Sunroof leaks

girlwithtools · January 2001

I swore I'd never own a vehicle with a sunroof, but a few years ago I was won over by a beaut - a '90 Volvo 740 Turbo. About a year and a half ago, the sunroof started leaking (the exact reason I didn't like sunroofs). Now I drive a '97 Pontiac Bonnie and it, too, has a sunroof. The car is shacked up in the garage when not in use and any accumulated snow gets wiped off. I am curious if there is any prevention methods to keep the sunroof in a non-compromised condition?

Not the type of water that quenches my thirst. . .hs

Mr_Shiftright · February 2001

Probably the sunroof drains get clogged...you have to keep them open or this will happen.

girlwithtools · February 2001

And here I thought I would stumble on, ignored while everyone's inside the Roadkill, er Roadside Cafe. I'm good with things under the hood, but am out of my league with this. Where is the drain located? Where does it drain out to? What's the best method to unclog a drain?

Knowledge is power (destructive in my case). . .hs

alcan · February 2001

Condensed from the 1996 Bonneville factory manual:
"A drain trough encircles the sliding panel. The trough leads to drain hoses located at each corner. The two front drain hoses are routed down the windshield pillars. The two rear drain hoses are routed down the rear sail and quarter panels. If water leak compaints are encountered (wet headliner, etc), first check the windshield or rear window for the source. Prior to performing any adjustments, verify that the drainage system is not plugged or restricted. Using a 1 pint container, pour water into the drain trough with the sunroof open. Check for drainage from all 4 hoses. If water flow is restricted, use compressed air to clear the drain. Be careful not to blow the drain hose away from the housing drain spout. If water drips from the headliner above the doors, lower the headliner as required to check for proper drain tube connection. If necessary, reclamp tube(s) to housing drain spout."

Be careful with the compressed air. Suggest you find a shop with a pressure regulator (use 30 psi max.) and a blow gun with a long extension.

Mr_Shiftright · February 2001

There you go....great advice, thank you alcan.....you do need to be careful how you do this....you can test the drains by pouring a little water in them and seeing if it dribbles out under the car....

girlwithtools · February 2001

Thanks for the info! It's printed and tucked away in my maintenance file for future use. You guys are great!

hs

alcan · February 2001

You're welcome. Hope it helps you out. There's a pretty good core of knowledgeable people here who can give you lots of good advice. Just remember not to use too much air pressure or it'll blow the drain hoses off.

rustyfox · February 2001

My girlfirend has a '98 Grand Cherokee, Limited Edition Jeep. Recently, with the rainy weather in Silicon Valley, the sunroof started leaking. One day we were out when it was raining and water started dripping down the right side of the roof by my passenger side door... today, with hard rain, it started dripping down the front by the mirror. Since it's out of warranty and looks like it will be QUITE EXPENSIVE for the dealer to find the leak and fix it I was wondering if the Grand Cherokee ALSO has drain hoses that can be unplugged. My husband is willing to do the trouble shooting (to save my friend money) if it seems like this could be the problem - and if he can find the plugs. What do you think?

Mr_Shiftright · February 2001

All modern sunroofs have drain holes, and this is probably the problem....other possibilities are misalignment of the roof (which would probably be noticeable in erratic closure) or the seal itself having been ripped (it seems too new to have deteriorated from shrinkage, etc.).

Sunroof leaks

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