Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26774
How to fix a Sunroof Leak!
My car has never leaked in the past, but this lunchtime we left the car parked outside the shops, during a very heavy shower. When we returned and set off driving we were greeted with a heavy shower inside the car, coming out of the small led in the front seat roof light console.
I have just had a look at the sunroof, and dropped the headlining and found the the water to be coming over the front edge of the sunroof tray.
I found this by pouring a cup of water into the outside section of the sunroof tray with the roof open. If the car is facing uphill, the water drains away ok out of the rear drain tubes which run down the B pillar, the water escapes at the rear of the sill trim.
I then parked facing down the hill and repeated, the water came straight over the front edge of the tray and collected in the head lining.
Remove the A pillar inside trim (pull of the AIRBAG badge, and remove the torx screw), also remove the sunvisor by removing the small screw under the inside hinge behind the flap, 2 screws on the outside hinge/pivot, you have to carefully prise off the plasic cover to get to them, its quite hard to do without damaging it, but it looks cheap to replace if you do damage it.
Pull the door seal away from the top edge of the frame, and the A pillar, and remove the grab handle by undoing the phillips screws behind the small fold out flaps.
You can then pull down the headling to see the drain tube on the front corner of the sunroof. You can put your hand up the front edge of the headlining and then pull the pipe off the sunroof. You can then blow down it.
I could not blow down it, so connected up a bicycle pump and pumped air into it. Whatever was blocking it must have come out because water started coming out of rear of the front wheel arch. It was then easy to blow down the pipe. I reconnected the pipe and tried the cup of water test, and it then drained quickly away and came out of the bottom of the wheel arch. Both side were blocked.
Here is a picture of the drain tube attached to the sunroof.
Click image to enlarge
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Last edited by Gareth on 29th Jun 2008 5:44 pm. Edited 3 times in total
29th Jun 2008 3:08 pm
Pelyma
Member Since: 06 Jan 2005
Location: Patching, Sussex
Posts: 15496
Might be a good idea to make this a sticky now that more cars are out of warrantyDS3 TDV6 HSE - Silver with Alpaca (old one) Gone
DS3 TDV6 HSE- Silver with Alpaca (new one) Gone
D4 HSE Lux - Montalcino Red Gone
Porsche Cayenne V8 Diesel S
29th Jun 2008 3:11 pm
SN
Member Since: 03 Jan 2006
Location: Romiley
Posts: 13710
what a bl**dy faff - good you got it sorted though
Got told off by SWMBO during the same rainstorm earlier today. I'd just TSUNAMI'ed the oncoming traffic (which was creeping through 6 inches of water) in a road dip under a railway bridge near me Steve N | 21MY Defender | 08MY Discovery 3 (history) | 06MY Discovery 3 (ancient history)
29th Jun 2008 3:13 pm
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26774
Stickied and re-named. Its just stopped raining again, so I'm going to see if it has worked.
29th Jun 2008 3:17 pm
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26774
Some more pictures.
Here is the very small drain hole in the tray, I've pointed the arrow at where to look, as it does not show on the photo. Its worth making sure its clear by sticking a pipe cleaner through it whilst the drain pipe is disconnected.
Click image to enlarge
This is where to pour the water. DO NOT POUR LOTS OF WATER IN!! the drains are not large and are not able to cope with a large amount of water at once, even when they are clear. Just dribble the water in.
