R230 roof stuck closed due to rear window not working

[H24k]

Hi Guys

Looking for some possible advice on if its possible to manually open the roof on an R230 SL500 as my rear passenger side (R.H.D car) quarter window is stuck, I can hear the motor clicking when I press the button but the motor seems to be gone, or it could be the actual mechanism thats stuck!

Ive bought a complete unit off ebay with the motor and window for £40 rarther than paying £25 for a motor on its own, seemed to make more sense and was thinking it would be easier to change the whole unit complete but the problem I have is due to the roof being closed and will not open because the window has to drop an inch or so to allow the procedure to drop the roof, I cant replace the motor!!

Ive looked everywhere online to see if anyone has even changed a motor or complete mechanism for the rear quarter windows etc but cant find anything anywhere!

Was wondering if anyone knows a way to bypass the switch or whatever it is that will allow the roof to open without the rear window dropping or a way to manually open the roof?

Thanks

 

[ajlsl600]

there is a rather lengthy mb process for manually CLOSING the roof , i have not seen anything on manually opening it its titled
318 mod3-3 manual closing vario roof (WFF)01-22-02 . it stipulates that all windows be FULLY open tho.. i kept a copy or this in my vdoz boot.... maybe? that can be reversed .however i think that window is going to make life difficult and likely will have to go down. you could try batt disconnection/reconnect , with due attn to yr handbook. or maybe checking any relay that may be involved ,someone who may KNOW likely along shortly.

 

[peterws1957]

MBOwners Club on You tube shows the method of closing the roof manually. Go to SL playlists English version and you will find it. Might be worth a look to see if you can reverse the procedure. Otherwise is it not just a case of removing the inner quarter trim to gain access to the internals unbolting the mechanism, and dropping the window manually?

 

[ajlsl600]

guess yr refering to this ?

 

[flowrider]

Wouldn't it have been great if MB had designed into the roof mechanism a way of manually cranking the roof to open and close. Likewise wouldn't it have been great if MB had designed a way to continue driving after an ABC hydraulic failure whereby the system doesn't kill itself.

 

[LostKiwi]

Wouldn't it have been great if MB had designed into the roof mechanism a way of manually cranking the roof to open and close. Likewise wouldn't it have been great if MB had designed a way to continue driving after an ABC hydraulic failure whereby the system doesn't kill itself.

Strangely they did have a way to manually lift or lower the roof on r129s.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Link to a similar problem hope it helps:

https://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/...electric-window-stuck-open-sl55.140938/page-3

 

[H24k]

Thanks for the ideas guys,

I did look at the closing roof procedure allready, but I dont like the idea of releasing the pressure for the hydraulics etc and then knowing my luck ill probably break something there aswell lol

I think I need to find a way to make the window go down and then I would be able to unbolt and slide the whole mechanism out with the actuator etc, I dont know if its possible to wind with actuator manually but its soo hard to access anything especially with the roof closed, Serious Missions!!!

I'll have another look at it and hopefully I can figure something out. At least the sun is shinning so can actually get out there and have a guy without freezing to death or getting soaked!!

 

[ajlsl600]

Wouldn't it have been great if MB had designed into the roof mechanism a way of manually cranking the roof to open and close. Likewise wouldn't it have been great if MB had designed a way to continue driving after an ABC hydraulic failure whereby the system doesn't kill itself.

ah ..we on de same page...... would,nt it be nice to have a trans drain and fill plug ,instead of todays boxxocks with pumping it up thru a tube we have to make/buy plus the damn pump and at a specific temp ,are all these boxes a different size case within the same model ? why cant the gits just say drain oil and add x lit ? cant they work the qty out, seem to have managed that ok for last 40 yr ! it seems anytime a job needs doing there are a dozen hoops to jump thru that did not exist before.

