How does forward sunroof drain tube attach?
10-06-2002, 04:02 PM
#1
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How does forward sunroof drain tube attach?
I was checking on the sunroof drains to make sure that they were all working and 3 out of the 4 seem to drain OK. The one that didn't work was the driver's side forward drain hole. There was rust around this sunroof drain hole so the problem must have been there for some time.
I pour water through and it just pooled there. Took apart the A-pillar moulding to check and it seems there's a brown colored tube that attaches to the sunroof drain and then apparently connects to the drain tube in the engine compartment. I straightened out a coat hanger and tried to push this through to unclog the passageway but no luck.
I need to detach it and then clean it out. Does anybody know where this tube actually makes the connection from the brown tube to the steel one in the engine compartment?
Is it under the cramped dash? What's the best way to get at this tube? Any helpful hints appreciated.
Thanks,
*****
I pour water through and it just pooled there. Took apart the A-pillar moulding to check and it seems there's a brown colored tube that attaches to the sunroof drain and then apparently connects to the drain tube in the engine compartment. I straightened out a coat hanger and tried to push this through to unclog the passageway but no luck.
I need to detach it and then clean it out. Does anybody know where this tube actually makes the connection from the brown tube to the steel one in the engine compartment?
Is it under the cramped dash? What's the best way to get at this tube? Any helpful hints appreciated.
Thanks,
*****
10-12-2002, 01:15 PM
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OK, since nobody replied I went ahead and figured out how to do this myself.
I'm sure that there's other people out there that have this issue with their sunroof so I'll post my results. It's long and apologize but I don't have pictures.
The forward sunroof drains are composed of basically 3 items.
1) The drain holes in the sunroof actually form a nipple. Two are for the forward drains and two are for the rear drains. The rear drains are much easier to work on. These four nipples have the brown plastic tubes fitted around them and they lead water away from the drain holes to the proper exit points in the vehicle.
2) A brown plastic tube that connects the metal nipple from the sunroof drain holes and this tube follows the A-pillar downward to finally connect down to the metal drain tubes that you see in the engine bay near the hood shocks. The brown tube is slighly enlarged to fit around the top sunroof drain nipple. I found out the tube was plastic when I pushed too hard w/ a straightened wire coat hanger and poked a hole in the tube and water flowed out!
3) A metal tube extension that we all see in the engine bay near the hood shocks. This is acually a metal pipe that is straight for about 80% of it's length and then then bends slightly around at maybe 30 degrees and then has a slight flare on it to accept the brown plastic tube. The plastic tube is inserted into this metal extension, not around it. This metal tube is removable! It is held in place by whatever Porsche used as a whitish seam sealer between the engine compartment firewall and the passenger compartment dash area.
I found out that on my car the lower metal extension tube was inserted incorrectly from the factory and then sealed! The tube was turned the wrong way (because of the 30 degree bend, the rotational position is important) and then certain metal parts of the dash pinched the plastic tube and prevented water from draining out the vehicle. The bend in the tube should be facing the outside of the vehicle towards the fenders, not towards the inside. I've removed the tube and will put it back correctly and then use some Wurth products to seal it back together between the firewall and the passenger compartment.
Getting access to this entire area requires removal of the weather stripping on the door and then lifting the stuck-on vinyl headliner material. You do this after you remove the A-pillar moulding. There's 3 Philips screws for this. Mine had a snapped-off head on the top-most screw and I ruined the moulding trying to get this off. Had to back out the screw w/ an extractor after twisting the moulding off. You should also remove the sunvisor mounting screws. I actually removed both sunvisors and the moulding panel with the built-in night light as well.
Removing the A-pillar moulding exposes the brown tube and lifting the vinyl headliner near the top sunroof drain gives access to the connection point for the tube and sunroof nipple.
The lower connection point is more difficult to get to. It requires that you remove part of the dash vents to gain access. The dash has a side panel with a single Philips screw in it. This panel lines up with the door panel when the door is closed. Take this screw off and it reveals 3 more Philips screws to remove for the outermost directional air control for the outermost vents. You have to remove those screws and then take flaps out. Careful not to break the thin plastic panel in front of the vents like I did. Then you have to unscrew the single Philips screw holding the large rectangular ducting tube in place. This screw is accessed from behind the dash looking upwards to the vent. After unscrewing this, pull down on the vent to release it from the top catch holding it in place. Push the vent down and you can see the lower metal sunroof drain tube. It should have lots of the flexible sealer material on it. You can now check to see if this plastic tube is still inserted into the metal extension or not.
