Sunroof woes, randomly cuts out.

[Driftin]

Strange problem. Just put a replacement sunroof motor in my 88 ix. Worked fine, had a couple sticky spots where it needed a helping hand, but generally worked pretty well. Occassionally as I was testing the tracks before putting it all together the load would be too high, and I would hear a click, and the motor would stop. So I would adjust the drive clutch (the big hex outside the allen key hole). Unplug motor, plug back in, back in business. That happened several times, got everything adjusted right, and put back together, this morning on the way to work, it clicked, and no more sunroof action. I tried unplugging the small black plug for the motor, and plugging it back in, nothing. Fuse is fine, breaker switch is fine, windows work. Why does it seem like the motor is not getting power? How can I “reset” the motor? Is the relay up there dead you think?

[ELVA164]

One thing you could try if you're feeling adventurous is disassembling the motor and cleaning it. It's pretty common that the brushes and contact points inside the motor are all dirty and covered in grit by this point, and have a hard time moving. Removing two Torx bolts allows access to the innards. Remove and clean the brushes, clean out the housing, regrease it, and reassemble. That could be your problem.

[bimmer2288]

Have you checked your switch? The cars at about this age start developing corrosion and oxidation in the contacts which can cause intermittent operation. You can pull the switch apart and clean the contacts, then snap it back together. I've done this for sunroof switch and just last weekend a window switch.