I'm currently replacing my headliner and I've run into some issues with my sunroof. It won't open. When I bought the car, the electric sunroof motor wasn't in it- someone must have taken it out and decided not to put it back in...
So now I'm stuck. Literally. My sunroof won't budge. I removed the whole assembly (drain pan and all) from the car. I'm not sure if it's supposed to move freely when removed and the track is just gunked up with dirt, or if I need to find some tool to get into where the electric motor's gear turned, thus moving the sunroof.
Any help is appreciated!

ALSO, I'm looking to convert my (non-present) electric motor with a manual crank...how would I go about doing this?

Thanks!!

 

If I understand your situation correctly... it should not be too hard to get the sunroof to move. In front of the sunroof, there is a panel, right about the point where you'd expect the crank to be if it were a manual hand-crank version. if you take the screws out of that (if memory serves there are two on either side), then you will see the assembly where the motor should be. and the gears that move the sunroof. There should be a slotted screw sort of thing that is flush with the surface, and closer to the sunroof than the windshield. You should be able to use a standard screwdriver to turn the sunroof. One direction will open the sunroof, the other will pop it up in its vent function.

As to conversion, I don't know. Hopefully someone else will chime in with that.

 

I'm not sure you understand correctly..I've taken the entire sunroof out of the car. The actual electric motor is nowhere to be found. The only piece that can actually turn the sunroof to an open position is just two (what looks like) gears. One on top and one on bottom. I will see if I can upload pictures of this if it will help any.
Thank you for the quick reply!

 

To move the sunroof you need to either use a manual crank or the electric motor which is gone. PM me, I have both, you can decide...

 

Here are some pictures, hope they help.

 

Ah, I see. In picture 2, the hole you've taken a picture of is where I had thought the part you could turn would be. So... in describing how this works... see the two little coiled looking things on either side? those move and pull the sunroof around.

The easiest solution is as lev indicates, probably the manual crank. But the reality is that if you can just get it started, then you can push and pull the sunroof by hand. See... the sunroof motion goes forward until it hits a stop, then it moves up. It's actually pretty ingenious how it's done. But so long as it is in the upward position, it is pretty much locked in place, and you can't pry it open. so, if you can pull those cords enough so that the sunroof goes down, you'll pretty much be able to just use your hands to push it back.

If you can get a gear or something you have around the garage in there to turn them as a temporary measure, you're good to go. If not, lev's right, talk to him or just hop over to a junkyard and find yourself 240 with a sunroof. Take the handle, and the gearing (which is held in by 2 screws above the handle) and that should be enough to get you going.

 

I looked around for a gear last night but couldn't find any that fit right. Went ahead and bought a manual crank...just waiting for it to come. Now I'm assuming that if I can find the correct piece of trim for the manual sunroof and the manual crank comes, the conversion will be as simple as putting those parts in. Would I be correct in this or is there something I am missing?

 

That I don't know about at all. I've only seen 740s and 940s with power sunroofs, so I don't know if they made manual trim. But, others may have more experience in that department. Wait... I seem to remember an old grey 740 that a friend had when I was young, and it was manual. so... the question is does the housing for the motor get in the way of where the crank would tuck up into the roof? And, I don't have any idea on that.

 

in Yurp, manual are far more common than power. USA bound 740/940's tended to come with lots of power options.

that opening LOOKS just like the one on a 240 manual crank, when you remove the crank handle then the crank gear above it.

note that hand crank gearbox is indexed. get your sunroof fully closed, then turn the crank all the way in the closed direction, then back sothe crank is pointing straight forward, THEN install the gearbox. now you should have a full range of travel forward and backwards.

 

Hello again, everybody. Apologies for the wait time. I found a manual crank and it fit right in place. Reupholstered both headliner and sunroof...all back in now and looking good. Decided I'll woodwork a trim piece using the power trim piece as a template. Thank you all for your help and input!