Hope this helps anybody having problems with your sunroof drains.
*****
I'm sure that there's other people out there that have this issue with their sunroof so I'll post my results. It's long and apologize but I don't have pictures.
The forward sunroof drains are composed of basically 3 items.
1) The drain holes in the sunroof actually form a nipple. Two are for the forward drains and two are for the rear drains. The rear drains are much easier to work on. These four nipples have the brown plastic tubes fitted around them and they lead water away from the drain holes to the proper exit points in the vehicle.
2) A brown plastic tube that connects the metal nipple from the sunroof drain holes and this tube follows the A-pillar downward to finally connect down to the metal drain tubes that you see in the engine bay near the hood shocks. The brown tube is slighly enlarged to fit around the top sunroof drain nipple. I found out the tube was plastic when I pushed too hard w/ a straightened wire coat hanger and poked a hole in the tube and water flowed out!
3) A metal tube extension that we all see in the engine bay near the hood shocks. This is acually a metal pipe that is straight for about 80% of it's length and then then bends slightly around at maybe 30 degrees and then has a slight flare on it to accept the brown plastic tube. The plastic tube is inserted into this metal extension, not around it. This metal tube is removable! It is held in place by whatever Porsche used as a whitish seam sealer between the engine compartment firewall and the passenger compartment dash area.
I found out that on my car the lower metal extension tube was inserted incorrectly from the factory and then sealed! The tube was turned the wrong way (because of the 30 degree bend, the rotational position is important) and then certain metal parts of the dash pinched the plastic tube and prevented water from draining out the vehicle. The bend in the tube should be facing the outside of the vehicle towards the fenders, not towards the inside. I've removed the tube and will put it back correctly and then use some Wurth products to seal it back together between the firewall and the passenger compartment.
Getting access to this entire area requires removal of the weather stripping on the door and then lifting the stuck-on vinyl headliner material. You do this after you remove the A-pillar moulding. There's 3 Philips screws for this. Mine had a snapped-off head on the top-most screw and I ruined the moulding trying to get this off. Had to back out the screw w/ an extractor after twisting the moulding off. You should also remove the sunvisor mounting screws. I actually removed both sunvisors and the moulding panel with the built-in night light as well.
Removing the A-pillar moulding exposes the brown tube and lifting the vinyl headliner near the top sunroof drain gives access to the connection point for the tube and sunroof nipple.
The lower connection point is more difficult to get to. It requires that you remove part of the dash vents to gain access. The dash has a side panel with a single Philips screw in it. This panel lines up with the door panel when the door is closed. Take this screw off and it reveals 3 more Philips screws to remove for the outermost directional air control for the outermost vents. You have to remove those screws and then take flaps out. Careful not to break the thin plastic panel in front of the vents like I did. Then you have to unscrew the single Philips screw holding the large rectangular ducting tube in place. This screw is accessed from behind the dash looking upwards to the vent. After unscrewing this, pull down on the vent to release it from the top catch holding it in place. Push the vent down and you can see the lower metal sunroof drain tube. It should have lots of the flexible sealer material on it. You can now check to see if this plastic tube is still inserted into the metal extension or not.
Hope this helps anybody having problems with your sunroof drains.
*****
10-12-2002, 01:47 PM
#3
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That's good of you to follow up for others. Please don't take it personally that no one replied - sometimes people just don't know, or the ones who do didn't see it.
Thanks!
-Matt
Thanks!
-Matt
10-12-2002, 02:42 PM
#4
Three Wheelin'
*****, awesome....thanks for posting. I've been trying to track down a water leak for about a month. I didn't know there's a third pipe behind the air vent that can leak.
Tom
'87 951
'86.5 Supra
Tom
'87 951
'86.5 Supra
10-12-2002, 05:17 PM
#5
Three Wheelin'
*****,
I got the directional air control out but still can't see the drain. What else needs to come off? I couldn't get the air hose inside the dash out. Can you remove the gauge cluster and reach in that way?
I got the directional air control out but still can't see the drain. What else needs to come off? I couldn't get the air hose inside the dash out. Can you remove the gauge cluster and reach in that way?