Click image to enlarge
There are obviously front and rear drains. If the sunroof leaks when facing uphill, I would suspect it to leak around the B pillar area.
good on you Gareth all these explanations are getting very good the site should stare charging for them when some one looks them up Home of RLD Hidden winch mounts Spare wheel Locks Trailer Body Fabrication ray@rld-tech.co.uk D3/4 sump plates MY 14 sump plates and the Discovery Sport wheel protectors Discovery 5 wheel locks
more Helsport tents and other things for camping Law of Mechanical Repair:
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29th Jun 2008 4:35 pm
Ken
Member Since: 20 Feb 2006
Location: Here
Posts: 10865
Funny I have been playing with the headlining today for the rear cam wish I read this thread first would have checked first
Cheers Gareth - just managed to unblock the front left drain based on your instructions, and sorted out the badly fitted a-pillar airbag cover (after windscreen replacement) at the same time Previously:
2005 D3 2.7 TDV6 S
1984 90 2.25 Petrol CSW
1992 90 200TDi Hard Top
1995 Discovery ES 300TDi
2003 90 TD5 Truck Cab
29th Jun 2008 8:29 pm
discocuzzy
Member Since: 02 Feb 2008
Location: surrey
Posts: 2752
Your a star Gareth, mines just started to leak! "you cannot teach stupid people to do clever things"
--------------------------------------------------------
05 plate D3 HSE in Zermat- Gone
11 Plate D4 Landmark in Fuji white- Gone
08 Plate D3 Hse in Buckingham Blue- Gone
58 plate D3 HSE Silver- Gone
10 Plate D4 HSE Stornaway Grey
9th Jul 2008 7:33 pm
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26774
I can say that this fix has definitly worked, mine has been sat in lots of rain today, and is dry as a bone.
9th Jul 2008 8:18 pm
zaphod
Member Since: 18 Sep 2007
Location: Magrathea
Posts: 357
Me and Mrs Zaphod got a cold shower this morning after torrential rain overnight Rain running down the inside of the windscreen, dripping from the map reading lights.
Will try this fix at the weekend................when it's stopped raining!Sail Fast - Live Slow...
Member Since: 14 Oct 2005
Location: Somerset
Posts: 1146
Land rover suggest removing wheel arch liners enough to get at the end of the drain tubes. The little valves are very small, it is suggested to trim them slightly to enlarge the hole, to stop them getting re-blocked.
The driver's side one which is visible when you remove the air intake grille, is usually blocked by the foam pad, & you can cut the foam away to help.
There is a TSB LA501-014
Regards
Steve
11th Jul 2008 5:35 am
Matt_Canada
Member Since: 12 Sep 2008
Location: Calgary
Posts: 8
I had exactly this problem - in heavy rain, water would come in but only when the LR3 was level rather than leaning backwards as it is on my driveway. The water got into the dash and caused all kinds of other issues which the stealer spent hours trying to misdiagnose. I wish I had seen the post before - now, I check those drain holes every so often just to make sure they are free of clag. Cheers!
12th Sep 2008 10:58 pm
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26774
Looks like I'm going to have to revist this one. Opened the car up this evening after it was parked in heavy rain, and the cup holders are full of water. The rain is coming in through the first row overhead light.
Its too dark to do anything now, so parked it facing up the drive for the evening, as I reckon its the front drains have blocked up again.
I will have a look at the other end of the drain tubes when I get chance, and see if I can find out what is blocking them.
10th Nov 2008 12:19 am
bearman
Member Since: 04 Sep 2008
Location: East London
Posts: 49
Gareth wrote:
Click image to enlarge
Got the call from the SWAMBO today, "Water leaking into Disco" , remembered reading this thread from Gareth symptoms tied up precisely.
Was all set to tackle the job when I got home. but Murphy threw me a curve ball and only got home very late from work so was in no mood to strip the interior. So looked for a short cut. As the disco was required for a school outing tomorrow and more rain predicted.
I removed the wind deflector, it clips out very easily when the sunroof is open, just apply a little upward pressure on each of the front corners. Found the drain holes as indicated in Gareth's picture by the red arrow. Poured some water into the channel and confirmed left front was blocked.
I used the ball inflater attachment on my tyre pump and used a silicone plug - which is created when the residue silicone dries in the nozzle - to create the seal. see pic below! After a few seconds of blowing, tried the water test and it flowed smoothly.
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Rain running down the inside of the windscreen, dripping from the map reading lights.
