Sunroof leaking woes

[TonyP]

like a plaster..... I like.

 

[Bat21]

Aye, but this ain't no ordinary plaster, no sir'eeee.... this one is reusable

 

[Dave_S]

LIKES! Where did you get the magrubber from - Tinternet or locally? And does it cope with motorway speeds without disappearing?!?

 

[Justin_Elliott]

Brilliant idea! ...

 

[Bat21]

Hmmmmm okay, back to the drawing board.

Drove round all week at upto 60mph and no problems.... just been out now and it flew off at 40mph and got run over by 3 cars and a bus before I could recover it, needless to say it is now a bit broken oh well there's £40 down the drain

 

[ModelMakerMan]

That stuff is only really any good if all of it is in full contact with steel (obviously accounting for paint), the 75mm you left round the edge sounds like it wasnt enough. They dont even like being on the slightest crease\panel gap\compound curve in the body work even if it is all steel.

A few years ago a scout group I used to be a leader at got some magnetic signs made up as they didnt have a minibus of their own, the signs were rated to 70mph and were about 2m X 0.5m. They used to hire buses from the local council which were coach built transit jobbies. The first time we used the signs we stuck one to each side of the bus and off we went, when we got to camp were were one sign down, on closer inspection it turned out that for some weird reason the panel on the side with the sliding door was fiberglass over the original steel panel so there was enough metal underneath for the magnet to stick but not enough to hold it there whilst on the move. It turned out is fell of about half a mile from where we left and the fastest we had been going would have been 30mph. In contrast another time I had the remaining sign on the bonnet of my car (forgot to take it off) whilst doing a rush 300mile round trip from a camp site, to our stores and back because some muppet brought the wrong tent poles and it stayed on even at 100mph (of course not on public roads ).

If you want to re-do it then maybe look at getting some small low profile earth or neodymium magnets to glue to the corners and leading edge for extra staying power?

 

[Towpack]

The sunroof on my 80 developed the usual leaking syndrome that seems to affect many.

My drive has a very, and I mean very, slight slope so the car sits 'nose down' by an inch at most. I have cleared out both front sunroof drains with a piece of fairly stiff electrical wire. With the sunroof open if I poor water in the channel if drains straight away through the drain holes.

But, I am still getting wet carpets. It is definitely the sunroof it is coming from as the 'A' pillars are damp

As the sunroof is never opened my plan of action is possibly going to be a piece of vinyl wrap to cover the front of the roof including the sunroof.

Anyone else tried something similar? My only concern is the slight movement of the sunroof my end up tearing/cracking the vinyl in time

Going back to the OP, if the front drains are actually taking water away but the A pillars are getting wet it sounds to me like the drain tubes could possibly be split or ruptured? Why not replace the tubes with some new stuff. You may be able to pull 2 new lengths through using the old tubing.

 

[Bat21]

That stuff is only really any good if all of it is in full contact with steel....

I found this out earlier today I'm so glad there wasn't another vehicle behind us as he/she wouldn't have seen much if my 'plaster' had decided to leach itself across his/her windscreen

Going back to the OP, if the front drains are actually taking water away but the A pillars are getting wet it sounds to me like the drain tubes could possibly be split or ruptured?

I guess my plan at this stage was to find out if it is indeed the sunroof or the windscreen that was causing the issue.

I wanted to make sure the water wasn't getting in through there first. If stopping that leak stopped the damp carpets then I knew it was definitely that that needed sorting out properly, if the carpets still remained damp, then I knew it was the screen.

Plan 'B' now fitted.... 50mm wide glass tape over the sunroof to body gap. Just need to get the front carpets dry now and then wait and see if they get damp again.

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

You might be as well to pop the windscreen out and reseal it anyway Paul, it will start leaking at some point even if it isn't now. Ask Rob, Ben and his mate how hard it is to pop an 80 windscreen out, even in the middle of a field one winters afternoon

 

[Ben]

Shame that idea didnt work Paul, it looked good.

Yes Robs screen came out and went back in quite easily.

Robs old seal was knackered and the screen was actually loose in the rubber.

Will be interesting to see/hear if the new seal has fixed his leak as I know he hasnt used the windscreen mastic yet, and has only fitted the new rubber.

 

[Bat21]

You might be as well to pop the windscreen out and reseal it anyway Paul, it will start leaking at some point even if it isn't now....

So is it screen to rubber or rubber to body that leaks Jon, or both?

Is it just a case of popping it out and fitting a new seal, or filling the old seal up with silicone once popped out?

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

The rubber is a pinch seal onto the lip round the windscreen opening, similar to the rear tailgate seal, and then the glass sits inside that rubber with sealant round it. I don't know stats for which leaks most but Rob's had some rust around the windscreen pinch weld indicating some leakage there but as the screen was also loose in the rubber that was probably the main problem! My green one leaked profusely between the rubber and body. I'd change the rubber rather than reuse the old one, less chance of a wasted job ...

 

[Geert]

I also had a leaking A pillar. Water came thru the handle to pull you up at the drivers side. I pulled the roof linnen back and pulled the rubber hose out. It appeared there was a leak just above where the handle is... It was coming from the sensors form the aftermarket alarm. The sensors have been there for maybe 10 years ... But the screws of the sensors have pointy ends so in time... I replaced the leaking hose and the screws... For now, no more wet A pillar
Just to let you guys know that it is pretty easy to pull the hose out and put a new one back in. You cannot replace the hose by some other hose that is flexible, because you won't get it passed the angles.

 

[Bat21]

I also had a leaking A pillar. Water came thru the handle to pull you up at the drivers side.....

That is certainly one of the places mine is leaking. When driving in torrential rain I have to hold a cloth/sponge/paper towel there as it runs through and drips straight onto the electric window switches

 

[Red Oktober]

stopped mine leaking ......

rtv sealant was my friend in the end

 

[joinerman]

But where ? !!!!!!!!

 

[Neil Stone]

The rubber is a pinch seal onto the lip round the windscreen opening, similar to the rear tailgate seal, and then the glass sits inside that rubber with sealant round it. I don't know stats for which leaks most but Rob's had some rust around the windscreen pinch weld indicating some leakage there but as the screen was also loose in the rubber that was probably the main problem! My green one leaked profusely between the rubber and body. I'd change the rubber rather than reuse the old one, less chance of a wasted job ...

I had my windscreen replaced in December and the chap came all the way from Inverness (5 hour round trip) and despite phoning first and confirming the type of rubber (oo errr Mrs) he still came with the wrong sort (the new one was slotted for a chrome strip). So the old one was reused. about 6" of water in the footwells this morning (parked on a slope). So looks like he's gonna have to do it again with another 5 hour round trip !

 

[Red Oktober]

But where ? !!!!!!!!

have sealed it shut ... and dissconnected the motor ...

 

[Bas]

Had this problem for years,now i can see if i can find them holes to block up,
Bas

 

[Geert]

Well...
Mine is leaking again... Again at the handle on the drivers side.
Will be checking the rear drains and the coverd hole...
But it's allways raining here!!