10-13-2002, 12:20 AM
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Tom,
Once you push the rectangular vent down, this should provide enough room for you to see the drain tube and check the condition of the tube. The tube is close to the fender so follow the brown plastic tube and this should lead to the metal drain tube. If you don't push the rectangular vent down, you'll have a hard time seeing the tube; it's tight in there. I didn't have to remove the gauge cluster to gain access; only thing I got out of the way was the vent.
The drain tube on my passenger side was almost totally covered with the seam sealer stuff to the extent that if I didn't know what I was looking for I probably would have missed it. The tube on my driver's side had almost no sealer on it outside of the stuff on the firewall. Your tube might be smothered with the sealer making it look like it's actually part of the fender.
Hope this helps.
*****
Once you push the rectangular vent down, this should provide enough room for you to see the drain tube and check the condition of the tube. The tube is close to the fender so follow the brown plastic tube and this should lead to the metal drain tube. If you don't push the rectangular vent down, you'll have a hard time seeing the tube; it's tight in there. I didn't have to remove the gauge cluster to gain access; only thing I got out of the way was the vent.
The drain tube on my passenger side was almost totally covered with the seam sealer stuff to the extent that if I didn't know what I was looking for I probably would have missed it. The tube on my driver's side had almost no sealer on it outside of the stuff on the firewall. Your tube might be smothered with the sealer making it look like it's actually part of the fender.
Hope this helps.
*****
10-13-2002, 05:32 PM
#7
Three Wheelin'
So it turns out my sunroof drains are fine but it was my door gasket leaking. The gasket got deformed and folded near the door mount Upon spraying the garden hose all over I could see water dripping down the front sill and onto the side footwell carpet. Next step is to figure out how my seatbelts are getting wet. Rear quarter window seal perhaps???
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10-13-2002, 09:34 PM
#8
Three Wheelin'
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hey *****, can i use your text on a personal faq that i am creating? i will put your name as the source. the reason i'm asking is that i may want to put it on a public server at some point.
thanks.
thanks.
10-14-2002, 04:45 AM
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Tom,
Good to hear you solved your forward water leak problem!
Deni,
Sure go ahead and post the instructions. Hope other people can benefit as well.
Tom, on your rear water leak, I was reading about the water leaks in general when I was researching my problem and I came across a few messages that indicated that the rear water leak might be coming in from the front area (i.e. battery tray leaking water). Apparently the water comes in from the front passenger area, gets funneled into a channel between the seat mounting rails and the door sill area and then shows up on the rear passenger carpets. All this happens without getting the front carpets wet so it misleads the owner into thinking the leak might have originated from the rear.
Then again, you might want to check the rear sunroof drains. I checked mine and they were ok, but some peoples' were disconnected leading to a flooded rear cubby hole and wet rear carpeting.
I also split my rear sunroof drain hose on the passenger side. What I mean by that is there is a "Y" connector which ties in the sunroof drain tube (the brown one) and the gasoline drain tube (directly visible on the bottom section of where you add gas; flip open the gas cap cover and you'll see the drain hole underneath the gas cap).
Why did I do this? We'll I hate the gasoline fumes that come into the car when I just added a full tank of gas (and maybe spilled some down that drain hole). Doesn't everyone? Apparently the fact that the gasoline vent tube is tied into the sunroof tube causes the vapors to enter into the vehicle because the sunroof drain acts like a vacuum when the vehicle is moving and then draws the spilt gasoline fumes into the vehicle like a vacuum cleaner.
I haven't gotten a full tank of gas yet, so I'm not entirely sure that this will solve my problem. It might be a loose connection at the filler neck also. I was really surprised at how many other people had the same gas fume problem I did.
*****
Good to hear you solved your forward water leak problem!
Deni,
Sure go ahead and post the instructions. Hope other people can benefit as well.
Tom, on your rear water leak, I was reading about the water leaks in general when I was researching my problem and I came across a few messages that indicated that the rear water leak might be coming in from the front area (i.e. battery tray leaking water). Apparently the water comes in from the front passenger area, gets funneled into a channel between the seat mounting rails and the door sill area and then shows up on the rear passenger carpets. All this happens without getting the front carpets wet so it misleads the owner into thinking the leak might have originated from the rear.
Then again, you might want to check the rear sunroof drains. I checked mine and they were ok, but some peoples' were disconnected leading to a flooded rear cubby hole and wet rear carpeting.
I also split my rear sunroof drain hose on the passenger side. What I mean by that is there is a "Y" connector which ties in the sunroof drain tube (the brown one) and the gasoline drain tube (directly visible on the bottom section of where you add gas; flip open the gas cap cover and you'll see the drain hole underneath the gas cap).
