1997 850 Sunroof Position Question

BlackThunder · Post by **BlackThunder** » 03 Jan 2009, 22:56

1997 Volvo 850 115k+ miles
I have been having problems finding the sweet spot for my sunroof to be closed at. I keep hearing hair go by - however I do have a roof rack attached to the car and that makes more noise.

My question is:
Is the sunroof switch supposed to be in a "manual" setting or in a stopping setting? Opening the roof to open, or partially (back of the window) open?

My sunroof doesn't stop at any specified time. I have to always monkey with the position. Is there something I can adjust or do I need to get a different motor?
This car is used and I think it may have been abused before I got it. The used car dealer did say he had to "fix" the sunroof motor.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 03 Jan 2009, 23:33

Go all the way to closed and after it is closed, keep holding the button for at least 5 more seconds...now, do it in reverse and do the same thing with it all the way open. Same with the tilt function and then one last time, all the way closed but keep holding the button for at least 5 more seconds after it's closed. Now it's suppose to be recalibrated so you won't have to monkey with it anymore.

BlackThunder · Post by **BlackThunder** » 28 Nov 2009, 09:42

Ok, old post but I guess I need some more answers on this question.

So when everyone closes or opens their sunroof does it stop at it's fully closed position? Or is it up to the driver to figure out when the sunroof is closed.

When I close or open my sunroof it is up to me to decide when it is fully closed or not. The motor will stop if the sunroof is all the way tilted up or all the way open. It doesn't stop at any "closed" position (where the glass is all the way closed and not tilted or moved backward).

It just seems to me that Volvo wouldn't have made a motor like this. I would think they would have taken the guess work out of it. I have the sun roof in a position I like but I then I don't touch it at all.

The reason this is an issue is because I have a roof rack on my car and it is loud at high speed. When the sun roof is slightly open I can hear the wind and it is annoying. Simple fix would be to get rid of the roof rack but I use it too much for bicycles.

Also - not sure if this is related or not but - there is a metal tray that only seems to be connected to one in the roof. I think this is where the sunroof sits when it is fully retracted.

Is this still kind of a 'murky' problem? Jeez, I have to lay off the coffee in the morning - or pick up another hobby.

Dustin

Post by **polskamafia mjl** » 28 Nov 2009, 17:09

If I understand the question correctly then here is my answer; When I want to open my sunroof all the way, I press the button and hole it for maybe a second or two and the sun roof retracts all the way. If I want to close it all the way then I have to hold the button almost the entire time until the roof is close to its closed position at which point I can let go and the sun roof does it's final adjustment to close. For tilt I have to hold it the entire time as well, unless I want it to only tilt a certain amount...

Post by **RobTheModd** » 28 Nov 2009, 21:53

If I understand it... your roof is messed up. haha sorry.

Mine, If I want it in the vent position *up* I simply press the button till it goes up, if I want to close it I just hold it down untill it goes down and stops. At that point it is closed and FLUSH with the roof of the car.

If I want to suck it into the car, I hold down untill it goes all the way back, than I press back again to suck it another about 4 inches or so.
If I want to close it from there I push the button to close it and it goes all the way forwards, than I have to push it again to get it to go to the vent position and then push it again to close it flush.... Yeah I know lame but hey, it works.

If I push and hold the button, from the fully opened position, It does not sit flush when closed and is noticibly *sunk into the car* when you get out and look once parked. annoying yes, but you get ust to it.

npharper · Post by **npharper** » 26 Apr 2012, 14:32

This is an old post, but you can adjust the flush position of the sunroof mechanically, by positioning the side arms. There's a good write-up somewhere online about how to remove the sunroof. It's pretty easy as long as you have the right torx bit.

Once you take it out, you can clean the glass easily, adjust the flush position, and clean out anything in the back that might be keeping it from opening fully. I noticed that once I had taken mine out and re-installed it, the old, deteriorating weather seals around the edge didn't fit so tight--I fixed this by smearing a thin layer of silicone (clear, but black would have looked better) onto the seals. This restored the suppleness to the seals, and was much cheaper and easier than replacing them. Now the roof is water tight, which is also thanks to the properly-adjusted flush position.

While I was in there, I also took out the sliding roof panel that obscures the sunroof. I never closed it, and when it was fully open it was robbing me of a three inch strip of moonroof window. Now the sunroof opens about 3 more inches when fully open. The downside is that if there is any rain pooled on top of the car, it splashes onto my neck if I open the sunroof and hit on the brakes, because the sliding roof panel doubles as a rain catch for the rear of the sunroof opening. This is easily solved by not opening the sunroof for a few miles if there is rain pooled on top of the car.

Mackan · Post by **Mackan** » 27 Jan 2014, 13:31

I have the same problem as "Black Thunder". My sunroof does not stay in the closed position. I have to close it "manually". The calibration does not help. Help and ideas is welcome...

Post by **rspi** » 27 Jan 2014, 21:24

Not sure if this will help or not:

Mackan · Post by **Mackan** » 28 Jan 2014, 14:40

Thanks but that didnt solve my problem. I wonder where the "stop" is. What tell the sunroof to stop? Is it in the sunroof motor or in the controller for the sunroof.

BlackThunder · Post by **BlackThunder** » 24 Apr 2014, 11:08

I think that is my problem too. The plastic parts that are in the video are absent on my car. It looked like there were little indentations that told the sunroof to stop in the video above - since I don't have them the sunroof won't stop.

I wonder if I can find the part number somewhere and order them?

Dustin