Leaking sunroof, need new gasket? Any adjustments? What is acceptable amount of leaking?

[Fasttimes]

So on my 10' Expy I have water all over the passenger seat, floor, and headliner. Going through web for cause I've found one of the drains was plugged up. I did my best with can air and weed-eater line and it seems to have cleared it up enough to drain the water when I did a test. The passenger front drain seems odd to me that I can only snake weed-eater line about 8" before I can go no further, but can go much further on the driver side. I partially took apart the headline and pillar covering and cannot find the drain tube much less the drain tube to plug, but whatever, seems to be working now.

But what really concerns me is water tests and seeing how much water is coming in the seams of the sunroof. Poured from a water bottle it's like a faucet, put out in rain is a bit better but it comes in all around the circumference of the sunroof glass. I tried adjusting the 4 torx screws and pushed up the glass a smidgen to see if it would help but it did marginally at best.

So what is an acceptable amount of water to come in? I was assuming maybe some slight dripping, but this is way more than that. And looking at replacement gaskets one, how much better can I expect improvement over the 10 year old present one? Has anyone replaced their gasket on the sunroof? Is it a simple procedure?

 

[coupe11]

I've got a 2014 and it has never had a sign of a leak. So, for me, it's no leaks.

 

[07navi]

Most will say nothing is acceptable and they have been leaking since they were invented (not mine). I can take or leave them, all they do is light up my white hair like a coconut snow cone and everyone gawks to see if they know you in this little town.

 

[Mmart]

I have sun roofs on both my 2010 Expy and my 2013 Taurus, I don’t see any water penetrating on either so I would say no water is acceptable.

 

[JExpedition07]

Bone dry on my 2007 Eddie Bauer, but moonroofs commonly leak a bit in the channel that’s what the drains are there for. If it’s excessive it’s time for gasket replacement.

 

[powerboatr]

the seals are designed to channel water, they are not water stoppers, the tubes are there to channel the water out and down to the ground.

my 2013 f150 and the 2010 both had blockages on the drains,
try LOW pressure air less than 10 psi to blow the tubes free of crap. both mine stopped up at the bottom where they exit the vehicle.

fishing line (weed eater is a good start) to snake them. after the lines were cleared we never had any more issues. never had any issue with the 16 expy as of yet.

 

[Fasttimes]

Yeah, I got the drains unclogged, but the amount of water that comes in is unacceptable.

Is the gasket replacement straight forward? Has anyone done it before? Require glue?

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

I don't consider any water intrusion into the vehicle acceptable. Even my broken sunroof doesn't leak water into the interior. That said, the sunroof on my old Mountaineer was leaking like crazy by the time I sold it, but I no longer gave a damn as the thing was rusting all over and fixing it would have been pointless.

 

[montazuma]

You may need to consider disconnecting power and caulking it in. I’ve replaced my seal and it was relatively easy with some lube. But my seal was cracked all over and it still wasn’t leaking like yours is. The drains are designed to accommodate a slow drip leak, but like others have said if your sunroof glass is installed correctly it should not leak at all. I’m guessing you might have a deformity in the roof.

 

[mnachreiner86]

No leaks on mine but I don’t use it except opening the shade [emoji2373]. I know what happens with too much use [emoji2361]


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[Fasttimes]

What a mess this has turned out to be. I eventually ordered a new gasket. Got that today and after installed it quite easily onto the glass using some soapy water. Then the fun began. Put it back in place and then went to start screwing in the screws and adjusting the height on the 4 corners. That wasn't very easy, getting all 4 corners to get right where I thought they should be was a struggle. Eventually it got close enough. Did a water test, a small bit of water came in and I figured I could maybe do some more adjustments to get it better.

I then decided to open the sunroof to see how it would re-seal when closing. Well, POP goes some small plastic parts and now the sunroof will not close. Track assembly broke. Took a better park of 45 min of attempting closings and removing bits of plastic to get it closed and I'll still need to prop something under one corner because it's now loose.

Initial homework online indicated this could be very costly to fix and sure enough I just returned from the local Ford dealer and was quoted $2500. Unbelievable.

Has anyone had any luck replacing the track assemblies themselves? I see kits online for $30, but I know the labor is the kicker.

