Has anyone replaced the sunroof drain tube

General Discussion forum for Versa Owners
Ferlin
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun May 12, 2013 5:05 am

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I have an 08 versa sl. My passenger side drain tube is draining inside the car. The water comes in through a hole in the metal behind the plastic kick panel. I've fed a plastic line from a weed eater down from the sunroof and it makes it all the way down and then stops before exiting the bottom of the car.
Does anyone have experience with replacing this tube? Can I drop the front part of the headlininer to gain access to where the tube attaches to the sunroof or do I need to do major surgery to acces that point? How do you gain access to the area where the tube exits the car down by the kick panel? It appears to be enclosed by metal. I'd appreciate any help or suggestions.


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cmesurf
Posts: 533
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2009 4:07 pm
Car: Infinitis, 03 FX35, 07 g35 sedan, 05 FX45, 09 G-vert & 14 Q50S Hybrid AWD

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try blowing air thru the drain pipe using compressor

Ferlin
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun May 12, 2013 5:05 am

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cmesurf wrote:try blowing air thru the drain pipe using compressor
The tube doesn't appear to be clogged. When I pour water in the sunroofs water tray it drains out just fine. The problem is that it drains into the passenger side interior by the floor board kick panel instead of through the bottom of the car to the pavement. I think the problem is that the drain tube is broken or the drain tube has becom dislodged from hole in the bottom of the car. Either way I don't know how to acces the end of the drain tube.

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cmesurf
Posts: 533
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2009 4:07 pm
Car: Infinitis, 03 FX35, 07 g35 sedan, 05 FX45, 09 G-vert & 14 Q50S Hybrid AWD

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Most mildly dislodged, you can access the tube from bottom hole by dropping fishing line then see if you force it on the hole

Ferlin
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Joined: Sun May 12, 2013 5:05 am

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cmesurf wrote:Most mildly dislodged, you can access the tube from bottom hole by dropping fishing line then see if you force it on the hole
I'm not sure what you mean by that. I don't know how I could feed fishing line down the drain tube from the roof. Wouldn't fishing line be too thin and flimsy? I was able to feed the nylon line from a weed trimmer down the tube as it is fairly rigid. I think it makes it the entire length of the tube and then stops. I don't know how to gain access to end of that tube. It appears to be inside the metal behind the kick panel. Is the end accessible by removing the plastic wheel well / fender liner?

I've been looking through this, http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Versa/2008_ ... pdf#page28
On pg 28 and 29. On page 29 it says to replace the entire tube, but it doesn't say how to access the lower end of the tube or how to replace the thing.

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cmesurf
Posts: 533
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2009 4:07 pm
Car: Infinitis, 03 FX35, 07 g35 sedan, 05 FX45, 09 G-vert & 14 Q50S Hybrid AWD

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yes, the tube end s/b accessible by removing the plastic wheel well / fender liner.

Ferlin
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Joined: Sun May 12, 2013 5:05 am

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The problem I found was that the drain tube had come off of the grommet that directed the drain water to the wheel well. The drain tube and grommet are only accessible through a small hole in the frame inside the car. You can't see the grommet, I had to attach the drain tube by feel. It would have been great to have hands the size of a 3 year old kid. I had already removed the passenger seat and had the carpet pulled back, but I also needed to remove glove compartment to access the hole in the frame. FYI, before I really tore into this project I got a quote to replace the drain tube from the local dealer. I was quoted $400 to replace the tube. I wonder what I would have been charged had they found the tube not connected? After I was done I had a new problem. I removed the passenger seat and in doing so disconnected the electrical connections. This caused the passenger side airbag indicator on the dash to illuminate and flash after I reinstalled the seat. After searching the Internet to resolve this issue I found a procedure to reset the indicator and now all is well.

Flashing Blinking Airbag Warning Light Reset Procedure
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Turn the key from off to on.

2. Watch the airbag light closely. It will stay on for a few secs. and then as soon as it blinks off (the start of the flashing), turn the key off instantly.

3. Count to 5 (1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi . . . .)

4. Repeat steps 1-3 two more times until you have done the cycle three times.

5. Now turn the key on and watch the light. It will start blinking in a different, slower manner. This is diagnostic mode. You can watch this for a little while, no hurry.

6. Now turn the key off again, Count to 5 like in step 3 again, and turn back on. If the procedure worked, the airbag light will not be flashing.

Edit: My original problem was that the passenger side window and windshield was fogging up. The cause was water inside the car. If you pour water in the sunroof drain tray and it quickly drains and you don't see the water draining under the car, it is draining inside under the carpet. I wish I had taken pictures. When it drains inside the car it will pool under the carpet. In order to dry the carpet you need to remove the passenger seat and the trim around the doors so you can lift the carpet. Disconnect the battery before you do this to avoid a passenger side airbag fault indicator after you reinstall the seat. Under the carpet in the front and rear, are hard styrofoam inserts that support the carpet and provide a flat surface to place your feet. Under the styrofoam are deep wells in the metal floor that can easily store several gallons of water. The drain tube from the sun roof runs down the pillar and and ends up inside the fender by the interior kick panel. I expected that tube to drain directly out of the bottom of the car, but it does not. Inside the fender the tube makes a 90 degree turn and drains horizontally through the fender behind the plastic wheel well liner. The drain tube pushes on the plastic fitting at this point and has no clamp to hold it on. There is no way to install a hose clamp due to the restriction in working space. I would caution anyone attempting to blow air from a compressor at the sunroof drain to clear a suspected clog as this could easily blow the tube off of the fitting causing water to then drain in the car. If this tube is clogged it is very likely that it is a kink in the tube where it connects to the drain fitting in the fender.

JPS48
Posts: 50
Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2010 1:01 pm
Car: 2009 Versa SL Hatchback

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Ferlin,
I realize your last post is now 7 month old but I had to respond to commend you on what can only be described as one of the most detailed and thorough posts I've read in this forum. I can't believe you received no other responses.

I'll be sure to check my drains first chance I get. I think they are fine but I suffer from a lot of fogging up of my inside windows and while I know the Versa's defrosting isn't the best, I'm always left wondering if there is water getting in somehow. Certainly no wet carpets yet.

One question, do you have any idea why or how the tube came off the grommet?

Ferlin
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun May 12, 2013 5:05 am

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Sorry, no idea why the drain tube came off. The definitive way to see if this is your issue is to open the sunroof and pour water from a bottle in the front corner of the sunroof. If it doesn't readily discharge to the ground from the wheel well the tube may be your issue. Let me know if I can provide any more info. Good luck.

Alan_BC
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon May 25, 2020 7:40 pm
Car: 2016 Nissan Rogue SV

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I had this issue in my 2016 Rogue. I tried to clear the drain with a 5' piece of CAT5 and it wouldn't clear it, so I used my air compressor and tried to clear it. Of course it blew the hose off and I couldn't figure out how to fix it until I read this post. SO THANK YOU FERLIN! I even disconnected the battery before removing the seat...

Here is a video of the hose & reattaching it. [youtube]https://youtu.be/ONSArs9Wdwk[/youtube]

Also, I poked a piece of weed eater line into the nipple to clear it before reattaching the drain line. It was clogged solidly and took some work to clear it.


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