Roof Leaks
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4wd Low
Joined: May 2010
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Roof Leaks
2002 Disco II, 90k miles
My sunroof has been leaking ever since I bought the vehicle (used) a couple of years ago. It started right after I bought it and the dealer supposedly dropped the liner and fixed the drain tube joints, which seemed to fix the problem, although there still seemed to be faint signs of damp headliner and drip trails on the windshield after a rain.
Lately this has gotten much worse with small puddles on the dash and soaking wet headliners above the windshield. Before having the headliner dropped again or just RTVing the whole mess, yesterday I sealed all around the front roof window with clear plastic shipping tape, covering both the glass to rubber seal and the seal where the sunroof assembly meets the metal roof just to make sure it was the roof leaking. After a heavy rain last night, there were the same puddles and liner soaking as always. The tape was still in place and tightly sealed all around. So where do I look next??
Thanks for any suggestions.
Jim
My sunroof has been leaking ever since I bought the vehicle (used) a couple of years ago. It started right after I bought it and the dealer supposedly dropped the liner and fixed the drain tube joints, which seemed to fix the problem, although there still seemed to be faint signs of damp headliner and drip trails on the windshield after a rain.
Lately this has gotten much worse with small puddles on the dash and soaking wet headliners above the windshield. Before having the headliner dropped again or just RTVing the whole mess, yesterday I sealed all around the front roof window with clear plastic shipping tape, covering both the glass to rubber seal and the seal where the sunroof assembly meets the metal roof just to make sure it was the roof leaking. After a heavy rain last night, there were the same puddles and liner soaking as always. The tape was still in place and tightly sealed all around. So where do I look next??
Thanks for any suggestions.
Jim
Winching
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 563
Likes: 9
From: Birmingham, AL
I copied this from a thread on dweb. The drain tubes are not the problem. My 04 front sunroof started leaking not long after I bought it. I saw this write up and decided to take the advice of pulling the rubber seal and running a bead of RTV in the channel and then re-installing the seal. So far it hasn't leaked a single drop since. It has been about 4-5 months since I did this and we have had some very heavy rain lately.
I had to fix all three of these things to get my sunroofs to never leak again.
For water to get to the pan when the sunroof is closed, the rubber seal that touches the glass has to fail. That is why that seal is there, to stop water coming inside. If water gets past that seal the drain tubes really won't help. If you look at the motor and all the screws that pan CANNOT hold water.
The drain tubes are only there for small amounts of water collection that occurs from the opening of the roof when there is standing water on top of the glass.
Now, there are 3 things I have found, they are as follows: (#1 is most likely the cause)
1. The rubber seal that touches the glass is seated in a plastic channel. Water flows into the channel and then makes it's way under the seal (between the plastic channel and the seal). The water then leaks to the inside, into the pan and out through the holes for the motor and drive assy.
Fix: Take the seal completely out, run a bead of RTV silicone inside the channel and replace the seal. This will stop water from going around the seal.
2. The seal itself has been flattened by time and water is able to pass between the glass and the seal.
Fix: replace the seal with a new one. The seal can't be purchased from LR by itself so I had to find a salvage part, call Will Tillery.
3. The plastic form that holds the entire seal assembly (the big black plastic square ring you can see from the outside) sags in the middle just enough to allow water to pass between the glass and the seal.
Fix: remove entire sunroof assembly add double stick rubber seal to the center between the body (roof metal) and the plastic form to force the seal to press harder against the glass.
For water to get to the pan when the sunroof is closed, the rubber seal that touches the glass has to fail. That is why that seal is there, to stop water coming inside. If water gets past that seal the drain tubes really won't help. If you look at the motor and all the screws that pan CANNOT hold water.
The drain tubes are only there for small amounts of water collection that occurs from the opening of the roof when there is standing water on top of the glass.
Now, there are 3 things I have found, they are as follows: (#1 is most likely the cause)
1. The rubber seal that touches the glass is seated in a plastic channel. Water flows into the channel and then makes it's way under the seal (between the plastic channel and the seal). The water then leaks to the inside, into the pan and out through the holes for the motor and drive assy.
Fix: Take the seal completely out, run a bead of RTV silicone inside the channel and replace the seal. This will stop water from going around the seal.
2. The seal itself has been flattened by time and water is able to pass between the glass and the seal.
Fix: replace the seal with a new one. The seal can't be purchased from LR by itself so I had to find a salvage part, call Will Tillery.
3. The plastic form that holds the entire seal assembly (the big black plastic square ring you can see from the outside) sags in the middle just enough to allow water to pass between the glass and the seal.
Fix: remove entire sunroof assembly add double stick rubber seal to the center between the body (roof metal) and the plastic form to force the seal to press harder against the glass.
Thread Starter
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4wd Low
Joined: May 2010
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Thanks for the quick reply Charlie. Your suggestion makes sense, except the tape should have keep all or most of the water out, so I tend to think there is a leak somewhere else. I used a LOT of tape.
Winching
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 563
Likes: 9
From: Birmingham, AL
Sounds more like your windshield is leaking rather than the sunroof. I had that problem too not long after I bought my truck. The PO had a new windshield installed not long before I bought it and it wasn't sealed properly. I took it to a windshield shop and they were able to reseal without having to remove the glass. Replacement windshields are notorious for leaking. Do you know if yours was replaced prior to you purchasing?
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4wd Low
Joined: May 2010
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That thought has occurred to me also. (Interestingly enough I had a cracked windshield replaced on a Disco I I used to own (yes I am a glutton for punishment!) and it leaked. Don't know about the glass in the present one. However would the headliner get really wet, up to several inches from where it meets the windshield? I didn't mention the the leak seems to be primarily just drips down from the rear view mirror mount onto the top of the dash and not on the inside of the windshield.
Winching
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 563
Likes: 9
From: Birmingham, AL
I would start by sealing the rubber seal to the channel on the sunroof like I did. It's easy, cheap and can't hurt. Then see if that has made any change to how much water is coming in and where. If it is still hard to tell, you may have to pull the headliner to really see where the water is coming in. It's not really a hard job, just takes time to remove all the plastic bits.
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