Sunroof cable

[Michael_V]

Hello everyone. The passengers side sunroof cable is damaged on my car. I know the part number is 69-842 and have a price of 151.88 +SH. I also have a quote for a whole RX7 assembly for $150. My question is there a better or less expensive option to go with than buying the whole assembly? Thanks.

[Barney Eaton]

First the price you got for a complete RX7 sunroof seems high. Based on information from others that have purchased used RX7 units, the price should be $100 or less.

I have one in the garage that only cost me the price of shipping. I like the idea of getting the complete unit ... you have extra parts if the other cable fails. ... or a motor etc.

[Michael_V]

Thanks for the info. I'll keep looking for the whole assembly. Maybe something will come up.

[Guest steveskyhawk]

Mike,

The easiest way to fix your sunroof is to replace the entire mechanisim with a used one. The new parts from Mazda are difficult to install.

Barney is a little out of touch when it comes to prices however. It is possible that somebody sent him a freebee but I wouldn't count on it working. $150 would be cheap if the assembly worked perfectly. Finding one, testing it, and removing it isn't a 5 minute job. I have bought and sold many of these units and they are not all the same. Most have been neglected since new and have the same issues yours has. Before I remove a sunroof for my own car or resale I test it in the donor car. If it will not open electrically without physical help I don't take it out of the car. It is no good.

Send me a PM if you have any questions on sunroofs. I bought a Reatta with a sunroof so I could study it. I also have corrosion free parts available. Good luck

[reattadudes]

the prices here look like they are from 1989, not 2010.

first, pricing for the RX-7 cable assemblies. you will need two.

I had a customer last year who insisted on buying the cables "and doing it himself". the cable set from Mazda was $582.00. keep reading, as it really doesn't matter if they cost a nickel; the real issue is with the installation.

he tried for about two hours to figure out how the cables went in, and gave up. too complicated.

he then took the car to an authorized ASC dealer, the original manufacturer of the sunroof. they spent over two days trying to install them, and gave up. they charged over $600 for labor. no, this wasn't in rural Kentucky, but in northern New Jersey.

$582.00+$600.00=$1,182.00, and the sunroof still doesn't work. this is about the 20th horror story I've heard like this.

what kills every sunroof is lack of cable lubrication. to avoid the problem (and this won't work if yours is already non-operational) remove the outer painted panel, and lubricate the entire cable and track mechanisms. while you're in there, take off the drain tubes, and blow out all four of them to avoid interior leaks. look behind the front wheels, and in front of the rear wheels, where the tubes drain; you'll be shocked at all the junk that comes out.

the only reasonable solution is to replace your non-working unit with a guaranteed operational one.

expect to pay $350-$500 for a non-rusted, quality, guaranteed unit. be very careful in your purchase, as many units that have spent much of their life in a corrosive climate will have complete rust-thru in the drain pan areas. these units must be avoided, as they are essentially useless.

over and out.

Mike Rukavina

buickreattaparts.com

[Guest steveskyhawk]

Michael_V

Maybe barney will sell you his cheap. He is not going to do anything with it. Make sure whoever you get it from guarantees it works properly.

[padgett]

Nobody bothered to tell me it was hard when I replaced my cables eight years ago. Got the entire RX-7 cable section (2 cables) from a yard. BTW it has always needed a little help for the first 1/2" of opening but works fine after. Tried adjusting the clutch at one point (motor is spinning but roof not moving) but gave it up and just push with a finger.

Really think the exposed horizontal channels when the roof is up (and my vent is open most of the time) just attracts glop. About one a year I clean out the channel with solvent and then apply some white grease. I tend to use white grease everywhere.

[Guest steveskyhawk]

If it needs a push to open then somthing is still wrong. If the unit was for my personal car the need for a "push" would be acceptable I suppose. Ideally I wont (buy/sell) a unit that doesn't perform perfectly. When someone gets a sunroof unit from me it comes with instructions on how to install it and more importantly the "tricks" that I've learned on how to get it to work like new.

Keeping a "spare" non working unit is just a waste of space. A spare motor is worthless. I have never seen a bad sunroof motor nor a bad headlight motor.

Edited April 5, 2010 by Rawja (see edit history)

[padgett]

I have seen the magnets come loose inside the headlamp motor & the brushes do wear (are new ones available ?) but my main problem with headlamp motors is breaking the ^%&^^&RF screws. Have learned that it is better to apply some force to remove the gear on the off side than to try to remove the motor.

If you have any suggestions on how to adjust the sunroof so it doesn't need that little push to start opening (all it needs) I would appreciate it. Tried when replacing the cable six years ago and finally gave up. Been that way ever since.

[Guest steveskyhawk]

Padgett,

Sunroofs that need the push is a cumulative problem in my opinion. A Reatta owner that had a problem with his sunroof made a good suggestion that I'm not sure how to implement. I've noticed that voltage may be a problem and so had he. I noticed that my sunroof popped open better when the engine was running because of the better voltage from the alternator. This other guy I was talking to noticed the same thing. He claimed to be an electrical engineer. After looking at the schematics in the FSM he said that there was a definite voltage drop at the sunroof motor due to the length of wire and connectors it needs to go through before it gets to the motor. He suggested a larger direct wire to the motor switched via a relay to eliminate the voltage drop. Electricity is your specialty. Any merit to this? Your car would be the perfect candidate for this mod because it has this "marginal" problem with the sunroof which is VERY common.

[Ronnie]

Is it possible to go from the battery directly to the motor with a large wire to test the theory?

'

[Guest steveskyhawk]

Ronnie,

I'll be honest. Electricity is not my strong suit but I do notice a difference in the way a sunroof acts when the voltage is higher. Maybe when the cars were new and the sunroofs were clean, lubricated and all the connections and contacts were new they worked perfectly. I think Padgette understands what I am proposing.

[padgett]

As I said the motor is spinning just suspect the clutch is slipping & attemps to adjust per the manual did not work. If the motor were not turning I might look for a voltage drop.

At the time I put it down to more force being required initially partly due to a thicker than standard headliner, as mentioned it just needs a gentle push for the initial opening and everything else through both stages of opening and full closure operate normally.

[Guest steveskyhawk]

It is really not a clutch but a worm drive. I have seen one slip or declutch as you say so I know what you mean. When the combined drag or friction of the moving parts is greater than the motor torque something bad has to give. In your case the worm moves away from the gear which is what you call declutching. I saw one in a car Friday that when it tried to open it just groaned with no declutching action. It was totally gummed up so i didn't take it. I only take ones that work perfectly. That I why I get more money for them. Ones that don't work are as barney says under a hundred dollars.

[Rawja]

Voltage drop due to the wiring should not be a significant issue.

When the car is running you're getting =/- 13 or 14 volts in the system, running on battery only you have somewhere south of 12 volts. Upgrading the wiring isn't going to alter that fact.

[padgett]

Agree, if I were buying one then would want perfect and complete. OTOH I have this one.

[Guest spyhunter2k]

For what it's worth, I bought a used sunroof assembly, minus the outer panel, from Jim Finn last year. I can't remember exactly what I paid, but it was less than $150, more than $100.