Moonroof Replacement

rayner601

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Philadelphia, MS
After replacing 3 of these in 2 years I decided to write this experience down for future reference. It's not bad and can be done by one person. This is for a gen2 but should be similar for the gen1.

1) Starting at the driver's side, remove the A pillar trim, sunvisor, and pull down or remove the door weatherstrip. The dome light/roof switch comes off after lightly prying off the center cover from the rear and removing the 2 screws.
2) Move to the passenger side and remove the A pillar trim, weatherstrip, and assist handle. Remove the trim lacing that holds the roof frame and headliner together. It's sticky and glue will stream everywhere so wash your hands after handling this part.
3) Get in the back seat and remove the access panel and the 2 coat hooks on each side. The rubber cover on these hooks will slide off revealing the screw. Remove the 2 push pins retaining the headliner to the roof. Starting at the top of the rear quarter panel trim, lightly pull it out just enough to disengage the clips at the top.
4) Recline both seat backs fully. Then from the back seat, pull down on the headliner (directly behind the access panel hole and in the middle) just enough to get one side past the quarter panel trim panel. Be careful or you will break the headliner backer board. If you do, you can smooth most of the wrinkle out once you reinstall it. Once clear of the rear quarter panel trim, maneuver headliner out of the car.
5) Disconnect the electrical connector at the rear of the roof assy.
DSCN4840.jpg

Then work the drain tubes loose from the roof assy. They are orange/red most of the time.
6) Remove 1 bolt from each side. It is the rearmost bolt on each side, attatching a metal bracket to the roof. On the driver side, it's behind the harness in this photo:
DSCN4839.jpg

7) Swing back the sight shields on each side of the glass ( (they are hinged on the rear and swing to the inside. Theses are fragile so be careful) and remove 2 T20 screws holding the glass to the tracks. This isn't completely necessary, but makes getting the frame out much easier because it's lighter. Passenger side shown. Lift the glass out and set aside.
DSCN4837.jpg

8) Remove the front 2 center bolts from the roof assy and remove the drain tubes from the front corners
9) Lay a heave blanket on the seats and the door you are going to get this out along with the dash. It's easy to damage a seat or dash with this thing trying to get it out. Support frame with one hand and remove the last 2 center bolts from the roof. Lower frame and remove from the car.

Now if you're swapping a broken frame for another one, you need to swap out the sunshade if it's not the same color. Place the frame drip rail side up on a table or the floor. Remove the drip rail (long metal piece with a rubber flap attatched) screws and drip rail. Slide the shade back and gently pull up in the middle just enough to get one side out. The shade is supported by 2 tabs on each side. Installation is the same as removal. IMPORTANT--Make sure the newly installed shade slides freely! Slide the shade all the way closed before reinstalling the drip rail. Reinstall the drip rail and don't over tighten the screws.

Installation is the reverse of removal with one thing. The front driver drain tube on yours may look kinked. Remove the clip from the wiring harness and route the harness above the tube and install the tube. The final thing to do is adjust the glass to the roof. It needs to be flush to .10mm below the roof.
DSCN4845.jpg


Failure analysis and troubleshooting:

I have had the joy of replacing 3 of these in my car in the past 2 years. The first one died before I got the car and I replaced it when I bought it. The drip rail has retainers behind it on each side. One broke off and the shade was hard to move. This dislodged the drip rail and jammed the roof breaking the frame where the drive cable comes into the frame. The first pic is the good retainer, the second is where it is broken.
DSCN4842.jpg

DSCN4841.jpg


If the above is what is wrong with yours and the cable mount isn't broken, then you can JB weld the drip rail in place and it should be ok.

One other thing...DON'T ever operate the roof with the glass panel removed. It will break the tabs on the rails and it will be noisy and the roof panel will be loose (it's part of the reason for replacement #3).
 
Replacement info
Gen2 of course will use a gen2 roof but will also use a 97 T'bird or Cougar roof.
 

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