Sunroof leak

[cweberj30t]

Rained really hard last night and water got in through the sunroof. Water in the dome, A-pillar, headliner, etc. I think the drain hole is plugged up and causing water to seep in. I need to reseal the weatherstripping on the panel as well. I'm also noticing water dripping from underneath the passenger side just inside the wheel well. Anyone have any insight on this? Carlos?

[elwesso]

I think your on the right track. Open the sunroof and pour water down the little drain holes. I got a straw and blew down there to clear stuff out...

I occasionally get a little leaking (just damps the headliner about the size of a dice) and i think its when it doest close all the way.... Ill get a new gasket someday.

[cweberj30t]

I can't find the drain holes. Not sure if it's similar to the Q.

[elwesso]

There on the front 2 corners of the sunroof, just looked in the J30 FSM

There way in the corners, and a flashlight is necessary. theyre only about the width of a normal straw.....

[cweberj30t]

Found the drain hole, drivers side is clogged. Tried to blow it out with a straw, but it is too clogged. Even sucked some of the water out. :drooling Gonna have to use compressed air.

[DJoker]

Even sucked some of the water out. :drooling

Ok, so I've seen cars used for alot of things around here, but I think this is the first sunroof to drinking glass conversion I've seen. I've got some clogged gutters on my house, if you have the time...

[HeavyDuty]

I thought about the compressed air thing for my gas fill overflow tube, but I looked under the car & found the blockage there. A dirt dobber (sp?) had tried to make a home in there. I squeezed the tube & kinda thumped it & the stuff came out.

I would be kinda careful with the compressed air. If it's just a vinyl line that passes through there, you could cause an aneurysm & then the passage the tube passes through will become the drain. ACK!

I've heard of people using WD40 to keep the passage slick. My sunroof seal is old & tired, it falls down sometimes & is a biznatch to get back on all the way.

I'd look for the outside outlet first.

2 cents

[carlos_knology]

You've obviously diagnosed your problem. There are drain tubes in all four corners but you can't get to the rear drain tubes without taking the headliner out. In any case, the rear ones don't usually clog because they are not exposed to the elements the way the front ones are when the sunroof is open.

Be careful when taking care of the blockage. In my car, the dealer used a piece of wire and ended up disconnecting the drain hose from the sunroof assembly. That made things worse. The water would drain directly on top of the headliner. The drain hoses CAN separate from the sunroof assembly.

In any case, in the mean time, before you get the clog taken care of, you can park the car at an incline (rear of the car lower than the front). This would make the water drain out of the rear drain hoses. The sunroof assembly water channels extend around the entire perimeter of the sunroof rail assembly so any water can exit out of any of the four corners if need be.

[cweberj30t]

I resealed the molding and got the drain unclogged as well. I used one of those inflatable raft pumps and scorching hot water and blew it clean. Resealed the molding with clear RTV silicone, it was pretty badly separated. I'm gonna let it sit over night and wash it tomorrow and hopefully it shouldn't leak. Thanks to those that replied.

P.S. The water I sucked in through the straw was pretty disgusting. :drooling

[cweberj30t]

Ok, so I've seen cars used for alot of things around here, but I think this is the first sunroof to drinking glass conversion I've seen. I've got some clogged gutters on my house, if you have the time...

Ha ha, very funny. It was pretty disgusting though. My roomate was out there when I did it and he looked at me like I was crazy.

[carlos_knology]

Good job! I'm glad you were able to take care of it.

Carlos