Why did I do this? We'll I hate the gasoline fumes that come into the car when I just added a full tank of gas (and maybe spilled some down that drain hole). Doesn't everyone? Apparently the fact that the gasoline vent tube is tied into the sunroof tube causes the vapors to enter into the vehicle because the sunroof drain acts like a vacuum when the vehicle is moving and then draws the spilt gasoline fumes into the vehicle like a vacuum cleaner.
I haven't gotten a full tank of gas yet, so I'm not entirely sure that this will solve my problem. It might be a loose connection at the filler neck also. I was really surprised at how many other people had the same gas fume problem I did.
*****
10-14-2002, 08:13 AM
#10
Three Wheelin'
*****,
My battery box is fine. That was the first thing I checked. That little robber grommet below the gas cap is a common source of leaks. Over time that grommet shrinks and water will run down the inner-rear wheel hump and collect on the rear pass. carpet if the vehicle is pointed downhill. If it's pointed up hill, the water will collect in the rear pass. side cubby hole. Even though it may appear to seal ok, if you test it with water you'll probably see it doesn't seal. Mine looked fine & felt tight, but upon testing with the garden hose, I felt a steady drip up under the cap when reaching in from the trunk. I'd bet that this causes many owners a lot of headaches for only a $2.09 part!!! Upon searching the arcives, someone stated if your seat belts are wet, then your rear quarter windows are leaking.
Deni, mention this little grommet in your FAQ. I'm sure it's a common leak point on our cars.
My car gave me zero problems all summer and now it starts leaking in every place possible!!
My battery box is fine. That was the first thing I checked. That little robber grommet below the gas cap is a common source of leaks. Over time that grommet shrinks and water will run down the inner-rear wheel hump and collect on the rear pass. carpet if the vehicle is pointed downhill. If it's pointed up hill, the water will collect in the rear pass. side cubby hole. Even though it may appear to seal ok, if you test it with water you'll probably see it doesn't seal. Mine looked fine & felt tight, but upon testing with the garden hose, I felt a steady drip up under the cap when reaching in from the trunk. I'd bet that this causes many owners a lot of headaches for only a $2.09 part!!! Upon searching the arcives, someone stated if your seat belts are wet, then your rear quarter windows are leaking.
Deni, mention this little grommet in your FAQ. I'm sure it's a common leak point on our cars.
My car gave me zero problems all summer and now it starts leaking in every place possible!!
05-07-2024, 11:59 AM
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OK, since nobody replied I went ahead and figured out how to do this myself.
I'm sure that there's other people out there that have this issue with their sunroof so I'll post my results. It's long and apologize but I don't have pictures.
The forward sunroof drains are composed of basically 3 items.
1) The drain holes in the sunroof actually form a nipple. Two are for the forward drains and two are for the rear drains. The rear drains are much easier to work on. These four nipples have the brown plastic tubes fitted around them and they lead water away from the drain holes to the proper exit points in the vehicle.
2) A brown plastic tube that connects the metal nipple from the sunroof drain holes and this tube follows the A-pillar downward to finally connect down to the metal drain tubes that you see in the engine bay near the hood shocks. The brown tube is slighly enlarged to fit around the top sunroof drain nipple. I found out the tube was plastic when I pushed too hard w/ a straightened wire coat hanger and poked a hole in the tube and water flowed out!
3) A metal tube extension that we all see in the engine bay near the hood shocks. This is acually a metal pipe that is straight for about 80% of it's length and then then bends slightly around at maybe 30 degrees and then has a slight flare on it to accept the brown plastic tube. The plastic tube is inserted into this metal extension, not around it. This metal tube is removable! It is held in place by whatever Porsche used as a whitish seam sealer between the engine compartment firewall and the passenger compartment dash area.
I found out that on my car the lower metal extension tube was inserted incorrectly from the factory and then sealed! The tube was turned the wrong way (because of the 30 degree bend, the rotational position is important) and then certain metal parts of the dash pinched the plastic tube and prevented water from draining out the vehicle. The bend in the tube should be facing the outside of the vehicle towards the fenders, not towards the inside. I've removed the tube and will put it back correctly and then use some Wurth products to seal it back together between the firewall and the passenger compartment.
