Sunroof Drain HELP! | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Sunroof Drain HELP!

anthonymtz

Well-Known Member
Joined
November 17, 2014
Messages
223
Reaction score
4
City, State
Fort Worth
Year, Model & Trim Level
2004 Ford Explorer XLT
Hey guys im hoping y'all can help me out, i had this body shop perform PDR (Paintles dent removal) and a bumper repair on my 04' xlt after i got hail damage, well the guy was a complete backstabbing POS and blotched all the work on my explorer, I've already filed a lawsuit against them but the biggest problem and PITA is now everytime it rains water starts dripping (like a drop a second) from where the right side of the passenger sun visor attaches to the roof, my floor was soaked, i have a amp and wiring under the seat I can't afford to get wet, I've been doing a little bit of research and to my findings it has something to do with a sunroof/water drain tube? And help is and greatly appreciated!
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Wow, that's tough. I don't know exactly where, but it comes out somewhere at the bottom.
Was he working around that area...could he of pinched the drain somehow?
 






Hey guys im hoping y'all can help me out, i had this body shop perform PDR (Paintles dent removal) and a bumper repair on my 04' xlt after i got hail damage, well the guy was a complete backstabbing POS and blotched all the work on my explorer, I've already filed a lawsuit against them but the biggest problem and PITA is now everytime it rains water starts dripping (like a drop a second) from where the right side of the passenger sun visor attaches to the roof, my floor was soaked, i have a amp and wiring under the seat I can't afford to get wet, I've been doing a little bit of research and to my findings it has something to do with a sunroof/water drain tube? And help is and greatly appreciated!View attachment 326807View attachment 326808
We've had a couple vehicles that have had the drain plug. In one case low pressure air cleared the plug, in the other case I used chalk powder (from a chalk line) and the compressed air to see where the drain went to. Took a few tries to get some chalk to come out, then could identify the improper install of a wheel well that pinched it off. Good luck!
 






The sunroof has four drains, four hoses that run from each corner of the drain basin below the roof, down each pillar there, to the bottom of the body. I have hunted leaks around the sunroof's many times, and the 2nd gen and 3rd gen use the same sunroof glass.

You should be able to figure out if the drains work okay. Open the sunroof fully(and remove the key), then use a water hose running very slowly, put the water in the drain basin you see there all around the roof opening. You should see the four holes. The hoses attach above the headliner, so if they are detached, the headliner would have to come down.

If you find out that the drains are clear and flow fine to the ground, then the sunroof glass is the likely issue. There are a few seams in the drain basin, it's not one piece, but those are very unlikely to leak. I thought my issues were from those seams, but re-cleaning and sealing them did no good.

The sunroof glass has an outer seal on it, a molded part which is huge and not removable. The underside is molded onto the glass, so there's no replacement part etc. The seal there on top where it overlaps the glass, that is where it lets go over time. Some may never leak, but I'd guess that most will given 20+ years.

I came to this discovery a couple of years ago. I worked hard on fixing my black 98's leak(headliner in two places). After a lot of time, I RTV'd the entire glass seam to the roof. That didn't fix the leak. I already had the windshield front edge taped over with clear packing tape. The leak persisted, so all that was left was the glass seal/seam itself. I RTV'd that, and the leak stopped.

Long story short, spend some time carefully taping off that glass seal seam. Leave about 1/4" or so exposed of the glass and the rubber seal. Then apply a thin layer of Ultra Black RTV between the tape. Spread it with one finger if you like, it just needs to be thick enough to hold well(1/16" is more than enough), and smooth enough for your liking. It can be done in less than five minutes, and the typical $8 tube will be enough. That results in a seal stronger than the original, and Ultra Black can withstand full sunlight for decades. Don't scrub it when washing like you want to rub it off, but it will take normal washing or a car wash just fine. It won't be pretty, but how many people climb up onto your SUV to look closely at the roof?
 






Wow, that's tough. I don't know exactly where, but it comes out somewhere at the bottom.
Was he working around that area...could he of pinched the drain somehow?
To be honest im not sure where that ******* ll was but i know he took off my head liner
The sunroof has four drains, four hoses that run from each corner of the drain basin below the roof, down each pillar there, to the bottom of the body. I have hunted leaks around the sunroof's many times, and the 2nd gen and 3rd gen use the same sunroof glass.

You should be able to figure out if the drains work okay. Open the sunroof fully(and remove the key), then use a water hose running very slowly, put the water in the drain basin you see there all around the roof opening. You should see the four holes. The hoses attach above the headliner, so if they are detached, the headliner would have to come down.

