Looks like im at the point where the sunroof starts to close and stops as if there is some sort of blockage. I am able to open it all the way and close it but with some help. I cleaned and greased the rails as far as i could reach but it did not solve the issue. Any recommendations on what to check next? I took the panel off and looked at the motor but thats it. I wanted to take the motor off but i was not sure what the other side connects to. Is it just another gear or a pulley system. Any advise/ pictures/ videos that would help me diagnose the problem would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all

 

There is no fix. I wish I had taken better photos. When I had my headliner ot to be redone I totally removed and went over the mechanism. There is a steel cable that runs in a track along each side and meets at the front middle. The cable is covered in a plastic coating that is sort of geared and the motor at the front drives this cable assembly. What happens with age is the plastic gear coating on the cables begins to break down and separate from the cable.

The cable assembly itself was never made available as a separate part. I saw why, it is a complicated mechanism and not at all easy to remove and put the cable back in exactly right (it also has molded on ends and interacts with the slides on the sides). It is also no longer made. Mine is the same way, it will still open itself fine as that is easier on the cables but requires assistance on closing. The titl open function still works perfect because the plastic coating on the cable in that section seems to hold up better. Where it degrades and starts coming off is where the cables made some fairly sharp curves at the corners. The only solution is to replace the entire frame assembly with the cables, slides, tracks... It is doable to replace but it is quite a project.

 

I guess now I know why mine does the same. It opens but at times won’t close unless I apply force. On top of that the seal that’s around the sunroof has shrunk and I have a leak. I guess a major project is ahead of me. Anyone know if I can get the rubber piece or a part number. Or is that part of the entire sun roof assembly which I’m sure will cost a ton.

 

I had the same problem with my 06 and it is exactly as MixmanSC has eluded to. The only real fix is a total track assembly which is basically everything and is replaced as a complete unit. This was one of the things on my 06 I could never fix correctly. This was a real bummer considering the rest of the vehicle was in top notch shape and another thing that pushed me into selling it and buying the 08.

The track assembly is nearly impossible to find though I did find one last year after a good deal of looking at a price of over 1K without shipping from a used car dealership in Tampa Florida. To complicate the problem I believe they changed the track assembly for the 08/09 model year so you have a limited supply of used ones out there most of which are probably shot as well.

At one point in time I was looking to see if maybe the drive assembly/cable from a Silverado or Sierra might be able to be used as a replacement but sold off the 06 first. As a temporary solution I cut 2 rubber blocks and wedged them at the rear of the glass lift assembly to keep the sunroof fully closed and to prevent it from vibrating open because of the deteriorated cable issue.

Perhaps someone with a Gen 1 H2 will resolve the issue with a fix or part from another GM vehicle and spread the word. I did know a person with a first gen that removed the glass, and had a body shop and totally delete the sunroof. Drastic but problem solved forever.
Much like shoving ones thumb up there *** to keep from farting but I guess it worked. lol

 

I looked into cables from other vehicles too. The problem is they are all shorter as the H2 has a much larger sunroof.

This dealer does show the frame available but I'd call to check first..... https://www.gmpartsdirect.com/v-2004.../body--sunroof

The parts are broken down below. The glass panel itself and the rubber seal around the glass are two separate parts. #1 and #6. You might actually still be able to find the seal as a new part, I have not checked...

 

This is disheartening to read. My 08 has the same issues and I was hoping for an easy fix. Dang it!

 

As usual, MixmanSC to the rescue, it really great to have someone on the forum that has "been there and done that" and knows good GM sources to boot. As usual, great info! I am curious if the 08/09 suffers from the same lack of parts problems as well.

Keep us all honest buddy!