sehaare
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- October 25, 2008
- Messages
- 434
- Reaction score
- 134
- City, State
- Chicagoland, IL
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 98XLT 4WD SOHC,94XLT gone
My daughter used to use my 98 for a daily driver so I never had it long enough to fully investigate the leaks that it had in medium to heavy rain. I finally had to get her another car and now that the explore can sit in the driveway for a while I've been going through its issues.
The SUV had two leaks one in the rear on the drivers side and another in front of the moonroof. I had suspected plugged or leaking moonroof drain lines. I took the entire headliner out (not hard if you go slow and support it so that it doesn't sag and break). and then poured buckets of water on the roof to find the leaks.
Surprisingly it wasn't the drain lines.
For the rear leak it was leaking from the top of the cargo compartment side window and dripping from the bolts that mount the window to the car. I first suspected the issue was the gasket on the outside of the car as it is almost 25 years old. I was going to use windshield silicone on the gasket and also put some RTV on the nuts and bolts to seal up there as well. Before I backed the nut off to put the RTV on, I checked it to see how tight it was so that I'd know how much to tighten it back down when I was done. Turns out both of the nuts were loose. (after the fact, I now see posts about this issue). So I tightened up the nuts, being carful to not overdo it and damage something, and then put a silicone bead around the outside gasket to redirect the water for good measure. Water bucket test verified that the rear leak was fixed.
For the front leak it was not a moonroof drain line, but the moonroof glass itself leaking and dripping where the drain line reservoir couldn't catch it. So I but a bead of windshield flowing silicone on top of the moonroof where it seals up, as a Hail Mary fix. I was surprised when the water bucket test also showed that this was no longer leaking.
So lessons learned. If you have a leak in the rear near either side check to see if the nuts securing the window to the side of the car have backed off. And a leak up front isn't always a plugged up moonroof drain line causing the reservoir to over flow. and Silicone is you friend.
The SUV had two leaks one in the rear on the drivers side and another in front of the moonroof. I had suspected plugged or leaking moonroof drain lines. I took the entire headliner out (not hard if you go slow and support it so that it doesn't sag and break). and then poured buckets of water on the roof to find the leaks.
Surprisingly it wasn't the drain lines.
For the rear leak it was leaking from the top of the cargo compartment side window and dripping from the bolts that mount the window to the car. I first suspected the issue was the gasket on the outside of the car as it is almost 25 years old. I was going to use windshield silicone on the gasket and also put some RTV on the nuts and bolts to seal up there as well. Before I backed the nut off to put the RTV on, I checked it to see how tight it was so that I'd know how much to tighten it back down when I was done. Turns out both of the nuts were loose. (after the fact, I now see posts about this issue). So I tightened up the nuts, being carful to not overdo it and damage something, and then put a silicone bead around the outside gasket to redirect the water for good measure. Water bucket test verified that the rear leak was fixed.
For the front leak it was not a moonroof drain line, but the moonroof glass itself leaking and dripping where the drain line reservoir couldn't catch it. So I but a bead of windshield flowing silicone on top of the moonroof where it seals up, as a Hail Mary fix. I was surprised when the water bucket test also showed that this was no longer leaking.
So lessons learned. If you have a leak in the rear near either side check to see if the nuts securing the window to the side of the car have backed off. And a leak up front isn't always a plugged up moonroof drain line causing the reservoir to over flow. and Silicone is you friend.