If you find out that the drains are clear and flow fine to the ground, then the sunroof glass is the likely issue. There are a few seams in the drain basin, it's not one piece, but those are very unlikely to leak. I thought my issues were from those seams, but re-cleaning and sealing them did no good.

The sunroof glass has an outer seal on it, a molded part which is huge and not removable. The underside is molded onto the glass, so there's no replacement part etc. The seal there on top where it overlaps the glass, that is where it lets go over time. Some may never leak, but I'd guess that most will given 20+ years.

I came to this discovery a couple of years ago. I worked hard on fixing my black 98's leak(headliner in two places). After a lot of time, I RTV'd the entire glass seam to the roof. That didn't fix the leak. I already had the windshield front edge taped over with clear packing tape. The leak persisted, so all that was left was the glass seal/seam itself. I RTV'd that, and the leak stopped.

Long story short, spend some time carefully taping off that glass seal seam. Leave about 1/4" or so exposed of the glass and the rubber seal. Then apply a thin layer of Ultra Black RTV between the tape. Spread it with one finger if you like, it just needs to be thick enough to hold well(1/16" is more than enough), and smooth enough for your liking. It can be done in less than five minutes, and the typical $8 tube will be enough. That results in a seal stronger than the original, and Ultra Black can withstand full sunlight for decades. Don't scrub it when washing like you want to rub it off, but it will take normal washing or a car wash just fine. It won't be pretty, but how many people climb up onto your SUV to look closely at the roof?
Thanks so much for the information I don't think my still has let go, but I will probably eventually put the RTV in there to prevent it from leaking my biggest concern now is the dripping inside of my rig, so I guess I'm going to most likely have to tear into the headliner how hard would it be to take it off? Again I really do appreciate you taking the time to explain this to me!
 






The drains if they are unattached at the corners, will leak onto the headliner, but you can confirm that with a water hose. If that doesn't force a leak onto the headliner as you have, then it's not the drain hoses.
 






The drains if they are unattached at the corners, will leak onto the headliner, but you can confirm that with a water hose. If that doesn't force a leak onto the headliner as you have, then it's not the drain hoses.
Okay so more than likely my hose came detached or wasn't put back properly? how difficult would it be to get my headliner off if you know by any chance? Lol
 






First be sure it is the hose, it takes a long time to remove all of the interior trim around the roof.

Run some water down into the basin/pan that you see below the sunroof opening. It is not hard, it is very fast, you can check if the drains are working right, or if the leak is there at a drain hose, in five minutes with no tools.
 






First be sure it is the hose, it takes a long time to remove all of the interior trim around the roof.

Run some water down into the basin/pan that you see below the sunroof opening. It is not hard, it is very fast, you can check if the drains are working right, or if the leak is there at a drain hose, in five minutes with no tools.
Ok i poured water in that channel and water starts coming inside the car where i showed on the pictures, and it drips quite a bit
 












Ok i poured water in that channel and water starts coming inside the car where i showed on the pictures, and it drips quite a bit
Okay, very good. Now you know that the headliner has to come down some. If it's just the front one, it's possible to just drop the front section to get at those drain hoses. They can be reached with the headliner down say 8-10", the hose and the nipple it goes onto will be very easy to find by feel, and see. If the hose seems hard at the end, or cracked at all, just gently get it out to the side where you can cut a short 1/2" or so of it off. Be sure the hose has enough slack to go on and not be pulled back off, they generally aren't held fast, down in the pillar or below that.
 






Okay, very good. Now you know that the headliner has to come down some. If it's just the front one, it's possible to just drop the front section to get at those drain hoses. They can be reached with the headliner down say 8-10", the hose and the nipple it goes onto will be very easy to find by feel, and see. If the hose seems hard at the end, or cracked at all, just gently get it out to the side where you can cut a short 1/2" or so of it off. Be sure the hose has enough slack to go on and not be pulled back off, they generally aren't held fast, down in the pillar or below that.
Thanks! Now one last question where can i get that drain hose and about how long should i need, just a estimate lol so i know if im looking at 1 or 3 feet of hose.
 






I'd plan to keep the hose you have, they run down to the bottom of the body, you might be able to see all of them from underneath. They will be in close to the same condition as new, aside from that top end where it's pushed onto the nipple piece. Changing any one of them would be difficult, the only real trouble with them is at the top end, where they may come loose from the drain basin.
 






I'd plan to keep the hose you have, they run down to the bottom of the body, you might be able to see all of them from underneath. They will be in close to the same condition as new, aside from that top end where it's pushed onto the nipple piece. Changing any one of them would be difficult, the only real trouble with them is at the top end, where they may come loose from the drain basin.
Ok cool! Gonna try and tackle it after all this darn rain! Hopefully its a simple fix thanks for the help, I'll post a update as soon as i get it apart!
 






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