Sun/Moonroof Problems

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eastbaysubaru
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Post by eastbaysubaru »

The only question I have for those that have done this job is how you get the rear portion of the track up to lay the new sealant down? I've got the pan down, and the front of the track is easy to get up. The part I can't figure out is the rear, where the metal tubes come into the pan. How do you remove that rear part of the track to get the sealant down?

-Brian
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Post by nicebloke »

Anybody have any pics of this yet?
eastbaysubaru
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Post by eastbaysubaru »

I'm going to take pictures tomorrow. I still haven't figured out how to get the entire rail off the sunroof pan, so maybe someone can shed some light on this. Either way, I'll take pictures tomorrow and post them up tomorrow night.

-Brian
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Sunroof leak Fixed!!

Post by lgyee4 »

I got my sunroof problem fixed with out removing the headliner/sunroof.
I first removed both front mudflaps and took all the garbage that collects back there out and left them off while I worked on clearing the tubes.
Next I took some line from my stringtrimmer (.080) and pushed it down the tubes in the front of the sunroof pan. It worked and now the drains from the sunroof pan flow great.
It seems that the drain tubes empty out behind the front mud flaps and when crud collects back there, it will stop up the tubes. The plastic line from the string trimmer is flexible enough to curve around the the tubes and strong/stiff enough to push out any dirt or debris in the tube.
I checked the flow of the drains after I cleared them with some warm water and sure enough, they flowed great and it washed out any remaining dirt in the tubes.
Try this before removing the sunroof/headliner.
My lap and head are dry and the seat is dry when I get in.
Thanks eastbaysubaru for showing me where the dirt collects!
1993 Turbo Wagon Stock w/turbo back 3"exh, KYB's
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Post by ericS2the6 »

eastbaysubaru wrote:I'm going to take pictures tomorrow. I still haven't figured out how to get the entire rail off the sunroof pan, so maybe someone can shed some light on this. Either way, I'll take pictures tomorrow and post them up tomorrow night.

-Brian
i did this a couple months ago after being pushed to the limit as i went in my car one day and found a puddle on my pass seat.

really there is nothing hard about this, just make sure you have a friend to help cuz its heavy. just time consuming.

im trying to remember but i believe to remove the tracks completely there is one screw at the very front, one little nut torward the front, and then at the very back there a bracket that has 2 little nuts on it, those come off and so does the bracket and you should be good to go. the wires going into the track stay connected, as they are flexible and can just be bent.

clean the tray and tracks, a bit of isopropyl alcohol, dry, then lay down some good sealant. i think i used some general purpose stuff that claimed maximum adhesion to virtually all kinds of surfaces, and guarenteed against cracking etc.

reassemble and no leaks at all for me so far.
eastbaysubaru
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Post by eastbaysubaru »

Wow! Just finished this a week or so ago and this weekend was the first that we've had rain. It seems to be leak free, and it's been Dumping :D. I'll get the few pics up that I took. I basically tried to take pics of the back of all interior pieces so you could tell where to pull them off.

-Brian
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Post by entirelyturbo »

My ass is wet.








Because the sunroof in our new wagon is leaking. :evil:

It only leaks on the driver's side, towards the front, and it was pouring rain tonight. My seat was quite damp and the headliner was soaked.

lgyee4, I will definitely try your little trick and try cleaning out the left front drain hose.

I hope to add to this thread with another success story (one that hopefully doesn't include removing the entire headliner :|)
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Post by Jr.SubaruLvr »

i gave up on mine and put sealing all around. its just a moon roof now.
eastbaysubaru
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Post by eastbaysubaru »

Removing the headliner isn't nearly as bad as it seems. With two people, you could probably get in done in a day. I'm sooooo happy now that it doesn't leak. My wife's even happier...'cause she was the one getting wet all the time :D

-Brian
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Post by entirelyturbo »

I read through this thread, and I'm still not 100% positive: If I determine that the leak is in the sunroof track and that I have to remove it, does that mean I HAVE to remove the headliner?
2000 Subaru Legacy B4 RSK

"Der Wahnsinn ist nur eine schmale Brücke/die Ufer sind Vernunft und Trieb"

*Formerly DerFahrer*

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eastbaysubaru
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Post by eastbaysubaru »

Pretty much. It seems like it'd be a lot easier in a sedan because the headliner's smaller and easier to work with. Regardless, the reason the sunroof leaks is that the foam sealant that holds the track to the sunroof pan dries up and allows water to get in. You basically have to pull up the track rails and clean off the dried up sealant, than reseal it with something.

