all XJ-6 since 1968 come with a little crank to close or open the sunroof manually in an emergency, it is usually attached in the trunk behind the upholstery panel where the ECU is, or in a tool kit if your car came with one, but usually found near the sunroof motor, or attached to it, because you would be cranking the motor shaft itself in order to move the sunroof panel. This is for an emergency, as in your case. If not found, you can order one from the dealer for your model/year car.

The crank for a 1997 XJ is different from previous models, so you need to be specific about your car's year.

Jose

 

Mine gets stuck. The moving parts shift and get wedged. You stick ur hand in and shift around while holding the. Close button. I haven't Re opens because of it

 

It is possible that the large nylon gear in the gearmotor has cracked, as it did on our '93. As Jose mentioned, Jaguar provides a small cranking tool to use in case of emergency. It is probably clipped on the upper side of your center overhead light console. On our '93, the console is secured by just one plastic 1/4-turn retainer. Use a coin or other suitable tool to turn the retainer and the back edge of the console will drop down. Carefully work the console rearward until the front edge disengages from the clips. Look on the upper side of the console for a T-handled tool clipped to the console with a metal spring clip. Insert the tip of that tool into the slot in the gearmotor and rotate it in whichever direction causes the sunroof to close. You may need to press the tool up into the gearmotor to cause its internal gears to engage.

If you don't find the T-handle cranking tool, a large flat-bladed screwdriver can probably also be used to turn the gearmotor.

Below are links to a couple of photo albums that may be helpful if they are similar to your '97. The first album is for replacing the rearview mirror but it shows how the console is removed in our '93. The second album shows the internal gears of the sunroof gearmotor and how I replaced the cracked main gear in our '93 with a good salvaged gear from a '99 (the photo caption says '98 but I realized afterward that the replacement was actually from a '99 gearmotor).

Let us know if turning the gearmotor doesn't work. The other possibility is that the cable has broken or become disconnected, but that seems to appear less frequently.

Cheers,

Don

Welcome to Jag-lovers - Members Photo Viewing Page
Welcome to Jag-lovers - Members Photo Viewing Page

 

In the removable panel by the interior rear vision mirror above front window screen is where the electric motor is on my 97 xjr 300 and beside that is a small black module that could be faulty as was mine my sun roof jambed half way I replace the module and now all is well


cheers Ray

 

Re: Manual crank handle for *X300* cars


Since I don't have a crank handle I did a little digging...with the idea of buying one to have on hand.

I can't find any reference whatsoever in the parts catalogs, service manuals, or technical guides to a crank handle for the X300 cars. Does someone have a part number? Is it the same as XJ40? My curioisty is piqued.

The owners manual describes the manual operation procedure but does not mention a crank handle/tool.....saying merely to use a flat blade screwdriver. I already have plenty of those.

Cheers
DD

 

Doug,

The crank handle for an XJ40 will definitely work on an X300 and X308 because the gearmotors are the same for all aside from the mounting screw locations and the method of engagement with the actual sunroof mechanism. The slots in the main gears where the crank handle fits are identical on all cars from '93 - '99 and possibly, if not probably, earlier and later MYs.

In the photo below, note that there are metal clips at the upper left and right corners of the overhead lamp console that fix the console into the roof. Note the third metal clip, just to the left of the one in the upper right corner. It's difficult to make out, but secured in that third clip is the black plastic "T" handle of the cranking tool. The body of the tool is hidden by the wiring harness.

This is my first attempt to imbed a photo, so if my imbedding doesn't work you can go to the tinyurl link:



http://tinyurl.com/kxabll9The T-handle crank was offered as a separate part for the XJ40 but is NLA. See Part 7, "Manual Override Key," in the parts diagram at the link below:
Sunroof Motor and Cable - Parts For XJ6 & XJ12 from (V)667829 to (V)708757 | Jaguar Classic Parts UK

The parts diagram for the X300 does not show the Manual Override Key, but it does show the sunroof control module that Ray mentioned:

Sunroof - Parts For XJ Series from (V)720125 to (V)812255 (X300) | Jaguar Classic Parts UK

The cranking key is really unnecessary, as long as you keep a large flat-bladed screwdriver in the trunk/boot.

Cheers,

Don

 

Well, my photo imbedding didn't work, and the link somehow got tied to the word "The." Let's try again:



http://tinyurl.com/kxabll9

 

Thanks, Don.

It appears that the infamous penny pinchers at Jaguar decided to no longer provide the 'key' after the XJ40s. Grrr. No big deal, as it turns out, since a screwdriver apparently suffices perfectly well......but it would be sorta neat to have one.

BTW, I enjoyed your repair pictorial


Cheers
DD

 

I parked my XJR on Saturday, in a rainstorm, on the street near our house.

Didn't drive it Sunday.

Monday, I get an irate call from my wife, who chastised me for leaving the sunroof open, which made the car a sloshy mess. I protested innocence, as I'd parked the car while it was raining, only a lunatic would open the sunroof!

She later recanted her allegations as there was country music on the radio, which she KNEW wouldn't be me.

I'm mystified. Nothing was taken from inside the car, including a nice aftermarket head unit. Is there any chance the sunroof could open spontaneously, with no power from the key cylinder?!

It's stuck open now. I'm sitting at an independent mech's office now, but wondering if there's any intel on what I should expect to hear?

 

Mechanic found a faulty SRCM, chalked it up to Jaguars being Jaguars, and deemed it a spontaneous event.

The SCRM is shot, so he closed the sunroof manually, and I need to decide if it's worth $500 - $600 to be able to open the sunroof going forward.

Silver lining: he cleaned the throttle body, changed a worn pulley on the SC, and performed some other minor maintenance. I laughed the entire way home, because the car performs completely differently. Just a staggering difference.