Hey guys,
On my recently purchased 95 Mitsubishi Chariot it has this strange bubble moonroof that is basically the whole front cap of the roof from the windshield to just behind the front seat passengers. It's pretty cool and is supposed to open, but I'm not sure exactly if it slides open or just tilts up at the rear. This morning I decided to take down the dome light switch panel on the ceiling and found the moonroof button is disconnected. How would you move forward in troubleshooting this? I worry that I might be able to get it to open even if only partially, and then not be able to get it to close. Or should I just leave it be?
grover
Dork
4/29/21 11:47 a.m.
Maybe it's just a burned up motor? Most people are reluctant to fix sunroofs and just don't mess with them when they break. Surely there is a manual option if it does get stuck.
grover said:
Maybe it's just a burned up motor? Most people are reluctant to fix sunroofs and just don't mess with them when they break. Surely there is a manual option if it does get stuck.
I was thinking there has to be a manual option as both my Delica and my old 89 RX-7 have a spot where you can insert an Allen key to manually operate the roof. I don't see anything like that on this car. I worry if it has a rusty track that won't allow it to close.
If it's unplugged, that's because it finally got closed after breaking, and the long suffering mechanic who had to close the hateful piece of garbage wanted to make sure nobody ever opened it again.
Signed,
A mechanic who has worked on sunroofs since 1981, and can happily drive a car for ten years without ever knowing whether the sunroof works.
Streetwiseguy said:
If it's unplugged, that's because it finally got closed after breaking, and the long suffering mechanic who had to close the hateful piece of garbage wanted to make sure nobody ever opened it again.
Signed,
A mechanic who has worked on sunroofs since 1981, and can happily drive a car for ten years without ever knowing whether the sunroof works.
I agree with this, just trying to figure out if I should try to mess with it, or just leave it alone.
Tom Suddard
Director of Marketing & Digital Assets
4/30/21 7:55 a.m.
A big part of the answer is what your goal is. If you goal is to figure out if it works... yeah, that unplugged switch is your answer. Cut your losses and stop now.
However, if your goal is a working sunroof, find a place it can sit with a hole in the roof while you wait for parts and plug the switch back in. Once you figure out what happens, you can start chasing wires if there's no power, or disassemble the mechanism if there's power but no movement. 99% of the time, completely disassembling everything and cleaning/lubing the mechanism will get them working again, as long as the previous owner stopped using them before the gears stripped or broke.
Signed, a guy who's owned a bunch of old European cars and always enjoyed using their sunroofs.
I forgot that I have the owners manual for the Chariot. If course it is in Japanese, but there are illustrations and I have the Google translate app as well. Turns out I didn't need the app, as the illustrations were all I needed. Found a plastic plug covering the Allen bolt manual operation screw
The factory S shaped Allen is missing, but I tried an Allen wrench of my own. I needed to insert the long end in to engage the Allen, and then I didn't have much leverage on the short end. It didn't want to turn, but I don't know if it was from a lack of leverage or that it's stuck. I think I might just leave it be, and perhaps over the winter pull the head liner down and have a go at fixing it.
An Allen bit on a cordless drill. All the Torque you need...maybe too much.
I'd remove the motor first- it's causing the friction.
grover said:
I'd remove the motor first- it's causing the friction.
Agree. 1st step is to remove the motor and bench test. It will also allow you to inspect the gears and manually open the roof.