 

[TDGFordGuy]

Sounds like the gasket may have dried out and shrunk if it's leaking all the way around. It the tracks are not broken, run the glass back and clean the opening very well, then clean the gasket as best you can. If still leaks like that, get the gasket. It's like $100 at the SunRoofDr.

http://www.sunroofdoctor.com/2000-2014-FORD-F150250350450-SUNROOF-WEATHERSTRIP_p_100.html

If it still leaks after all that, time to get a bigger hammer.

 

[TDGFordGuy]

What a mess this has turned out to be. I eventually ordered a new gasket. Got that today and after installed it quite easily onto the glass using some soapy water. Then the fun began. Put it back in place and then went to start screwing in the screws and adjusting the height on the 4 corners. That wasn't very easy, getting all 4 corners to get right where I thought they should be was a struggle. Eventually it got close enough. Did a water test, a small bit of water came in and I figured I could maybe do some more adjustments to get it better.

I then decided to open the sunroof to see how it would re-seal when closing. Well, POP goes some small plastic parts and now the sunroof will not close. Track assembly broke. Took a better park of 45 min of attempting closings and removing bits of plastic to get it closed and I'll still need to prop something under one corner because it's now loose.

Initial homework online indicated this could be very costly to fix and sure enough I just returned from the local Ford dealer and was quoted $2500. Unbelievable.

Has anyone had any luck replacing the track assemblies themselves? I see kits online for $30, but I know the labor is the kicker.

Sunroof dr sells the tracked parts that break and a youtube video showing all the steps. Plan on a Sunrise to Sunset project by yourself. Some people report their local non-dealer shop installed the replacment tracked parts for a Quarter of the FoMoCo dealer cost.

$30?! What kit is that? $2500 for labor and Ford installs a whole new sunroof assembly is why $2500.

 

[Fasttimes]

Yeah, I watched a YouTube video that is seems to be pretty reasonable job to tackle. The removal of the headliner really looks like the hardest part. The video I saw the guy was working on a Platinum F150 and had to remove the passenger seat to angle out the sunroof assembly. Wonder if since it's an Expy that we can't just back it out the rear hatch?

Kits on Amazon for $34. Not sure how they stack up against Sunroof Dr, but sure look similar.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083W11QSJ/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_pf9CFbDWQ5PZP

 

[Trainmaster]

TDG, that's an excellent link. Thanks so much for this great source.

 

[JExpedition07]

I open mine all the time and haven’t had an issue but this thread is making me think it’s staying closed here on out lol...

 

[07navi]

Yeah, I watched a YouTube video that is seems to be pretty reasonable job to tackle. The removal of the headliner really looks like the hardest part. The video I saw the guy was working on a Platinum F150 and had to remove the passenger seat to angle out the sunroof assembly. Wonder if since it's an Expy that we can't just back it out the rear hatch?

Kits on Amazon for $34. Not sure how they stack up against Sunroof Dr, but sure look similar.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083W11QSJ/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_pf9CFbDWQ5PZP

Looks like it is worth every penny. I never open mine and actually I don't even like sun/moon roofs.

 

[Aspen03]

Fwiw I've never had a sunroof leak that I didn't leave open in some manner. Every car I've owned except 2 have had them, so better part of 18 years of vehicles and no spontaneous leaks. I had a car I was t boned in the driver side, even buckled the roof, that car was here for awhile while I de molded and yanked the motor. No leaks... I'd say 0 water intrusion is the standard for most.

Sucks to hear something broke. Will remind me not to mess with it if I experience a leak in the future, that is until I have everything and the time necessary to complete repair. I'm a huge fan of them myself, while they can be a pita I feel the comfort they provide worth the risk. Its the closest my wife can have to a convertible so its a deal breaker without one.

 

[Volleybiggs]

I am having clogged drain problems. The only one not clogged is the passenger front. Both rear are coming out the rear pillars and even the lights. I know the hoses are connected as I pulled headliner down. Such BS the hoses end in the body I can not find them. Oh well will pay dealship 140 to clean will keep y’all posted

 

[dl2011ms3]

I have a 2016 that I bought in 2018, it leaked about 3 months after we bought it. We had a plugged drain going towards the rear. I bet you had a dirt dobber or road grime plug your drains.

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