Sometime in the not too distant future I intend to replace the headlining in my '87 740. I'm wondering if, at the same time, it is practical to upgrade the manual sunroof to electric.
I'd have to hunt around the breakers for an electric motor, etc, but I'm wondering if the wiring is already in place behind the headlining. Also, will the electric motor easily link to the actuating mechanism of a manual sunroof?
Anybody any experience of this?
The sunroof is easily upgraded to electric any time. Over here, Volvo sold a kit that did just that, consisting of a motor, wiring and a switch. The wire was not in the couple of ones I installed the kit in. All that needs to be done is removing your existing crank and the gear it attaches to, then bolt the motor into place. Run the wiring, add the switch and your done. (Just make sure you start with the sunroof in the closed position, and make sure the motor is also in the closed position. Unlike with power windows, the sunroof motor needs to be indexed.)
The sunroof is easily upgraded to electric any time. Over here, Volvo sold a kit that did just that, consisting of a motor, wiring and a switch. The wire was not in the couple of ones I installed the kit in. All that needs to be done is removing your existing crank and the gear it attaches to, then bolt the motor into place. Run the wiring, add the switch and your done. (Just make sure you start with the sunroof in the closed position, and make sure the motor is also in the closed position. Unlike with power windows, the sunroof motor needs to be indexed.)
I've not heard of an aftermarket kit in the UK. I'm wondering if a window motor could be made to fit easily. Any idea? It's a long time since I had my door panel off, and I can't remember what sort of output drive the window motor has. Possibly a window motor would be geared too high for the sunroof, as it works through a lifting mechanism.
The kit was actually a genuine Volvo accessory.
No a window motor won't be easy to make work. It's also not a good idea because the sunroof mechanism does not have robust mechanical stops like the power windows do. Because of this the sunroof motor has some gears and microswitches to stop it after a certain number of turns. You'd eventually run the motor too long and bend and/or break something in the sunroof mechanism.
With the value of used cars in the UK, you should be able to buy a whole power sunroof equipped car for less than the cost of the motor.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.