Sunroof drain blocked KZJ78 Help

[robthebox]

My trusted LWB 78 is flooded.

Left him nose up on the drive (usually the other way round) in torrential rain, now the seats are wet and water running out of the doors. Good job the seals are muddy.

I reckon the drains are blocked but how do you clear them, can't see them ... no room.

I have put it the other way round now so wont leak now I hope.

Does anyone have any experience with this ... otherwise we'll need inner snorkel's as well as outer.

 

[Shayne]

I would blow the water out of the gutters with compressed air and then use compressed air again to clear out the drains .

 

[robthebox]

Is there a way to access the drains.

 

[Shayne]

Why not just fill the channel with jeyes fluid or drain unblocker and leave it overnight , whatever crud is in there can't be any worse than the stuff that blocks kitchen sinks .

 

[clivehorridge]

Is there a way to access the drains.

I clear the drain pipes on the 80 using a piece of solid core plastic coated copper electrical wire about 1m long. I've bent one end back on itself so the plastic coating forms a smooth "nose" to the wire and then I ease it down each drain hole from the sunroof frame.

On the 80 there's one in each corner of the frame but take care not to force the wire too much, it may damage the rubber tube drain pipes if you're too rough.

Sometimes the rubber tube becomes kinked and this causes a restriction which promotes blocking with dust and debris, often leaves and stuff.

To access the tubes, you need to drop the headlining down, the tubes run from the frame, across to the side of the car almost at gutter level, meaning almost horizontal, then downwards behind the side panel trim and out through the bodywork, vertically downwards, at the rear by the front of the rear wheel arch and at the front just in front of the sills, IIRC.

Any help?

 

[Ben]

On a 70 there are 4 drain hoses one in each corner.

The 2 back ones go to the plastic grills on the side of the body. The front 2 run down inside the A pillars and dump the water in the sills above a drain hole.

They could be blocked, split, or the hose may have even come off where it pushes on.

The only way I can think to unblock them (without removing the headlining) would be as Clive suggested using a piece of wire.

 

[clivehorridge]

On a 70 there are 4 drain hoses one in each corner.

The 2 back ones go to the plastic grills on the side of the body. The front 2 run down inside the A pillars and dump the water in the sills above a drain hole.

They could be blocked, split, or the hose may have even come off where it pushes on.

The only way I can think to unblock them (without removing the headlining) would be as Clive suggested using a piece of wire.

It works anyway, I've proved that with scientific before & after "does it drain" kettle-of-water test.

 

[robthebox]

Thanks Shayne, Clive and .......... Ben ? How the hell are you.. is it sunny there, got to be better than here we're having a monsoon (a cold one) do you have anywhere to put us up and we'll be on the next flight out.

Will follow the advice Clive (when it stops raining) with bent wire in the corners ... will keep drain cleaner in reserve Shayne, I like the way you think, outside the box !! It would definately work, even if a little corrosive.

 

[Shayne]

I would imagine the actual drains are rubber pipe not much different from the ones under your sink and any chemical unblocker would definitely carry a clear warning if it couldn't be used near paint . Where are you by the way , we've had a bit of rain here in south wales but nothin that could be described a torrential ?

 

[ModelMakerMan]

Rob be careful not to pop the hoses off the drains or put a hole in them as they are a bugger to replace. I used compressed air to clear mine a few years back and it worked well. Also make sure your sill drains are clear too.

 

[robthebox]

Good point Shayne, fact is that drain cleaners are predominately caustic or acid based. Lindz and I having been in drain cleaning since 1984 we have kept up with the contents of the various products available and sell the stuff too. We have to be careful not to get it on the chrome grill in the plug hole on sinks as it all removes the chrome or turns it brown or black. Our website might interest you.... www.drainswirral.com Our Son Mike runs it now.

 

[robthebox]

Dave, thanks for the heads up, I will tread carefully .. just hope that the hoses are still attached.

 

[Ben]

Thanks Shayne, Clive and .......... Ben ? How the hell are you.. is it sunny there, got to be better than here we're having a monsoon (a cold one) do you have anywhere to put us up and we'll be on the next flight out.

