Moonroof leaks, where do I start repairs?

[91LegLS]

I'm sure this topic has been covered, I just couldn't find the discussion thread. What should I do first? It starts to leak when I stop the car. Doesn't leak if the car is sitting or when I'm driving. This is my first car with a moonroof so I'm not sure what to do.

[a97obw]

I don't have a moon roof in my Subaru, and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night either.......but I should think that the moon roof (we call 'em sun roofs here in the sunny south) would have some rubber seals like the door seals that you could spray and wipe down really well with some silicone spray. That should clean them and liven them up a bit. If they've never been treated, you might want to spray the silicone on a rag, wipe it on and let it soak in for several minutes before you wipe it down. Repeat a couple more times.

 

Seems the roof should also have some kind of drain system. Look around and see if you can find a spot where the water should drain that is clogged up and you might be able to use compressed air (low pressure!) to blow it out. On the Miatas, we use a piece of coat hanger to clean out the front and rear drains for the convertible tops.

 

Hope this helps!

[91LegLS]

I don't have a moon roof in my Subaru, and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night either.......but I should think that the moon roof (we call 'em sun roofs here in the sunny south) would have some rubber seals like the door seals that you could spray and wipe down really well with some silicone spray. That should clean them and liven them up a bit. If they've never been treated, you might want to spray the silicone on a rag, wipe it on and let it soak in for several minutes before you wipe it down. Repeat a couple more times.

 

Seems the roof should also have some kind of drain system. Look around and see if you can find a spot where the water should drain that is clogged up and you might be able to use compressed air (low pressure!) to blow it out. On the Miatas, we use a piece of coat hanger to clean out the front and rear drains for the convertible tops.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Thanks, I'll give it a try. About a month ago, I wiped down the rubber seals so that they wouldn't stick. I'll try the low pressure compressed air to see if the drains are clogged.

 

I recently learned the difference between a sunroof and a moonroof. Moonroofs have glass (so you can see the moon at night while it's closed) and a retractable sunshade (so you don't suffer during the summer)

[Danbob99]

A moon roof isn't see through a sunroof has glas, that slides... The sunroofs are a very common leak. It leaks where the rails for the sliding glass piece ataches to the frame... you can see it with some soapy water and some compressed air, carefull not to blow whats left of the seal through though

 

Good luck!

Dan

[91LegLS]

A moon roof isn't see through a sunroof has glas, that slides... The sunroofs are a very common leak. It leaks where the rails for the sliding glass piece ataches to the frame... you can see it with some soapy water and some compressed air, carefull not to blow whats left of the seal through though

 

Good luck!

Dan

Thanks for the information about where the moonroof usually leaks. I'll go examine my seals to see what condition they are in. Is it difficult to replace the seals if they need it?

 

Dave

[WAWalker]

There aren't any replaceable seals. Were the tracks meet the framework of the sunroof assembly there was a sealant applied. Said sealant gets hard and starts cracking. Clean along the track the best you can and reseal with silicon. To 100% reseal these they really need to be removed front the car. Not a fun job.

There are 4 drains to check, one on each front corner that run down the A pillar, one on each rear corner that run down the C pillar

[DerFahrer]

Before doing anything else, check to be sure the drains aren't clogged.

 

The sunroof has 4 drains in the frame of the roof panel, one at each corner of the sunroof to let water drain out the bottom of the car. Without these drains, the sunroof will leak, even if all the seals are brand-new. That water has to go somewhere.

 

Anyway, my wagon's sunroof was leaking when I first got it. I stuck some weedwhacker line and shoved it down in the front drains. Glass shards came out the bottom :eek:

 

Turns out the sunroof had been replaced for some reason. Car's never been wrecked, so maybe a baseball landed on top of it or something. But the sunroof was shattered and the glass shards were clogging the drains up.

 

Hasn't leaked a drop since.

[Megell]

Before doing anything else, check to be sure the drains aren't clogged.

 

The sunroof has 4 drains in the frame of the roof panel, one at each corner of the sunroof to let water drain out the bottom of the car. Without these drains, the sunroof will leak, even if all the seals are brand-new. That water has to go somewhere.

 

Anyway, my wagon's sunroof was leaking when I first got it. I stuck some weedwhacker line and shoved it down in the front drains. Glass shards came out the bottom :eek:

 

Turns out the sunroof had been replaced for some reason. Car's never been wrecked, so maybe a baseball landed on top of it or something. But the sunroof was shattered and the glass shards were clogging the drains up.

 

Hasn't leaked a drop since.

 

 

I have taken everyones advice on making sure the drain holes are clean on my 91 Leg ss. But I don't see any drain holes at all on any corner. Did I miss something?

Mike

[91LegLS]

Before doing anything else, check to be sure the drains aren't clogged.

 

The sunroof has 4 drains in the frame of the roof panel, one at each corner of the sunroof to let water drain out the bottom of the car. Without these drains, the sunroof will leak, even if all the seals are brand-new. That water has to go somewhere.

 

Anyway, my wagon's sunroof was leaking when I first got it. I stuck some weedwhacker line and shoved it down in the front drains. Glass shards came out the bottom :eek:

 

Turns out the sunroof had been replaced for some reason. Car's never been wrecked, so maybe a baseball landed on top of it or something. But the sunroof was shattered and the glass shards were clogging the drains up.

 

Hasn't leaked a drop since.

I found the drainholes at the front but I didn't see holes in the back. Where are they and where does the water drain for the back holes? I have a wagon.

[Skip]

this is a pretty common problem with our gen Legacys

 

if the the drain cleaning does not solve the leak

 

please have a look at this

http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?t=183

[91LegLS]

this is a pretty common problem with our gen Legacys

 

if the the drain cleaning does not solve the leak

 

please have a look at this

http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?t=183

The above link was very helpful and detailed. I'll start with the drain plugs and make sure they aren't plugged before I decide to remove the roof and re-seal, which probably couldn't hurt, now that the car is getting a little older (156K on the odometer)

 

Thanks for the info.

 

[a97obw]

Weed eater line to run through the drain tubes! That is an EXCELLENT suggestion for something to clean them with! Whodathunkit!?