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[Kneepad]

Looks like my sunroof cables have siezed. Electrics and motor work fine.
My question is should I be able to open it manually and if yes should I be turning the screwdriver clockwise or anti-clockwise. Don't want to force it in the wrong direction.

[Andy B]

Looks like my sunroof cables have siezed. Electrics and motor work fine.
My question is should I be able to open it manually and if yes should I be turning the screwdriver clockwise or anti-clockwise. Don't want to force it in the wrong direction.

From the normally closed position you can go either way, one way will tilt it & t'other will slide it back.
I'd guess that the glass is frozen to the roof & that's why nothing is moving.  :-/

[Kneepad]

Thanks Andy, I didn't think it would be frozen as it's been inside the garage for a week. Still I'll run the hot air gun around the seal just in case. My garage is not the warmest place on earth.
At least I know I can go either way with the screwdiver   

[freecall666]

the bush heads on cables get frozzen, and allso if you have a leak in motor housing it can get frozzen up, with cap of is th screwdriver pole rusty?, if so remove the motor from the sunroof and re pack with grease, should stop it then.

[tidla]

really are made of sterner stuff up north.

tee shirt and flip flops while driving too?

[Kneepad]

I have the motor and circuit board out at the moment. As I said electrics and motor work fine.
No rust on the 'screwdiver pole'. I can turn this quite easily when removed from the roof.
It's difinitely the cables or bush heads.
I have small fan heater running in the car in case anything is frozen.
I'll give it an hour or so and try again.
Thanks for the help.

[Kneepad]

really are made of sterner stuff up north.

tee shirt and flip flops while driving too?

No problem here as long as I don't run out of cable for the fan heater. 

[Andy B]

Thanks Andy, I didn't think it would be frozen as it's been inside the garage for a week. .......

My garage is attached to  my house, but even the 'outside' tap in there froze, as has the waste water from the washer that also lives in there followed by the water supply to the washer.  Don't forget that the seal around the glass isn't meant to be water tight, so the 'velvet' seal will be full of water and be right next to the cold steel body.

[Kneepad]

2 hours with a small fan heater inside the car. I have managed to get one side of the glass to lift, it went up about an inch before I realised the driver's side was still stuck and hadn't moved.    So spent another hour working the screwdriver back and forward. Still stuck. No movement in the fore and aft direction at all. 
Will try again tomorrow with a bit more heat but I'm starting to think the driver side cable is totally siezed.
 I am assuming one cable for each side.  :-/

[Kneepad]

Well after a couple of days with the fan heater and working with hot air gun, definitely not frozen now, still no success.
I managed to get the glass out so I could see what was going on. Pass. side cable turning feely, drivers side not. Half a can of WD and hours of back and forth manipulating with the screwdiver has been futile.
I am resigned to replacing the cables or sunroof complete, but it will have to wait until the summer. I am reluctant to start stripping the headlining out now.
When I do pluck up the courage to tackle this I'll be back for some more advice.

[fiend61]

headlining is pretty easy to remove and replace kneepad, mind you saying that i have done two now so roughly know what i'm doing 

[Kneepad]

headlining is pretty easy to remove and replace kneepad, mind you saying that i have done two now so roughly know what i'm doing 

That is reassuring to know. However, I don't want to tackle it while I still need the car on the road. Sod's law and all that. So stand by cause no doubt I'll be wanting to pick your brains.