BMW E39 sunroof lift mechanism repair for sunroof that will not open to vent position - ExAlfa

View of the components of the BMW E39 sunroof lift mechanism: Rear lift plate Front stop Rear pivot Front lift pivot (good and bad) Wind deflector clip Lift arm Front glass pivot Lift arm slider All sunroof glass removal is done from inside the car. Once the glass is lifted and turned it is lowered back into the car for protection. Then

Press the sunroof button to the vent position and wait for the mechanism to stop moving. The sunroof should be able to be lifted by hand to the vent position. Block the roof in this position (or use the top of your head) while undoing the rubber bellows and screws. The bellows pushes into grooves in the side of the track and the side of the glass rail. Slide inward by grasping at the rear ends close to the inserted edge to prevent tearing the bellows. View of rear lift plate and two sunroof bolt holes. Sunroof is in vent position here and rubber bellows has been removed.

View of front pivot and sunroof bolt. Pin in sunroof pivot engages hole in sunroof bottom rail.

View of rear lift plate after removal of sunroof. Plate pivots on a pin held in place with a single screw on top of the plate. Pin engages arm that actuates the drain tray. The sunroof is lifted to vent position when the lift arm slider is moved forward Lift arm pivot, the part that breaks, is clipped to the leading end of the lift arm.

View of front pivot and wind deflector arm. The pin in the front glass pivot engages a hole in the track on the bottom side of the sunroof glass. Side deflection of the pivot arm will allow removal of the pin from the sunroof.

View of wind deflector arm and front stop. The wind deflector arm is held to the deflector with a split bushing that expands when pressed through the hole in the end of the deflector. Squeeze the halves of the split bushing together using pliers and push the bushing through the deflector hole. Remove the bushing from the pin on the end of the deflector arm. Easily lost, put the bushing in a container.

View of wind deflector arm bushing.

View of wind deflector arm and the pin that engages the wind deflector. With the arm fully lowered as shown and the deflector fully up by its spring tension the front pivot is easily removed from the track. Remove the screw that secures the front stop. It has been removed in this view.

Slide the front glass pivot fully forward until the wind deflector actuating pin stops further movement. Push the wind deflector arm away from the front glass pivot and then slide the front glass pivot forward while guiding the leading end of the front glass pivot towards the sunroof centerline (see next picture).

View of the front glass pivot with the leading edge pushed towards the sunroof centerline. Note the notch in the front glass pivots track rail. This notch allows the front pivot to slide out of the track otherwise the front glass pivot would only slide straight ahead and whack the wind deflector. With the front glass pivot removed slide the remnant of the broken front lift pivot out of the track and toss it.

View of lift plate. To remove lift plate remove the single screw on top. The pivot pin passing through the lift arm is what retains the lift arm onto the rear lift arm slider. Until the pivot pin is pulled out the lift arm cannot be removed and the broken front lift pivot cannot be replaced.

Note that the pivot pin slides through the lift arm and then through a bushing before going through the rear lift plate. The pivot pin then continues into the rear drip tray actuation arm. Grasp the pivot pin at the flat end that the screw goes into and pull inward to remove.

Because the front lift pivot is broken the lift arm can now be slid forward and off the lift arm slider. The slider is left in this position (sunroof vent) The white plastic bushing may have broken from age. If this has happened remove the bushing from the replacement kit and replace the broken one. Typically the rear slider is not replaced because it is fixed to the actuating cable.

View of the new front lift pivot installed onto the lift arm. Note that the pivot cannot be snapped in from any position. Careful rotation of the arm around the pivot will find the position where the front lift pivot easily slips onto the lift arm. That rotational position is similar to as shown in this photo. Before sliding the front lift pivot into the track apply a little lubricating lithium grease to the track rails using a swab.

View of the front lift pivot sliding back into the lubricated track. Before sliding too far lower the lift arm and slide the rear end over the white plastic bushing of the rear lift arm slider. Then slide the arm along the rear slider bushing and the front lift pivot will follow down the track.

Slide the pivot pin back through the rear end of the lift arm. Before fully inserting the pin locate the rear lift plate tab over the end of the opening and then engage the pin into the drain tray arm.

View of pin engaging the rear lift plate tab and drain tray arm.

Replace the front glass pivot to the track by inserting as shown, using the notch in the pivot rail to allow inserting in a twisted position. As the rails of the front glass pivot engage the track the leading end of the front glass pivot will barely clear the raised wind deflector.

As the front glass pivot wind deflector arm (sticking out the side of the front pivot) hits the wind deflector arm push the arm down and sideways to allow the front glass pivot to slid into the track.

Verify smooth movement of the front glass pivot, rear slider, and front lift pivot. Replace the front stop and tighten the screw.

Replace the wind deflector pin bushing over the wind deflector arm pin and press the pin with bushing through the hole in the wind deflector. The bushing will snap open once it is fully inserted through the hole. Slide the front glass pivot forward in preparation for sunroof glass reinstallation. Repeat for the opposite side, if necessary. Congratulate yourself. BMW E39 sunroof lift pivot replacement. Sunroof wont lift? Flops up and down over bumps? This is likely the cause of the issue. Test by pressing the sunroof button to the vent position. If the glass can be lifted by hand to the desired lift position both pivots are broken. If one side lifts but the sunroof will not close fully then one side is broken the side that clicks when pressing up on the glass when in the closed position. Replacement takes about two hours for both sides. Unfortunately the only way to acquire the needed dollar part is to buy the whole lift mechanism kit for about $70. Pop a frosty beverage and put on some tunes. ExAlfa