leaking sun roof

[tommy G]

the sun roof on my 95 9000 started leaking a few months ago, leaks when parked in the rain, not when driving in the rain. seems to leak from the rear part of the sun roof. I investigated today by pouring water on the roof and found the front drains work well, the rear drains seem to only work on one side, other side is wet, but not much water. I see water between the guide rail and the area where the ceiling trim meets the metal track of the sun roof. The water then soaks onto the sun cover and then drips down. Not sure if water is supposed to be in this area, since it is then free to enter the car. I poured lots of water in the area between the guide rails and the outside of the roof and it always drained out pretty quickly. I can't see the rear of the sunroof area because it's blocked by the sun cover.
I can post a picture if helpful
thanks

[Jim Mesthene]

They sometimes leak right through the glass panel, between the glass and the metal trim.
Pour a little water on the glass/metal seam only, see what happens. Seal any leaks with clear RTV.

[prantl]

I second the glass frame leakage. Extremely annoying. Especially likely on older cars, but a '95 could be affected nowadays as well. I've had two 1986 models, and both would fill up a 3-gallon bucket half-way if I put it on the driver's seat and parked the car in the rain with the front left corner lower than the other three corners.

For the rear drains, make sure the split-rubber plugs on the bottom ends of the drain hoses are not clogged. I just remove the plugs and throw them away. They were first implemented on 1988 models. The reason: To lessen some undesirable road noise that might be heard from the sunroof area !

[90_SPG]

I have a similar problem however, it is not leaking between the glass and frame. When the sunroof is closed, I am able to press up on the back portion of the glass while inside the car. Is this a common problem? Track ball broken? Track broken? Any incite will help. Thanks in advance.

[harman]

"When the sunroof is closed, I am able to press up on the back portion of the glass while inside the car".
In addition my sunroof would sometimes rattle when going over bumps.
i used the sunroof tool to adjust it to be flush with the roof and it stopped making that rattle.
When driving in rain i would hear a strange water related noise comming from the pass. side a pillar. Many here say that those plugs at the end of the drains are to prevent that noise when driving, so i found the only one i had from the rear drain and put it on the front pass side drain( what a pain to do).
i hope that cures that noise- havent driven in the rain yet to find out, but tis the seson now.

[Giomeister]

welcome to the annoying sunroof issues.


I had my realligned and on track and had to screw it down to get it to stop jumping around, i closed my doors or hatchback and it jumped.

my motor died and now i just sealed it up with cheap caulking, looks bad, but will keep it dry till the changig season ends. otherwise not sure of a good way to seal it up, maybe good to get a new seal.

[sleepy3863]

Originally Posted by harman

When driving in rain i would hear a strange water related noise comming from the pass. side a pillar. Many here say that those plugs at the end of the drains are to prevent that noise when driving, so i found the only one i had from the rear drain and put it on the front pass side drain( what a pain to do).

where did you find the plugs at? the rear drain? where do the rear drains end? i thought the front drains went through the aquarium and drianed underneath it, in the engine compartment or straight down to the ground?

[Giomeister]

if you remove the headliner. you can see the square box that houses the moonroof/sunroof unit. and from the 4 corners 4 tubes run off from the sides.



I was under the impression they were straight down under the body of the car.





this might help got it from the dealer.



http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/k...oofdiagram.jpg

[harman]

For the rear drains check the area around the rear wheels but not the wheel arches, you should see a pipe that just comes out of the body/frame structure. an easy way to find it is pour some water around the sunroof (when open) and quickly check to see where it drains from for your vehicle.
If you click on the link in goimeister's post the plug is the #39.
The front ones on mine end right under the windshield at the corners and was a pain to reach and install the plug onto.