Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Grinding Noise from Moonroof

Well, it finally happened, the moonroof is stuck, luckily in the closed position.

Rather than do the quick "fix" that is posted on the board, has anyone had any luck in purchasing a replacement gear for the plastic gear that is worn out. Can I get one from Ford? Anyone know the part number? Or am I stuck getting an entire assembly?

You can't get just the gear unles Chris Hightower has "geared" up to make brass ones like he had plans to. I went through this a few months ago and motor assembly manufacturer Webasto stopped just short of telling me "tough ****". They don't sell replacement parts individually, period.

For now, you can get a replacement motor with gear for around $50. Look on http://car-parts.com/

FWIW, Ford want's about $160 for a new motor.

Also, I think the key to not having the gear strip is keeping the tracks lubed. I used 3-in-1 oil on the tracks (which where dry) and it opens and closes with ease. You can hear a difference in the load on the motor.

As for me making a replacement brass gear, that's on hold right now. On the back burner until further notice.

How do you get at the gears to lub them?

Mine used to grind too. I opened up the gearbox and motor and found it well lubed. The problem is the cheap nylon gears were not meshing when under a load. I loosened the motor mount screws a little then pressed the motor end housing away from the gearcase. It will move a fraction of an inch, just enough to press the gears together a little better. Hold it in place and tighten the screws real good. No more grinding/jumping.

OK, I'm going to give the contour.org fix a go. First stupid question, how do I take the plastic cover off the top? I'm just worried about snapping off some tabs.

Thanks!

If I remember rightly, you need to pry out the little "dome light" part to access a hold-down screw. With that removed, slide the whole panel forward or back (can't remember which) and it'll pull right down.