Sunroof/Moonroof Rattle
 

All,

I just bought a nice, low mileage AWD 2003 Montero Sport XLS with a factory moonroof. The moonroof rattles on the right (passenger) when driving over rough roads (or no roads). I know it's the moonroof because if I tilt the back end of it up, the noise is diminished (although not entirely gone). Or, if I use my hand to put upward pressure on the right rear corner of the moonroof glass while it is rattling, the noise stops.

First I tightened all the screws I could find where the moonroof glass is mounted to the slide (3 on each side), and on each slide where it is mounted to the steel tray under the headliner (4 on each side). That didn't work.

So, I figured something inside the right slide was broken so I removed the right slide assembly from my 1999 Montero Sport Limited since I know it doesn't rattle, and swapped it for the one on the 2003. After putting everything back together, the rattle has diminished but it is not gone completely. I'm pretty tall and my head is close to the headliner so this is going to drive me bat sh@# crazy if I can't figure out what it is, especially after I put some new coils and shocks on this thing.

I've done a search here on the problem but apparently the search function doesn't work. It always comes back with zero results no matter what the search term, even ones I know are in threads here. On the Montero Sport Online board there were a few with this problem but most other people seem the have the issue when the moonroof is open at the rear, where mine is rattling when its closed. Even so, I couldn't find any solutions that might apply to my situation.

Anyone else have this problem and come up with a solution? Is there something else up there under the headliner that could have come loose? Thanks!

Mike