sunroof leak

[wyldhillbillie]

after the weekend of heavy rain, I noticed water coming down the front windshield pillar on the passenger side. I'm sure that it's coming from the sunroof. the gasket looks good, but is there any kind of drains up there that could be plugged and causing it to back up into the interior? I don't want to have to buy a new gasket as that costs $132!!!!!

[shorod]

You'll probably find 4 drains for the sunroof, one that goes down each windshield pillar and one that goes down each pillar between the front and rear doors. If any of the drain tubes are disconnected, you'll probably have to remove the headliner to access them.

-Rod

[wyldhillbillie]

Originally Posted by shorod

You'll probably find 4 drains for the sunroof, one that goes down each windshield pillar and one that goes down each pillar between the front and rear doors. If any of the drain tubes are disconnected, you'll probably have to remove the headliner to access them.

-Rod

thanks for the help

[ice2626]

My 2002 LS has water leaking in along the right front pillar as well. I wish the original poster would have reposted his fix...

If one of the four drain tubes are disconected above the headliner it can cause water to drip out half-way down the right front piller onto my passenger carpet?

I tried to recreate the leak with a hose to know avail... when I removed the pillar cover, the top plastic pocket on the cover itself was full of water but I couldn't figure out how it got water in it

Should I try removing my head liner as my next step?

Thanks in advance...

[shorod]

I'm not sure what the top plastic pocket you refer to is. Are you referring to the sliding tray that is used to block light from the sunroof? If so I'm not sure I'd do anything at this point other than verify that during the next rain you ensure the sunroof is properly closed. If so and you still get water in there, then check the seal integrity to make sure it's not cracked, loose, or otherwise worn, and if all that checks out then you might need to remove the headliner and inspect the drain hoses.

I agree with you, it would certainly be nice if others were better about posting their fixes. I hope you will heed your own comment and post what you find.

-Rod

[ice2626]

When you pull off the pilar cover, on the backside of the cover, the plastic molding of the cover just has grooves in it-kinda like a pocket. Well it was full of water... I can't figure out how the water is getting in and actually trapping in the backside of the molding. I'm unaware of the drain hoses you were talking about behind the headliner so when I get time I will pull it down and let you know if I can figure out where the water is coming from... I can only guess its the sunroof but the gasket is in good shape and the if thats wear the leak is, it must be a very small leak. Thanks for the quick response.

[joegr]

Originally Posted by ice2626

When you pull off the pilar cover, on the backside of the cover, the plastic molding of the cover just has grooves in it-kinda like a pocket. Well it was full of water... I can't figure out how the water is getting in and actually trapping in the backside of the molding. I'm unaware of the drain hoses you were talking about behind the headliner so when I get time I will pull it down and let you know if I can figure out where the water is coming from... I can only guess its the sunroof but the gasket is in good shape and the if thats wear the leak is, it must be a very small leak. Thanks for the quick response.

There are four drain hoses from the moonroof, one comes down each pillar. Right where the pillars meet the roof, there is a junction where the hose from the roof connects to the hose that runs down the pillar. These connections are not clamped, and they are well known to pull apart. Reconnect the hoses and tape or glue them together. You shouldn't have to pull the whole roof covering down to do this.

[ice2626]

Here are some photos, Fixed.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/50605179@N03/

I can't tell ya how many times these forums have helped me fixed odd things on multiple vehicles I have owned. This water leak had me scratching my head, thanks for all the help.

[shorod]

Awesome, thank you for following up with your fix, and you earned the double bonus for also having photos.

-Rod

[jbh57]

I had the same problem. The drain hose seems to have shrunk in length and didn't want to go back on without stretching it. The first time I just re-attached it, the problem came back in about 3 months. The second time I used a small cable tie to hold it in place which has held for over a year now.