leaking sunroof fix
Ok, to start off with, you aren't alone. I have a 93 Sport with the factory roof and the same problem. This is a long description, but it will fix it. To start with, I cleaned the glass, rubber gasket, and the drainage track around the roof really well= not fixed. Next, I took an air compressor and blew out all 4 drainage tubes (one at each corner,) then ran hot water down them, then blew them out with air again. This process did clean a lot of dirt/gunk out of them, so I thought the problem was fixed, I was wrong, still leaked. So I called a local Ziebart for advise because I knew that ford would quote me a high price to fix. I had the guy at Ziebart check it out and he told me that he has seen this before with the early model explorers. He noticed that the frame was seperating from the roof's sheet metal. He said that it is similar the aftermarket manual roofs, and that I need to pull down the headliner and tighten up the bolts, then re-seal the outer frame, roughly 4 hours labor total, about $240 at a trim shop, but he said I could do it my self if I had the time. The next day, I did it all in 3 hours. It was a pain with the headliner, but it worked. That is what fixed mine, if you want to take on the task yourself, and I suggest you do, here it is:
-remove both driver and passenger visors/mirrors
-remove window pillar trim on both sides
-remove sunroof hand crank knob (eight screws on top after glass is removed, one on knob itself).
-remove dome light
-pull headliner down, be carefull, it is glued in front (behind rear-view mirror,) and you have to bend it a little where the pillar trim meets the rear trim, and pull it from around the inner-sunroof rubber gasket.
-There are a number of weird-looking bolts along the frame, they can be tightened with a small metric socket (size 3,4, or 5, I forgot which one). There are also 2 screws in the front, for the brackets on the roof, tighten them also, but not too much, making sure the brackets on the roof stay straight.
-put everything back together and re-glue headliner in front
-replace glass and seal (caulk) around the outer frame and roof sheet metal. I used permatex black silicone automotive sealant (16BR)-@walmart~$2.50.
-set for a day, trim excess sealant with razor blade, clean glass and gasket again, spray gasket with silicone spray (like drive belt dressing) replace glass and test. It worked for me, hopefully it will work for you. If it didn't, it is probably the rubber gasket needs replaced. You could get one from ford, but if it is not cost-effective and you don't use the roof, just seal it up with the remaining black silicone.
Hope this works,
Chris
