How to: BMW E23 Sunroof Disassembly and Lubrication

How to partially disassembly of the sunroof assembly on an E23. I’m having issues with the sunroof operation, checking the drains for any clogs, and the fabric panel separated so that was fixed too. This tutorials doesn’t include how to remove the complete assembly from the roof or dropping the headliner. I have already removed the fabric panel to repair it and due to the limited amount of tutorials on these cars, I decided to produce this video. I will cover the removal process further on in the video.
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DeoxIT L260DNp: caig.com/produ...
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Tools/Supplies Needed:
-grease
-degreaser
-paper towel
-torx driver
-phillips screwdriver
Procedure:
With the sunroof partially open, slide back into the roof, you’ll need to grab along the front edge to disconnect the clips. Once it’s disconnected, push it back into the roof, then tilt up the sunroof. To remove the panel, there will be six bolts holding it in place, you’ll need a torx driver to remove them. Three on each side.
Lift out the panel, be careful not to drop it on the roof. You may consider having help or put a towel on the roof as protection.
Next I’m using Val-U Degreaser from Caig Laboratories, a link to this will be included in the video description to clean any grease and dirt. The degreaser was sprayed onto a paper towel, then clean the areas as needed. I did this before disassembly to keep the mess somewhat contained during the removal process. Be extremely careful around the headliner so that it doesn’t get dirty either.
Using a phillips screwdriver, remove the two screws holding on the rectangular cap towards the rear of the track. Lift out that cap. Moving onto the large cap in front of that. Again remove the phillips screws holding it into place. Lift that portion out too. Watch for any adhesive under these caps, mine was extremely sticky and stringy, it can be messy to clean up.
Again clean up any dirt and grease using a degreaser. For this I’m using the Val-U Degreaser from Caig Laboratory and paper towel. It doesn’t leave any residue behind and is safe on all the components. You’ll need to use the same process on the opposite side as well.
Moving the mechanism up, you’ll need to lift it up outside of the opening and then operate the sunroof switch as needed to move it ahead.
Snap the rail back into place.
My fabric was falling down so as a temporary fix to make the sunroof usable again, I cleaned off the foam backer on the fabric and used fabric glue to put everything back into place. Eventually the headliner will be redone in this car.
Put the fabric liner back into place with the rail. The rail must be seated properly on the track. Then push it back into the roof.
New grease can now be applied to the track and mechanism. For this I am using DeoxIT’s L260DNp grease, apply the grease using your finger and make sure there’s a light film over the track. After usage, the grease should move around on any missed spots.
The sunroof mechanism was then retracted back using the switch, push the slides back into the rails for both sides. I did clean up the old grease on the top caps too, then applied a light layer of new grease. Install the cap and tighten down the phillips screws.
Install the smaller cap with the two phillips screws, then tighten.
Going back inside the car, install the six bolts. Don’t tighten these up just yet as we still need to adjust the sunroof panel.
Close the sunroof.
Align the sunroof panel with the roof, it should be level. The bolts fit into elongated holes so there is a bit of movement, hole the panel by hand, and then tighten each of the bolts.
With the sunroof closed, pull out the fabric panel.
Open the sunroof slightly, then pull the panel forward. Make sure those rear points are clipped in, you should be able to see where they lock in through the front. Give the sunroof a quick test, make adjustments as needed if you find any binding or it doesn’t sit well.
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