Mongo

After having the sunroof stuck I've thought of greasing the tracks on the car, if it's a good idea. Has anyone lubricated the sunroof tracks on their cars here? If so, what did you use???

Andy

shaaark89

i've done it using plain grease sparingly and it worked pretty well. probably something better out there to use though.

bd0nalds0n

Ask and ye shall receive. Check this out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...&category=6763

SteveG

Mine was binding (slowing down) as it went through the last 2" or so to close. I found a dustless grease made by Toyota called "Shin eitzo" not sure about spellng of second word. Worked like a charm. There are teflon products that might be just as good and I'm sure Shaaarks plain grease is fine.

2V4V

IIRC, the MBZ grease was a flourinated grease - water proof, (most) solvent proof. Just wash your hands thoroughly after use, and no smoking (apparently nasty chemicals are created by burning the stuff).

But, it may not be anymore. And most lithium greases will be adequate for the task.

Greg

Vlocity

I have been successful using the same graphite lubricant I use on my garage door track and return.

The powder lubricant works fantastic. Better than the greases by far.

Regards,

Ken

Thaddeus

I lubed the forward part of the tracks with Lithium to no avail. Sunroof was still slow. Then I took the sunroof out to install new gaskets. While I had it out, I shot some more Lithium back on the tracks inside the roof cavity. Now she runs lickity split. I suspect most people lube the part you can get to pretty regularly, but it's the part of the track you can't get to that causes the tardiness. YMMV.

928ntslow

I did a complete right up on Greg Nicol's site over the sunroof revamp.

Just an FYI, if you lubricate the tracks of the sunroof, you are asking for trouble down the road. The lubricant will attract dirt, dust and anything airborn. This will eventually put gouges in the tracks as well as wear out the nylon glides. Then you will be replacing parts when you find your sunroof does not work at all...not to mention destroying the motor.

The reason the sunroof does not work properly is lack of maintenance. The only items that received grease was the spiral cables that ride through the tube tunnels. These cables are driven by the motor gear which is compressed and meshed with the cables. The cables are attached to the shoes that ride in the tracks. After time, dust and dirt get into the tubes and cause the whole system to lag and make the motor work harder. Additionally, the grease becomes old and hard which contributes to the lag. Once this happens, you will find that as soon as the sunroof closes to the point of lowering the wind flap, it slows or stops.

Want your sunroof to work flawlessly? Take it apart and clean it...especially the cables and the inside of the tube tunnels. When done, apply a little bit of grease to the cables and watch your sunroof zip back and forth effortlessly. Make sure the tracks are cleaned with steel wool and that they are dry of lubricant. Get new nylon glides if you have to. Clean all the parts well.

This is the correct way to fix your sunroof and will eliminate the issues for many years.

heinrich

Don't use goat urine ... trust me ... it does not work.

Thaddeus

Words to live by.

H2

If Heinrich says don't use goat urine I wouldn't use it. Besides, it tastes horrible. I use White Grease as used on door and window assemblies but it tends to dry out over time and looks tacky. I need to implant some silicon apparently. I hate to take the roof hatch apart so is there a way to lube the critical areas without taking it apart?

Harvey
'85S

928ntslow

Want a quick fix?...Clean the tracks on top and inside wiping all the crud and grease off. Hit it with WD40 on top and inside the tracks where the cables ride. Run it backl and forth a few times.

heinrich

IrishLegend

Mine is slowing down.
Anyone have anything additional to add?
Pretty old thread I doubt anything has changed.

Thanks.

IrishLegend

Are there any write-ups for cleaning/greasing, basic sunroof maintenance anywhere?