 

[noonboots]

With
On ebay there is a mechanism complete with glass for £45. From the look of the picture the glass is held by a clamp with three bolts. If they can't be accessed with the window closed it may be possible to drill holes in the actuator in order to get your socket in. Failing that cover everything up and smash it.

 

[LostKiwi]

With View attachment 50363
On ebay there is a mechanism complete with glass for £45. From the look of the picture the glass is held by a clamp with three bolts. If they can't be accessed with the window closed it may be possible to drill holes in the actuator in order to get your socket in. Failing that cover everything up and smash it.

I suspect the issue is less to do with the glass and more about the regulator.
If the car thinks the window is down the process should complete.
If the interior trim can be removed then it should be possible to see if the motor is trying to drop the window or if the motor has failed (or isn't receiving the drop window command).

 

[LostKiwi]

OP you may find these useful:

 

[Uncle Benz]

In my experience the plastic "bucket" the whole thing sits in usually has a blocked drain at the bottom, and water will be what has ruined the motor. It is possible the get the window out with the roof up, but fiddly. With the interior trim removed and the scraper trim off you can remove the three bolts holding the assembly in place. With it loose you can remove the four screws that hold the motor cover with the magnets in it. Squeezing your hand in you can turn the armature and lower the glass. When fully down you can get the assembky out. Not pretty, but that's how I've done it before.

 

[ajlsl600]

looks like fun and plasters....

 

[H24k]

In my experience the plastic "bucket" the whole thing sits in usually has a blocked drain at the bottom, and water will be what has ruined the motor. It is possible the get the window out with the roof up, but fiddly. With the interior trim removed and the scraper trim off you can remove the three bolts holding the assembly in place. With it loose you can remove the four screws that hold the motor cover with the magnets in it. Squeezing your hand in you can turn the armature and lower the glass. When fully down you can get the assembky out. Not pretty, but that's how I've done it before.

Thanks for the info, I attempted this today, very tight down there and just my luck ive got BIG hands!!

I thought I would try to remove the motor cover witht he magnets in on the part I bought off ebay to see how exactly it works so I can know exactly what im doing and basically with the cover off I can hold the part of the motor with copper wound wire around it and keep twisting and this will make the window go up, however if I try to reverse this and twist the other way to make the window go down the whole shaft forces itself upwards and just comes out of the winder mechanism!! Ive tried applying pressure to the top to hold it down while i do this but it still pushes up and out so wont drop the window!

What a ****** nightmare mission lol Im now thinking to just try and remove the 4 screws on the one on the car and and remove the motor cover and then try and install the motor from this new unit i bought, but trying to get to the plug and wire is another issue, so awkward to do!

 

[Steve@Avantgarde]

I have no reason to believe the reason why your roof won't close is down to your window not working. They are controlled by the door control modules, not the roof module.

So you could have a separate issue anyway.

 

[Uncle Benz]

With the armature wound out of the mechanism there should be no resistance if you grab the glass and push it down. Its a worm gear drive, and the worm is on the armature.

 

[H24k]

I have no reason to believe the reason why your roof won't close is down to your window not working. They are controlled by the door control modules, not the roof module.

So you could have a separate issue anyway.

No my roof defo works, And its allready closed, thats the problem, I cant open it to make it easier for me to remove the rear quarter window to change my motor on the window which has stopped working, the window has to drop in order for the roof to retract!

 

[H24k]

With the armature wound out of the mechanism there should be no resistance if you grab the glass and push it down. Its a worm gear drive, and the worm is on the armature.

Ok Thanks, I will try that and see, I did try to move it but it didnt move however I might need to use a bit more force, hopefully the mechanism is not messed up on that one!

Thanks

 

[Uncle Benz]

Window will definitely hold the roof off. The window position might come via the door control module, but the roof control relies on a message verifying window position before it will open. I fixed one a couple of months ago where the nearside rear window regulator was completely submerged. I cleared the drain and replaced the regulator and it was fixed. I accept that its not definitely the same problem, but based on the description it sounds similar.