Will follow the advice Clive (when it stops raining) with bent wire in the corners ... will keep drain cleaner in reserve Shayne, I like the way you think, outside the box !! It would definitely work, even if a little corrosive.

I'm really good thanks Rob, couldn't be happier!

Its getting sunnier but its still not hot. Wearing shorts everyday which is nice, hopefully another month and it should be lovely and warm.

The drain hoses arent a soft rubber and are in fact quite a hard plastic. I know when I changed my roof, trying to feed the new drain hoses down the A pillars was pretty tricky.

What you might be able to do is unscrew the surround from around the sunroof aswell as the interior light and then pull the head lining down enough to be able to pull the ends of the drain hoses off the sunroof, and then be able to feed a piece of wire down as Clive suggested.

 

[ModelMakerMan]

Im pretty sure I just accessed the hoses via the holes in the sunroof surround, no need the remove anything.

 

[Chris]

The 80s always block up at the point where the drain exits the sill. it's not generally the tube that blocks. Off road activities and general dirt goes up into the little slit cut into the sill. I got fed up with cleaning mine with a piece of wire. I just pulled one of the plugs in the sill and the water poured out. Is the set up the same on the 78? It's a very small exit you can just about get the flat end of a tie wrap in there and wiggle.

 

[clivehorridge]

Yep, Ben's right to advise care not to catch the wire and force the rubber tube off the metal drain outlet pipe in the frame. That would be a bugger to get back on.

I say the wire works, from experience. But, please take cre doing it. If your hoses are in good condition, I don't think the wire trick would do them any harm, but play safe and do it with care. The wire you use should be flexible enough to go around bends in the hose, but rigid enough not to snag and concertina up inside. Rotating the wire as you go is also advisable, so that it wipes crud that may have collected on the inner wall of the pipe.

Shayne's drain cleaner advice is important, use it by all means, but again with proper care. I haven't needed anything so far other than the wire.

The hose is appx half-inch (maybe smaller) black rubber with spring clips where it attaches to the frame drains. I suppose it may have perished, but mine are 18 yrs old and still in good nick.

Good luck!

 

[robthebox]

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement everyone,
And now for the next thrilling installment..

I borrowed a mini drain cam from Mike. I opened the sunroof upwards and had a shufty behind the glass panel.

Found some bits of rubber strip on one side and on the other.... an adhesive strip has partly come off the rail and is lying over the drain.

I attached a hook to the camera and tried to retrieve the bits and also pull off the partly unattached piece .... I have now called it a day .... yes its raining again. looks like I may have to remove the sunroof, I dont want to do that. I will have a go with some other tools tomorrow but it doesnt look good.

Has anyone removed one before, ?

 

[Towpack]

OK, so I don't have a 78, I have an 80 and I had similar symptoms when the rear driver's side sunroof drain became blocked. When backing off the drive facing uphill a deluge of water would surge over the sliding sun shade and drench the driver. The sunroof sits in a metal tray with drains at each corner. The drains are virtually impossible to get to from the top with the sunroof in situ. I simply dropped the headlining each side and access to the drain pipes is easy. Just pulled the pipe off the spigot and blew through with an airline. When the blockage cleared I attatched a garden hose to the pipe and flushed it through and quite a bit of black crud came out. I reckon dirt and debris gets washed down the drain tubes over time and collects in kinks in the pipe. Even after the pipes were cleared I couldn't get a flexible wire the whole way through. As said, forcing a wire through could damage the pipes. Drain cleaner!??....WTF!!!

 

[clivehorridge]

Maybe I've been lucky with my trusted piece of wire. I've rodded them out regularly for the last 7 years, once or twice a year. Normally about Autumn time when rotted leaf debris is the likely cause and again in the Spring after the snow goes.

The wire is now one my specialist service tools, hanging from a nail in the shed!

It's the front left drain tube that blocks on mine, at about 60cm from the frame. That's the drivers side on my 80 just my luck! When blocked, the headlining drips directly over my left eye as the water overflows the frame channel!

 

[Shayne]

Here's another odd suggestion go to a music shop and buy yourself a trombone brush .