W124 estate sunroof dead.

[quenching]

The sunroof in my newly acquired 1994 W124 E220 estate doesn't work, dead as a dodo, not even a hint of a noise when operating the switch in any direction. Is the best course of action to replace the fuse, then the switch then the motor? Fuse is easy of course but the switch is trickier to get (or can I swap with another in the car to check?), so is it more likely to be a dead motor?

 

[Frank O' Phile]

Unlikely to be the switch.

My advice is to replace all the fuses. Clean up the contacts and fit new fuses. They do get a bit crusty and brittle at that age. For the cost of a couple of quid this will eliminate many niggles.

 

[quenching]

Cheers Frank O' Phile, hopefully I'll get a chance to check fuses today, luckily I have a stash of them in the shed.

 

[grober]

There is mechanical mechanism whereby you can operate the sun roof manually by winding the cable. This might check if the mechanism is jammed/broken or whether the problem lies with the motor or electrics. Proceed with care since you don't want to end up with a half open sunroof that's stuck.

 

[quenching]

Popped in an new fuse and I now have a working sunroof It is however a bit slow midway through opening and closing, I suppose it needs a bit of a clean and some fresh grease.

 

[quenching]

So, cleaned and lubricated the runners and after a few opening and closing its back to normal speed and function, isn't it great when its only a fuse!