Getting access to this entire area requires removal of the weather stripping on the door and then lifting the stuck-on vinyl headliner material. You do this after you remove the A-pillar moulding. There's 3 Philips screws for this. Mine had a snapped-off head on the top-most screw and I ruined the moulding trying to get this off. Had to back out the screw w/ an extractor after twisting the moulding off. You should also remove the sunvisor mounting screws. I actually removed both sunvisors and the moulding panel with the built-in night light as well.
Removing the A-pillar moulding exposes the brown tube and lifting the vinyl headliner near the top sunroof drain gives access to the connection point for the tube and sunroof nipple.
The lower connection point is more difficult to get to. It requires that you remove part of the dash vents to gain access. The dash has a side panel with a single Philips screw in it. This panel lines up with the door panel when the door is closed. Take this screw off and it reveals 3 more Philips screws to remove for the outermost directional air control for the outermost vents. You have to remove those screws and then take flaps out. Careful not to break the thin plastic panel in front of the vents like I did. Then you have to unscrew the single Philips screw holding the large rectangular ducting tube in place. This screw is accessed from behind the dash looking upwards to the vent. After unscrewing this, pull down on the vent to release it from the top catch holding it in place. Push the vent down and you can see the lower metal sunroof drain tube. It should have lots of the flexible sealer material on it. You can now check to see if this plastic tube is still inserted into the metal extension or not.
Hope this helps anybody having problems with your sunroof drains.
*****
I'm sure that there's other people out there that have this issue with their sunroof so I'll post my results. It's long and apologize but I don't have pictures.
The forward sunroof drains are composed of basically 3 items.
1) The drain holes in the sunroof actually form a nipple. Two are for the forward drains and two are for the rear drains. The rear drains are much easier to work on. These four nipples have the brown plastic tubes fitted around them and they lead water away from the drain holes to the proper exit points in the vehicle.
2) A brown plastic tube that connects the metal nipple from the sunroof drain holes and this tube follows the A-pillar downward to finally connect down to the metal drain tubes that you see in the engine bay near the hood shocks. The brown tube is slighly enlarged to fit around the top sunroof drain nipple. I found out the tube was plastic when I pushed too hard w/ a straightened wire coat hanger and poked a hole in the tube and water flowed out!
3) A metal tube extension that we all see in the engine bay near the hood shocks. This is acually a metal pipe that is straight for about 80% of it's length and then then bends slightly around at maybe 30 degrees and then has a slight flare on it to accept the brown plastic tube. The plastic tube is inserted into this metal extension, not around it. This metal tube is removable! It is held in place by whatever Porsche used as a whitish seam sealer between the engine compartment firewall and the passenger compartment dash area.
I found out that on my car the lower metal extension tube was inserted incorrectly from the factory and then sealed! The tube was turned the wrong way (because of the 30 degree bend, the rotational position is important) and then certain metal parts of the dash pinched the plastic tube and prevented water from draining out the vehicle. The bend in the tube should be facing the outside of the vehicle towards the fenders, not towards the inside. I've removed the tube and will put it back correctly and then use some Wurth products to seal it back together between the firewall and the passenger compartment.
Getting access to this entire area requires removal of the weather stripping on the door and then lifting the stuck-on vinyl headliner material. You do this after you remove the A-pillar moulding. There's 3 Philips screws for this. Mine had a snapped-off head on the top-most screw and I ruined the moulding trying to get this off. Had to back out the screw w/ an extractor after twisting the moulding off. You should also remove the sunvisor mounting screws. I actually removed both sunvisors and the moulding panel with the built-in night light as well.
Removing the A-pillar moulding exposes the brown tube and lifting the vinyl headliner near the top sunroof drain gives access to the connection point for the tube and sunroof nipple.
The lower connection point is more difficult to get to. It requires that you remove part of the dash vents to gain access. The dash has a side panel with a single Philips screw in it. This panel lines up with the door panel when the door is closed. Take this screw off and it reveals 3 more Philips screws to remove for the outermost directional air control for the outermost vents. You have to remove those screws and then take flaps out. Careful not to break the thin plastic panel in front of the vents like I did. Then you have to unscrew the single Philips screw holding the large rectangular ducting tube in place. This screw is accessed from behind the dash looking upwards to the vent. After unscrewing this, pull down on the vent to release it from the top catch holding it in place. Push the vent down and you can see the lower metal sunroof drain tube. It should have lots of the flexible sealer material on it. You can now check to see if this plastic tube is still inserted into the metal extension or not.
Hope this helps anybody having problems with your sunroof drains.
*****
