Hi all,

I had my roof replaced after the last hurricane in 2017 - it was growing rust holes everywhere. Since then, the sunroof has leaked after hard rains. I replaced the seal around the sunroof glass and I just dropped the headliner and blew out all four drain lines. I tested it after cleaning out all the lines and to my horror, it was leaking still. The water was dripping about a 1/2in medial to the right rear passenger drain. I used a scope to try to look from above - nothing was wrong. I scoped the drain hole and it was wide open. The water seemed to be finding a way out of the track.

I have a ghetto solution ready to go - it is a large sign magnet that I lay over the sunroof when I know it is going to rain. It works fine as a temporary measure, but I would like to fix it. Is it worth it? Can it realistically be fixed or do I need a new sunroof? Should I just silicone around it and turn it into a moonroof only? Thanks,

Dan

 

That's a shame. Have you contacted the shop that did the work? Maybe they'll help out to fix it right. And are you sure water is getting in from the roof? If you have roof mounted cab clearance lights the seals are known to leak and by Ford's standards are not reusable do to leaks.

 

Well it looks like you already did what I was thinking of.
Are you sure that there is not something stuck in the tubing?

 

The roof is fine and I do not have any lights on it. The problem is when I pour water into the sunroof track. The front drains definitely work fine. When I pour it in the track toward the back of the sunroof, water ends up leaking out of the track in the back right and getting onto the headliner. I disconnected the rear drains and blew air through them. I also ran a 5mm scope through them. Everything looked fine.

I think the sunroof got damaged on re-install after the roof repair. I already had it back to the body work shop - they thought they had fixed it. Maybe it is a crack in the drain track. The sunroof otherwise works just fine and the glass seal is tight enough that water only gets in on a heavy rain.

There is some question about whether the sunroof has had this problem for years. The roof issues really started with sunroof leak issues over 5 yrs ago. A different shop told me it was clogged drains back then. That is why I wanted to do it myself this time to see. The leaks have always been in the same area. That is also where most of the roof rust was.

I almost never open the sunroof - Probably not once in the last 5 yrs except to check for leaks. So I have always wondered how the drains could be getting clogged - and why always the same one.

 

Link above is a video that sounds like a similar situation. Yes the video is of an Expedition but they are all similar.

 

87 crewdually - I think you may be right. Much harder to see on my leak since it is near the rear and I can't look from above as easier as he can.

After doing this work yesterday, now I think the battery saver circuit blew - power windows, radio and dome light are out. No power to sunroof either. Great

 

Watching a repair video, I think the leak is probably from where the rear piece mates to the back of the sunroof assembly - there is butyl sealant back there that joins the back tray and motor to the main sunroof assembly. Probably the only way to know for sure is to remove the whole sunroof assembly and fully inspect it.

 

Well that blows. The removal looks to be a major pain in the @.

 

Yeah it looks like an all day affair - seems like I ought to replace the moveable hardware if I take it apart like that. 2min of caulking may be an irresistible option since I never open it anyway.

 

I might have the right PDF here somewhere.