96 Explorer sun roof wont open and leaks inside

[natari624]

I just bought a 96 Eddie Bauer explorer as a work car. The person I bought it from had tape up around the moon roof and said it was because the lining was starting to come off. I felt around the roof and felt no water so I didnt question it and bought this car. The roof wont open and i believe there is a clogged drain somewhere but i cant get to any ducts to try compressed air. How can I fix this problem. the water is leaking on the driver side passenger floor. Please help! We just go a ton of snow and I am afraid it is going to get worse with the snow sitting on top of the car and melting.

 

[jba122]

1995 Eddie Bauer Sun Roof Leak

I own a 1995 Eddie Bauer Explorer and have similar issues. Though the sunroof works fine, it leaks whenever it rains and will make the sealing in the car wet. I have used an air hose to blow out the two front drain lines and am still having water leaks. Recently, the water has started running down the interior of the front windshield after getting the sealing wet and I'm not sure how the water travels through the roof of the car to the front windshield.

If anyone has some experience on this issue please share your insights.

-Joe

 

[Reevet50]

Inside the sunroof there are is a drain hole at each front corner where the drain tubes attach. The drain tubes run down the a pillars of the truck. If you pull off the interior trim you can see them. If you've tried blowing compressed air to unclog the tubes, but are still leaking you need to pull the headliner down and reattach/seal the drain tubes back to the drain holes.

 

[justanother1]

Mine leaked at the front corners. I pulled it down and resealed where the plastic corners meet the metal track. This still did not fix it. I finally solved the leaking issue by running a bead of silicone around the window to the roof. I realize the window won't open any more but no more leaks. To prevent anyone from trying to open it, I pulled the overhead console down and unplugged the wires from the switch.

You may want to check to see if someone may have forgot to hook the wires back up after having the overhead console down for what ever reason.

 

[ehowardal]

leaking sunroof fixes

There are drains in the front that run down the posts on the side of the windshield and two drains that run down the post between the front and back door. There is also a drip tray at the back of the sunroof that channels the water to both sides of the sunroof housing and then it should run down the drains. These can come lose from the sunroof itself or become brittle and break inside the pillars. Park the vehicle on flat ground and then you can open the roof and pour water in all four corners of the roof housing and the water should drain and drop out the bottom of the vehicle. You can do this before removing the headliner to see if the drains are clogged. If one of the back ones doesn't drain, you will have to remove the headliner.
If all of the drains are ok, the sunroof seal probably needs replacing. The headliner is not hard to remove, just time consuming since you have to remove most of the side post covers, lights, ring around the roof opening and all of the pop rivets. If you have the headliner out, it is easy to just drop the entire sun roof so you can see all the components and can take it apart if necessary, plus lubricate the slides and all. There is only one wiring connection at the front center of the sunroof and about 20 small bolts that attach the sunroof housing to the roof of the vehicle.

Hope this helps.

 

[NOLAwench]

I am having the leaky sunroof problem with my 1998 Eddie Bauer Explorer and rather than bring it in to a shop for a $200.00 + repair, going to try to blow out the drain lines from where they exit. I am looking for a diagram of where to find the exit points of these drain lines, and cannot find them anywhere. Anyone have the answers?

Will be happy to post my experience with this once I do the job. Thanks!

 

[koda2000]

you can't get at the drains from underneath. there are 4 drains. one in each corner of the opening. in order to get at them, you need to drop the headliner. then you'll see them. the drain hoses/tubes are not held onto the drainage tray with any sort of clamp. sometimes they come loose. you can try using compressed air to blow out the drain tubes, but a drain snake (or something similar) may be needed. when you put the drainage tubes back onto the tray, use some sort of clamp, wire-tie or sealant to hold them in place.

as far as the roof not working, while you have the headliner down see if the motor is getting power and work backwards from there.

 

[4X4 Explorer]

Spent time looking for fuses..then read about the redundant relays............the issue was to find the relay that controls the moon roof. It is just to the left of the center console. But it is up the firewall about 6 or 8 inches. There you will find at least one other relay.maybe two.
The relay problem suspected on my '96 Explorer XLT has been solved (windows and moon roof not functioning). From reading various replies on site, it looked as though the accessory delay relay was the culprit. And that was the case. Thanks to several of you, I was able to locate the junction box above the accelerator and replace. On my vehicle this box has 6-7 relays. The accessory delay was the only square one . The others were smaller and rectangular, none with markings to indicate their function.