Leaky sunroof

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Hijet 1Ltr 1997 EFI

i am getting dripped on!
its the front sunroof and drips over the drivers seat.
doesnt seem to do it when its raining. so i am guessing its building up in the seal and dripping later.

there is a white plastic sheild with tab looking slots. can i remove this and get access under it?
i dont want to seal it as i do want to use the sunroof in summer.

Leaky sunroof...

If you get right up close to it and look, you can see that the water tightness of the sunroof is very basic, as with everything else on these machines. It is basically glass set against the rubber gasket. As such, it is vital that both the gasket and the glass are cleaned thoroughly.

I had this same issue, and you may deduce something else, but when I looked closely at it, this is what I saw.

Mine had started growing a small amount of green slime or moss, as water tends to pool up there. The glass was very black and dirty around the edge, and the gasket had become very rough, so that a water tight seal could not be made.

Clean both gasket and glass carefully, revive the gasket with some Armourall or similar, leaving it to sit for a bit to penetrate. Then wipe the gasket clean with a cotton cloth to absorb any water or grease remaining.

This did the trick with mine.

The other thing to note about these is that there are usually channels to allow water out. You might notice small indentations in the body, forward of the gasket on the outside. I've been meaning to investigate this myself. These channels can get blocked with grime, thereby allowing the build up of water in the sunroof grooves and the gasket.

You may notice when you are braking to slow down, two streams of water may flow down either side of your windshield, especially after the van has been sitting, or if it has been raining. These are the channels emptying with the forward momentum of your braking.

There is also a black trim on the outside of the sunroof that tends to corrode. I've been considering how to deal with this. I've been thinking of taking a wire brush or grinding stone to it with the cordless drill, and then carefully repainting with black metal paint. Not sure about this though.

Some people seal the sunrooves shut. I've seen some really botched jobs with everything from silicone bathroom sealant to duct tape. I think this is terrible and tacky.

Wouldn't mind hearing your feedback on this if you start taking things apart up there.

onilleymcknown

the hard park for me is i am

the hard part for me is i am 5ft sod all and cant reach/see much!
i did open the sun roof this afternoon and try to feel round the gasket blindly! didnt achieve much as it was still dripping on me this eve.
wouldnt be surprised if the cold snap we had has cracked the rubber that may have had water inside it!
will have a look tomorrow lunch time to see if i can get anywhere.
main thing is if i can get to the seal direct, we have alcohol wipes at work so i am sure i can clean the glass :0)

microvanowners.co.uk
http://hijet.findtalk.net
a new Hijet Forum

well i stripped the sunroof

well i stripped the sunroof right down to the rubber seal, removed the seal and washed it in warm soapy water, cleaned the metal rail with a dish scrubby/soap, i saw no drain holes in the corners, cleaned glass all the way round.
i did see on the seal there is a 2" section slightly missing on the part that sits in the main rail. i didnt have any sealant to hand, but if it still leaks then i know i can do the job quickly.
refitted everything.. hour tops
1- remove screw caps
2- remove screws
3- remove white plastic skirt, once this is down you can also get access to the roller blind if its broken like one of mine is on the rear sunroof (4 another day)
4- unscrew 2 short screws to release the glass from locking hinge and lift out/off
5- carefully remove rubber seal.

"I've been considering how to deal with this"
> that rail can be removed once the stuff is off that i removed. the best way would be to take it to a powder coating firm and get them to sand blast/recoat it. it will last for ages if done like that. even got a local company that owes me a few favours that i can use. was thinking about giving them my motorcycle rims to do.

microvanowners.co.uk
http://hijet.findtalk.net
a new Hijet Forum

leaky sunroof...

Well done!!

That's now a very useful thread for anyone else with the same problem! Thanks for taking the extra effort and puttin' the pics on! Picture is a thousand words.

onilleymcknown