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decided to tackle sunroof drain cleaning today. bought some .105 string trimmer line, and cut to about 4 feet. on the
left front, the line went thru nearly all the way, and water seems to drain well. the right front line goes down over three feet,
and then will travel no more. I removed the passenger side wheel liner, and (of course) the washer tank is in the way. us that
drain visible with the tank removed? and, if I have a kink in the passenger side drain, do I need to remove the washer tank to access the tube?
should you be able to pull the trimmer line completely thru the drain tube? or does the fender prevent this from happening?
Can you cannulate the drain at the top and force water down it and onto the floor?
yes. I was able to get a small pointed tip plastic bottle from a beauty supply shop, and some 3/32" vacuum line, that fit
perfectly into the sunroof drain hole. squeezing the bottle provided a nice stream of water on the garage floor.
rob, I did not realize that the drain tube ends so high up inside the inner fender. pictures really help; thanks!! I thought that the drain tube
extended to the bottom of the rocker panel.
also, is there a recommended solution of perhaps, hot vinegar, or vinegar and baking soda, or even hot soapy water,
what would help with this process?
One thing I also did...I got a really thick piece of weed whacker string....rounded the end off so it wasn't sharp..and then I use a little petroleum jelly to help it ....you don't need much and it's really just to get it started cause there are a couple of curves...another thing I do to get it past the first part is rotate the string...rotate and slowly push ...that will get you past that part and cut the risk of damaging the soft rubber tubes.
I have never driven my S4 in a hard rain and car washing hasn't caused a leak. This thread prompted me to buy some .09 trimmer line do some preemptive cleaning - being the 3rd owner who knows what is in there. First I tested the drains. Water drained quickly at all corners. Ran trimmer line down the front tubes. After getting about 3.5 feet inserted I put the line in the chuck of a cordless drill/driver and slowly spun the line. Removed the line and it was clean. Flushed the drains again and clean water exited on the floor. The channels around the sunroof are clean but I was surprised small debris hadn't accumulated over the decades.
Yes. When you open the hatch at the top corners you will see a hole on each side. That is where the water exits from the sunroof drain.
Oh. This is a great post. I've cleaned my front drains before but could never clean my back ones because I couldn't figure out how to access them through the sunroof. In 10 years of ownership it never occurred to me to access them from the hatch. Thanks!
Definitely look at the rain tray if you haven't inspected this in recent history. Mine was cracked and let water into my sunroof opening by the passenger front corner. That tray is essential to directing water to the outside channels so it can exit via the drain holes.
04-23-2014, 11:59 PM
