Sunroof leaking (Page 4/4)
JOE 4RE SEP 12, 06:15 AM

quote
Originally posted by Patrick:

It's great that you've returned after an absence of four years to fill us in... but we need pictures!



Patrick,

Life, other projects and priorities seem to get in the way sometimes from doing the things we love.... LOL, but better late than never I always heard!

I know what you mean about pictures... I'm a photo ho too!! I'll see if I can get some clear pics to illustrate the problem and get them posted.

------------------
JOE 4RE
'88 Fiero GT
Med. Red Metallic
loaded 5 speed

AlyAl OCT 30, 03:42 PM
I don't know if anyone is still struggling with this or not. But ME AND MY DAD FINALLY FIXED MINE!!!

Mine had a pretty nasty leak. After a lot of trial and error we were able to find the problem. I peeled off the old seal and found that the sunroof tracks were pretty much rusted all the way through in spots. Causing the seal to be uneven. So i ordered new tracks and a new seal. Threw em in... And it wasn't much better. Then my dad had a great idea!
To test the seal with the air compressor. So we put the glass back on, grabbed the air compressor. And started blowing on the edge of the glass (where the glass meets the seal) blowing from the outside feeling from the inside to check for leaks. We found a couple. I don't really remember where. So we shimmed the low spots underneath the tracks with washers. And that took care of most of them. I think there was still a low spot under the latch though. So we ended up shimming the latch too. I think the rusted tracks had a lot to do with it. And i think over time from the sun hitting the fiberglass roof it just tweaks a bit. I don't think it was an issue withe the latch bending. Or the seal. I don't think i even had to replace mine. but yeah... FIXED!!!
Patrick OCT 30, 06:18 PM

quote
Originally posted by AlyAl:

I don't think it was an issue withe the latch bending. Or the seal.



That's no surprise... as rainwater shouldn't enter the cabin even with the sunroof latched up in the open position. I drive in the rain all the time with my sunroof open. No water comes in.

Nine times out of ten it's plugged (or non-existent) drain holes at the four corners of the sunroof which cause a water infiltration problem.
carlos.polk FEB 17, 04:13 PM
I had been plagued with a leaking sunroof. I had to replace the seat material a couple of years ago (a long story) and asked the upholstery shop to replace the headliner and cure the leak while they were working on the car. They assured me that the problem was solved, that they had sprayed it with a high pressure hose, etc., so I retrieved the car expecting that my new headliner would not be ruined. Next rain, the headline was damp, sagged a bit, but went back into place when it dried out. I was just a bit distressed with the situation. So I tried several methods to keep the sunroof from leaking and only drove in nice weather. I found that Saran Wrap was perfect when stretched across the entire sunroof - two long strips. It doesn't stick and leaves no residue. So.... I started looking for a permanent solution. Someone on this forum mention the "dollar bill" test. Close a dollar bill in the sunroof and if you can pull it out with little to no resistance, you have a potential leak in that area. It came out easily in the area that I had noted the leak but most of the rest did show some resistance. Then I read on this forum that putting a leather boot lace under the rubber seal would do the trick. I used nylon cord of the diameter of a leather boot lace tucked under the seal. The dollar bill now showed resistance all the way around. Next rain storm (get wonderful ones here in New Orleans) there was no leak. Since have had several pretty severe storms plus driving in reasonably heavy rain. No leak! Happy Fiero owner. Thanks to the person who originally posted this solution.
Patrick FEB 17, 09:10 PM

quote
Originally posted by carlos.polk:

Close a dollar bill in the sunroof and if you can pull it out with little to no resistance, you have a potential leak in that area.



It's great that your sunroof leak now appears to be resolved, but...


quote
Originally posted by Patrick:

...rainwater shouldn't enter the cabin even with the sunroof latched up in the open position. I drive in the rain all the time with my sunroof open. No water comes in.
kendell FEB 19, 09:53 PM

quote
Originally posted by LT188GT:

This might sound a little off the wall, but I had a water leak years ago and a friend of mine told me to do this.
Buy some round shoe laces, the kind that you find on work boots and hiking boots.
Pry up the seal and install the laces under the seal on the outer side of the seal as shown by the arrows in the pic.
I did this all the way around the seal.

This worked for me and has lasted well over the years.



Also is your latch loose or tight when you close and lock the panel in place?
The latch is fixable by CAREFULLY bending the two tabs that sometimes will bend outward from the lock.
These latches can break easily so be very gentle if you have to bend them back in.

EDIT to say that the laces were enough to push the seal up to contact the glass better.



That's a clever idea! I will share this with my uncle when I visit him tomorrow for the installation of the rack and bed cover from 4Wheelonline onto his truck. He's been dealing with the sunroof leak on his Fiero since last month.
Patrick FEB 20, 12:03 AM

quote
Originally posted by kendell:

He's been dealing with the sunroof leak on his Fiero since last month.



Tell him to check all four drain holes.