jammed sunroof

This is the Forum for all your Citroen Technical Questions, Problems or Advice.

Moderator: RichardW

Post Reply
puc
Posts: 34
Joined: 05 Feb 2001, 19:29
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:

jammed sunroof

Post by puc »

Hi
(I know this is a citroen forum but the sunroof mechanism on peugeots are basically similar)
I havn't used the sunroof on my 405 since last summer. Now with the hot weather, I went to open it and I've found that its jammed shut. The motor whirrs but the glass will only budge about 0.5cm up the back to its start position. Took the switch housing off, disconected the link rod and tried winding the roof manually using the allen key provided but it wouldnt budge.
Anyone have any suggestions? can i squirt lubricant in somewhere and hope it frees or is it wrecked?
vanny
Posts: 767
Joined: 16 May 2002, 21:08
Location: BXProject
My Cars:
x 1
Contact:

Post by vanny »

which type of sunroof is this, is it the one with rails along the roof, and slides back on the outside of the car. Or is it like the BX style which dissapears into the head lining?
wrinklet1
Posts: 706
Joined: 23 Nov 2002, 19:15
Location: Bolton, England
My Cars:

Post by wrinklet1 »

Hi, If the problem is what I think, your Pug 405 has a similar sunroof as the bx or xantia, ie it goes into the roof lining or pops up depending on which way you press the switch.
Now for the painfull part [;)] . I think your sunroof may have siezed up or even worse, the sunroof itself may have rusted and swollen, therefore stopping it from opening. I had a problem on my old BX of the sunroof metal that held the sealing strip on rusting and therefore stopping it from moving. I ended up using some silicone spray on the seal and letting it soak in, then with a little help from my hand pushing up the glass, pressing the pop up side of the switch. It opened up okay, I then removed the six screw that held the roof panel in place. If your lucky, it may just be a case of crap and S**t that may have worked its way into the sealing gap. If it is, gently wash the sunroof sealing rubber with soap and water, then wash the opening in the roof with soap and water.
Another good idea would be to spray silicon onto and into the running track that the mechanism runs in.
Replace the roof in a similar way to removing it (if you have a Haynes manual for your car just follow the directions), if not, once you have screwed the roof back into place (only screw the panel loosely), slowly press the down button making sure that it closes okay without to much rubbing, then push the roof panel up so that it levels up with the roof and tighten the screws. Check that the roof goes up and down okay, then try moving it into the roof. If all goes well, it should travel with ease.
GOOD LUCK
Paul
puc
Posts: 34
Joined: 05 Feb 2001, 19:29
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:

Post by puc »

Hi Vanny
the sunroof is the bx type that disappears back into the roof. your thoughts would be most welcome.
mark_sp
Posts: 230
Joined: 13 Apr 2003, 00:47
Location:
My Cars:

Post by mark_sp »

If the sunroof is the type that has a rubber seal around it then its probably hardened up over the winter. Try soaking the seal with WD40, give it a few minutes and then try working the motor. This happened to me on a previous car and the motor could be heard to twitch but the roof appeared to be solid. I was amazed that a 5 minute soaking in WD40 could make such a difference especially as the rubber seal still looked and felt as hard.
Mark_sp
User avatar
benj
Posts: 154
Joined: 14 Jul 2003, 19:30
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:
Contact:

Post by benj »

on my old volcane i had to push the back corner down if i wanteed it to retract into the roof, a few weeks of gentle persuasion and it free'd up
DLM
Posts: 524
Joined: 13 Aug 2001, 03:01
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:

Post by DLM »

Must be pretty firmly stuck if the allen key won't shift it - this has been my salvation a couple of times where the motors have proved too feeble to counteract "cling" from lack of use. I'd try all the lubrication methods suggested and use gentle hand pressure at the same time. Try gentle pressure with the allen key both ways too. I've experienced lining "cling" on a couple of BXs where the sunroof wasn't used for a long time.
The mechanism, if it's like the BX, consists of a long heavy wire loop under tension running within the conduits you used to be able to see from above with the sunroof open. The only thing that can really go worng with this is breakage of the wire, displacement of the wires from correct position , or seize-up though corrosion, though it's normally the externals that rust.
David
puc
Posts: 34
Joined: 05 Feb 2001, 19:29
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:

Post by puc »

thanks everybody
thinking about it, on my first inspection of the motor, i noticed a loose screw sitting in the roof housing and on operating the motor, the mechanism appeared to rock a little. i'm now thinking it may be important (doh). as soon as i can, i'll open up again, remove motor, lubricate anything visible, see if this screw fits anywhere.
Post Reply