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cryellow · Post by **cryellow** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 9:40 am

86 GTV6

I determined that I have a leak in the sliding sunroof area. Water appears to be coming in mostly from near the front, left area, above the driver's seat. It takes a few hours of rain to get this drip started, but if parked outside overnight in a heavy rainstorm this can cause a lot of issues!

Any suggestions to seal this up?

Thanks,
Matt

Post by **Michael** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 10:18 am

Yeah - this is also a big problem for me.
As far as I know, the seals are made of 'unobtanium' and I've never seen anything close in various auto trim stores I've checked.
I'm seriously pondering having the sunroof welded shut and sealed permanently next time its in for some body work.

Anyone have any ideas for seal replacement?

4SFED4 · Post by **4SFED4** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 10:26 am

Michael,

I am sure you tried this, so I am hesitant to mention... have you tried a sunroof shop? They may not have the alfa part, but may have a good alternative.

Cheers,

-Brian

cryellow · Post by **cryellow** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 11:37 am

I pictured myself squirting some kind of silicone or something like that along the seam, but I suppose that is not going to work?

I examined and took a picture of the sunroof area. The white stripping material (see first picture) is not rotted. Also the black seal around the sliding door part itself appears fine as well.

So maybe this is a design defect issue? There is not much of a seal it seems (see (sorry blurred) photo where arrow points to black seal) to keep water from coming into that pretty deep well by the white seal. So as soon as water fills up in the well going all around the sunroof, it leaks in.

I think the solution lies in somehow attaching some new seal or silicone to that black seal or to the metal door area where the black seal hits the metal of the body. As long as water gets into the well area I don't see how that white seal can keep it from flooding in.

At least this is the way I perceive the problem. I still don't know what the solution is, but, again, I suspect it has to do with reinforcing that black seal.

Keith · Post by **Keith** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 12:25 pm

The sunroof doesnt seal to the top of the car, some water will always leak past. If the drain hoses are clogged water can't drain out of the area around the sunroof. Make sure all 4 hoses are clear.
I can see daylight around my sunroof from inside and its never leaked onto the headliner.

cryellow · Post by **cryellow** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 12:40 pm

Drain hoses! What a concept. I did find two holes one on each front corner of that well area. The driver's side one appeared clear. The passenger's one was clogged with some gooey black mess which I cleared out as best I could with a screwdriver. Also a bit of water in there!

Where are the other two drain holes/hoses?

How should I clean them out more thoroughly? Long pipe cleaners?

And where do the holes go to and drain? Thanks.

David · Post by **David** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 1:39 pm

Keith is correct, the sunroof seal was never intended to be totally waterproof. The four drain holes take any water that has got past the seal down under the car. They drain behind both front and rear wheel wells.
Be careful poking the holes from the top as you my push the PVC hose off the metal drain pipe. I have cleared these holes sucessfully with a length of heavy duty garden line trimmer cord. Smooth off the cut end by heating and this will prevent damage to the PVC tube. Clear them from the bottom up and make sure water flows freely back down the holes.

David

cryellow · Post by **cryellow** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 2:46 pm

Thank you! I see the two holes in the front, but where are the other two holes and how do I access them?

You don't think by poking in about 3-4 inches (the length of the screwdriver shaft) I could have caused any damage could I?

SimonB · Post by **SimonB** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 1:51 am

Hi! If you want to check that the air hoses are still attached:

Simply pull off one of your door seals around the windscreen pillar and very carefully pull the headlining away, you should now be able to get to the hoses from below. Most garages clear the hoses with a blast from an air hose which usually works and takes little time. If not its still only a couple of hour to fit a new one. My GTV6 had one replaced and one cleared and hasn't leaked at all lately despite some major rain storms! I have only found two hoses, the ones at the front. Hope this helps!

Keith · Post by **Keith** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 5:47 am

The rear hoses are at the back of the sunroof opening, all the way in the back corners. They come out at the bottom of the rear fenders, look behind the rear wheels from under the car and you will see a fold in the metal where the outer fender meets the inner fender, this is where the hose should stick out. The hoses run down the "C" pillar over the rear of the wheel well (inside the trunk) and down to the area behind the wheel, if the hoses dont stick out they just dump the water inside this well inside the trunk.

sfyamr1 · Post by **sfyamr1** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 3:46 pm

I've found that a great way to clear the drains all the way through is to use a length of 8 or 10 gauge electrical wire. The rubber sheeth keeps it from scratching any paint off or dmaging any plastic sections, but the metal wire keeps it both flexible and strong enough to navigate the drain while pushing through tough gunk. With a little finess, you can even get into the rear drain holes and push all the way down the C pillar and out the fender without removing a thing, or damaging anything. Get yourself a good 6 - 7 feet at any radioshack or hardware store for less tha $3, but make sure its stiff enough and won't bunch up if it encounters something really nasty.

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