-Brian
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Post by entirelyturbo »

eastbaysubaru wrote:It seems like it'd be a lot easier in a sedan because the headliner's smaller and easier to work with.
This isn't my car, mine doesn't have a sunroof. This is my granpa's new 93 wagon :(
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Post by entirelyturbo »

Interesting.

I just got finished cleaning the drain pipes out of my granpa's wagon.

1) I dunno what is different about this car or about your guys' cars, but my drain pipes exit right at the bottom of the weatherstripping in the A-pillar, nowhere near the mudguard or anything like that.

2) They were clogged alright... with broken glass shards :shock:.

I can tell the sunroof is not original by the wording on it. This concerned me for a moment (as if maybe this car has been wrecked before), but I figured other glass pieces would surely be damaged in an accident that is bad enough to smash the sunroof. All the glass is original, and I can see no signs of any accident. So somehow the original sunroof in this car got smashed.

But the main point: I cleaned them out and washed the car. I made it a point to douse the sunroof with a lot of water. Not a drop made it inside :). So, at least for now, I've fixed the problem.

:D
2000 Subaru Legacy B4 RSK

"Der Wahnsinn ist nur eine schmale Brücke/die Ufer sind Vernunft und Trieb"

*Formerly DerFahrer*

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Post by All_talk »

I'm in the middle of the sunroof reseal right now, I got everything diassembled and cleaned up last night after work, should be back together tonight. I've been taking pictures along the way, should I post some?

I got the back of the rails up/clear buy pulling them away from the cable tube, exposing the flex cable, then I could flip the rails over and swing them out of the way. (I have a pic).

Gary
No matter how broke I am... I always seem to find two cents.
eastbaysubaru
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Post by eastbaysubaru »

Yeah, I still have some pics to post as well. Was your's a sedan or wagon?

-Brian
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Post by snowboarded »

I didn't have to do that at all.
Brat had fabricated the long tube type thing that hooked onto an air compressor.
I blew out the drains.
Tested the drains by puring lots of water over the roof and got no leaks.
Then opened up the sun roof and poured it directly into the tray and it drained properly.
So I didn't have to remove squat to fix mine.
[quote="Manarius "]Only flamers will get those. [/quote]
[quote="All_talk "]How many WHP will that give me? :)[/quote]

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Post by turbonator »

eastbaysubaru wrote:Removing the headliner isn't nearly as bad as it seems. With two people, you could probably get in done in a day. I'm sooooo happy now that it doesn't leak. My wife's even happier...'cause she was the one getting wet all the time :D

-Brian
:? I just took it all out in a half hour by my self..
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Post by turbonator »

Please post you pics guys .. I'm going to check the drains today and if thats not the problem then the glass is comimg out.
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Post by All_talk »

I'll try and remember and upload some pics when I get home, anything in particular you wanna see?

Gary
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Post by turbonator »

turbonator wrote:
eastbaysubaru wrote:Removing the headliner isn't nearly as bad as it seems. With two people, you could probably get in done in a day. I'm sooooo happy now that it doesn't leak. My wife's even happier...'cause she was the one getting wet all the time :D

-Brian
:? I just took it all out in a half hour by my self..
Does the huge black metal panel have to come out as well.
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Post by All_talk »

turbonator wrote:
Does the huge black metal panel have to come out as well.
To check the drains, No.

To reseal the rails, Yes.

Pull the glass first to save some weight, I took the assembly out the front passenger door with the seats layed back. I did the whole job myself, but a helper would be VERY nice for this one.

Gary
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Post by All_talk »

OK pics (56K die)...

Drains

Image

Image


unit out (easier if you pull the glass first)

Image


What you will likely find

Image

Image


Cleaned up and re-sealing

Image

Image

Image

Ready to go back in

Image

A few more here:
http://photobucket.com/albums/v204/All_ ... u/sunroof/

Gary
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Post by turbonator »

OK it all out.. Now do I need to remove the glass an if yes how do I remove the glass.??

I removed it with the sunroof all the way open.

I would like to fix this right.. :D
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Post by All_talk »

Yep, glass should come out, the nuts that hold the glass are under the covers on the left and right sides, push the center buttons on the plastic rivits to remove the covers (look at my second pic). Take note of the shims between the glass and frame (best to wright it down).

Gary
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Post by turbonator »

All_talk wrote:Yep, glass should come out, the nuts that hold the glass are under the covers on the left and right sides, push the center buttons on the plastic rivits to remove the covers (look at my second pic). Take note of the shims between the glass and frame (best to wright it down).

Gary
Does it have to be shut or open.?
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