Dual sunroof removal

[drbeatty]

I have a 92 E34 Touring how can I remove panels without being able to open? Tried manually but jams. There is a broken lift block that I found in the glove box when I got the car. Wasn't to worried about it but tried to see if I could fix it and now it leaks. I have the Bently Publications manual but it only covers the Single Panel model.:(

[shogun]

http://www.bmwe34.net/Wiki/tiki-index.php?page=Sunroof

[attack eagle]

unfortuantely the above procedure for removal requires that you be able to open the front AND the rear of the roof.
Honestly the procedure for removing the panels DOES REQUIRE A FULLY FUNCTIONAL ROOF.

if you can not, you may be stuck dropping the headliner and try to gain access that way to the latches for the inner panels. it may be possible to remove them if you get creative... but I wouldn't bet money on it.

the rear if you can unlatch will almost fall out of the roof. with only 1/4" movement forward as it is merely hung in place on 4 small pins

the front requires the front to open so you have room to pull it forward and out of the car. it is a captive slider tab system.

you may wind up just unbolting the entire thing and taking it out of the car to get the trim panels off... at which point it becomes totally not worth it.

can you even get it to the vent position manually in the front? perhaps manually helping itlift and pivot? I assume by lift block the mean the trapezoidal pivot point for the rear of the front sunroof?

It is an elegant minimalist design honestly. the vertical movement of both the inner panels and outer panels is completely passive.


of course it wont be much help to get the liner out if you don;t know exactly what the problem is.

outer edge is clogged drains
in the middle seam is that it is tilted.

[shogun]

22 pages from a German E34 forum, including pics
http://www.e34-welt.de/tips_tricks/dshd.pdf

[attack eagle]

that's cool for when you want to take it apart after you get it to open :)

[drbeatty]

that's cool for when you want to take it apart after you get it to open :)

The fist link is not much help as it is for the single panel unit. The German link is very helpful. Do you know where I can get German lessons? It looks like the inner panels slide out to the rear of the car? And yes it is the trapizoid piece. From the pictures it looks like the rear panel is held down with 3 nuts in the front and three nuts in the rear? If I can get the procedure for removing the inner panels then maybe I can nurse the thing along to get it to that point. Does the rear of the front panel lift up to allow the rear panel to slide underneath? The problem is that I have never seen a fully functioning one in action.

[attack eagle]

did you download the service manual on BF.c that xmon put up the other day?

I also took my headliner out and photo detailed it over there.
rear inner drops out rear IIRC but only after the rear is open enough to unlatch...
which means the front section needs to be gone first. front inner section goes out the front and up. out the top.

Yes the front tilts up before any motion occurs of either panel.