Leak on drivers side rear headliner

[96eb96]

I probably have to pull the headliner but it seems water is draining well from all 4 tubes.

Seems like a pretty big stain from behind the 2nd row drivers seat to the hatch. What else can leak?

 

[EB4X]

Roof rack rails rusting underneath ? ....rain seeping through...........

 

[96eb96]

Seems like one of the drain tubing connections are leaking a bit.

 

[EB4X]

You have a moon roof with drain tubes? .......

 

[96eb96]

You have a moon roof with drain tubes? .......

Yes sir. Tube is not disconnected, but attached with a loose fit so water can leak. It is a slip fit with no clamps.

Found some evidence of mice too up there. Gave it nice disinfectant treatment.

 

[bmdubya1198]

I just dropped my headliner last weekend to look into a similar issue. The rear corners of my headliner around the sunroof were getting wet, and water was streaming down the left cargo area window. When I dropped the headliner, to my surprise, the sunroof drain tubes were all connected. The fronts were more secure than the rears, but I pulled them all, cleaned them with a pick and compressed air, then reattached using ear-type (Oetiker) hose clamps.
The only thing I noticed with the sunroof was that the drain channel on the driver side was a little clogged up with some leaves. I just cleaned that out and blew some air through the tube and it seems to be fine now. Hopefully it stays that way... interior water leaks are the WORST!

As far as the leak on the cargo area window, that was the typical loose nuts that hold the window to the body. So far so good, but we'll see how it holds up after the next heavy rain.

That cracking on the hose is just the paint, the rubber itself is in good shape.

 

[96eb96]

My drain tube is a bit different. There seems to be a short "Adapter" then the long drain tube attaches. Lots of chances for a leak.

A wet headliner is mold factory.

 

[bmdubya1198]

My drain tube is a bit different. There seems to be a short "Adapter" then the long drain tube attaches. Lots of chances for a leak.

A wet headliner is mold factory.

Indeed. My Mountaineer still has a musty smell, and I've run my ozone generator twice so far and stripped the interior completely to deep clean. Fortunately there was no visible mold to be found, but it smells swampy. I can't stand gross smells in cars... wish I could replace it with '90s BMW leather smell!

Here are more pics of how mine is set up. There are these plastic corner "gutters" where the hoses connect.

 

[96eb96]

Indeed. My Mountaineer still has a musty smell, and I've run my ozone generator twice so far and stripped the interior completely to deep clean. Fortunately there was no visible mold to be found, but it smells swampy. I can't stand gross smells in cars... wish I could replace it with '90s BMW leather smell!

Here are more pics of how mine is set up. There are these plastic corner "gutters" where the hoses connect.

View attachment 324408

View attachment 324409

Maybe mice? They can take residence anywhere... Behind the dash, in the rear behind the trim.

 

[Mike65]

This past weekend I just reinstalled the headliner in my wife's 99 Sport. I had removed it to remove the sunroof sliding cover to recover it & chase down a couple water leaks. One of the leaks was over the l/s (drivers side) rear cargo area window. In a heavy rain it would drip on to the plastic interior trim panel. I found all of the nuts that hold the window in were barely hand tight. I got a tube of clear caulk & pulled back the outside trim lightly with a putty knife & ran a bead of caulk across the top of the body line where it meets the window, pushed back down on the outside window trim & then tightened the bolts holding the glass in. I will know if this fixed it the next time it rains, I will report back.

 

[bmdubya1198]

Maybe mice? They can take residence anywhere... Behind the dash, in the rear behind the trim.

Man, I hope not! I didn't notice any evidence of mice, so that's a good sign. I think the smell was due to a previous owner having kids who spilled stuff on the rear seats and whatnot (what also gave it away were the fossilized french fries in the seat belt buckles), I need to give them another heavy cleaning. The first round didn't eliminate the smells... I can't stand cloth seats. That combined with the water leakage just wasn't a good combo!

 

[96eb96]

Man, I hope not! I didn't notice any evidence of mice, so that's a good sign. I think the smell was due to a previous owner having kids who spilled stuff on the rear seats and whatnot (what also gave it away were the fossilized french fries in the seat belt buckles), I need to give them another heavy cleaning. The first round didn't eliminate the smells... I can't stand cloth seats. That combined with the water leakage just wasn't a good combo!

Does your sunroof have a large piece of sheetmetal covering the slide? I was able to fix the hose, but I'm still leaking from one of the wells in the back that drain the tracks. Water seems to be coming out of that piece of sheetmetal, around the well area. You just have a simple bracket there. I know 98+ they did everything to lighten up the top. Even made the roof more crush prone to reduce weight.
Not clear yet how things are attached. Prob going to have to drop the sunroof. Hopefully it can be siliconed.

All my drains have a short tube then a 1/2" to 3/8" barbed adapter. I had to get a replacement because it broke when I tried to get one tube off. Those are not easy to find! O'reilly had it.

 

[bmdubya1198]

Does your sunroof have a large piece of sheetmetal covering the slide? I was able to fix the hose, but I'm still leaking from one of the wells in the back that drain the tracks. Water seems to be coming out of that piece of sheetmetal, around the well area. You just have a simple bracket there. I know 98+ they did everything to lighten up the top. Even made the roof more crush prone to reduce weight.
Not clear yet how things are attached. Prob going to have to drop the sunroof. Hopefully it can be siliconed.

All my drains have a short tube then a 1/2" to 3/8" barbed adapter. I had to get a replacement because it broke when I tried to get one tube off. Those are not easy to find! O'reilly had it.

Huh, that’s weird. Maybe someone fixed them previously?
Here’s what my sunroof assembly looks like.

 

[96eb96]

Huh, that’s weird. Maybe someone fixed them previously?
Here’s what my sunroof assembly looks like.

View attachment 324536

I have a full heavy cover over the rear. If the slider is pushed back, I don't see it. I will try to get a pic. Could be a different part, for the older ones.

This is for an Expedition, but there are leak points on the sunroof.

 

[Mike65]

Here is a pic of the pan behind the sunroof opening that the sliding sun roof cover slides over on my wife's 99 Sport.

 

[bmdubya1198]

Oh wow, yeah that's a much larger shield. Ford must have changed that somewhere between late '99 and '01.

I might have to check out those guides on the shade, thanks for linking that video! Hopefully my water leaks are solved, but I know where I'm looking if they reappear.