Sunroof leak observations

[cdansan]

If you are getting water in the headliner this may be a simple temporary way to minimize the leak.
I have no headliner so I have noticed that when I park facing uphill in the rain the drip pans fill up and then overflow in the back when I drive off.
If I park facing downhill the drip pans drain correctly and no water ingress.
The angle of my drive way is very low so it does not take very much to let water in.


Dan

 

[salvvia]

duct tape and tie. waiarr. not tie wire. will fix any thing

 

[discostew]

If you are getting water in the headliner this may be a simple temporary way to minimize the leak.
I have no headliner so I have noticed that when I park facing uphill in the rain the drip pans fill up and then overflow in the back when I drive off.
If I park facing downhill the drip pans drain correctly and no water ingress.
The angle of my drive way is very low so it does not take very much to let water in.


Dan

So its your rear sunroof drains that need to be cleared. There are 4 drains.

 

[cdansan]

There are only 2 drains, both in the front of both my Disco 1 (sunroofs, sunroof's, sunrooves?).
The front one is angled down a bit and this does not happen.
The rear is flatter and when the water sloshes to the back it leaks out of the rectangular holes in the pan.

 

[discostew]

Ya your right about that. I forget some of these old ones and how they are set up. In the newer roofs the drains are really a water management system, the roof glass sits inside of the hole in the roof and a little water comes in normally. These old roofs are clamped down onto the seal and water should only be able to make it to the tray if it's in vent position or open. I would think something must be wrong with the seal, or the glass isn't timed propperly. When the glass is in the closed position there needs to be an equal gap at the front edge of the glass and there is a spec for that gap(can't remember what it is but I could find it if you need it). That gap is where the timing of the glass is adjusted. Or maybe one of the guides w/drive cables is broken and not clamping enough.

 

[ponderosa]

Another thing to check - the factory roof bar attachments. A few years back I ended up sealing each sunroof (can you say greenhouse?) and then found out that the main leak was at least one of the roof bar ports. Thanks to 3M there are no more leaks.

But yeah, good to park D1s on a slight forward incline in the rain. That and check the drain tubes - mine were pretty gunky.

 

[The Green Beastie]

Here is my story on how I found and fixed the sunroof leak on my 2001 D2....without removing he headliner. The leak was a small one, but identified in the back passenger corner of the rear sunroof. The vehicle is parked with a slight uphill slant. So every time I backed down the driveway and stopped hard, a slurry of water would rush and drip out the end of the headliner.

I first removed the headliner around the skylight to gain access, and then removed the taillights and blew air up the drain tubes. No leaks here. I then slightly tightened the T-20 bolts that retain the glass to the arms. Cleaned the outer gasket and sunroof glass to remove any debris that may impart a good connection. The leak still continued.

I then tightened the T-15 bolts that are the subframe of the skylight to the roof. Two of these were slightly loose, and were snugged up. But, a 1/4" ratchet with ONLY a stubby torx socket will work, or even better, a compact screw driver racket. A regular socket will be 1/2" too tall to get the screw head in. As well, the L-shaped screwdrivers were a bit flimsy to use due to the lack of clearance. You will also need a small LED flashlight that can be supported between he roof and headliner, to find the screws.

It was a long frustrating road to solve this problem, but I am glad that the headliner did not need to be removed.

 

[JohnB]

Mine was the sandwich seal. Chased it for years.
What a piss poor design. It's almost it never rains in the UK!