get it out, is it a major ordeal to swap these? Is there a how-to somewhere for this?

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKmlQ6Fq5nk

Pics: (excuse the mess, I just finished putting in all new brakes last night and haven't cleaned up yet)

[Black88GTA]

Bump

Guess nobody knows?

[Subaru oldtimer]

Sorry if you felt ignored but I certainly don't know the answer. I still have the usual issue of needing to push it up to open and to push it forward to get it to close.

Worked fine for a while after I replaced the weather strip but then just stopped working again.

[SVX_MY_BABY]

Short of gentle persuasion and prying I've got no answer.

I'd suggest shooting a pm to TomsSVX or Mike621. When they ran All We'll Drive one of the partners, who was a member here, was a body shop guy. Perhaps they are still in contact.

[Black88GTA]

Thanks guys, not feeling ignored or anything, I get that this seems to be a relatively uncommon problem. Not the end of the world or anything, but I'd like to be able to fix it eventually.

At any rate, it's kind of taken a back seat at the moment, as the climate control system all of a sudden started to freak out today when I went to move it Not sure what that's about. It just went to full defrost right after I started the car, and hitting buttons on the panel did nothing. It was working fine before. Need to do some searching.

[Black88GTA]

Well, just for closure, this is now resolved. Ended up dropping the interior trim, dropping the headliner, and swapping the entire busted mechanism with the working one from my parts car (also Ebony). Also took the opportunity to shoot compressed air through the drain tubes and clean up the area the roof mechanism fits into while everything was apart.

[SVX_MY_BABY]

How difficult is it to take out the roof liner?

My sunroof motor works but is a bit weak. I picked up one from a scrap yard but have never tackled something like removing trim and ceiling liner.

[Black88GTA]

Originally Posted by SVX_MY_BABY

How difficult is it to take out the roof liner?

My sunroof motor works but is a bit weak. I picked up one from a scrap yard but have never tackled something like removing trim and ceiling liner.

It's not a difficult job. The biggest problem I encountered was the 30 year old plastic trim clipped into the pillars. My front pieces came out mostly OK, but most of the clips sheared off of the trim covering the C pillars when I pulled it out. I'm going to have to figure something out to securely remount it. Not sure what the best course of action is on that yet.

In addition to the pillar trim, the sunroof surround, and the stuff mounted to the roof (sunroof controls, dome light, mirror, visors, coat hooks, oh sh*t handle), the headliner is held up with 3 plastic push pin type clips in the rear, and a single black plastic fastener up front. The front fastener was a pain in the ass and broke when I pulled it out, but seems pretty standard so I don't think I'll have too much trouble finding a replacement. For the rear clips, I found that it worked best to save those for last and then slide the headliner forward until they come out the back. If you pull straight down, the clips will most likely pull through the liner backing and mess it up instead of popping free from their sockets.

[SVX_MY_BABY]

That was my fear and why I haven't approached the job. Think I'll leave it until I really need to make a swap.