Hello and a slight leak!

[efy2bjg]

Hello Folks

I recently acquired my dream car, that being an 89 black 3.2 carrera coupe and I'm loving it. I've always been into cars and I hope this one will be a long and lasting relationship :-), so hello Pelicans.



Now ownership so far has been without major drama which is refreshing. Although the car has been garaged for the last 10 years and continues to be garaged now it's in my ownership it has been caught out a few times in the frequent showers here in the UK. The other day after some torrential rain whilst I was staying with friends I noticed a small puddle behind the drivers seat in the morning.

I've had a look through some previous posts on here and it seems that this could be caused by almost any of the exterior seals failing!

My sunroof seals look very old so I have ordered some new ones which I will fit at the same time as clearing out the drain tubes.

I have a small patch of bubbling paintwork at the bottom left of the rear screen (see below)



there is a slight crack in the paint where it joins the seal, should this be my first port of call in fixing this leak?

Any advice is greatly appreciated

Thanks

Ben

[Liam O]

I think new sunroof seals could solve your leak and as you say make sure the drain tubes are clear. But if it was my car I would be taking out the rear screen to see how far that rust goes.
By the way looks a nice car.

[ossiblue]

If your roof drains are clear and the drain tubes still attatched to the outlets, the leak is most likely from the window seal, not the sunroof, IMO. The small bubbling you show is a tell-tale sign that your seal was bad, or is currently bad. A seal can leak even if there is no cracking of the rubber and it still feels pliable. You will be surprised how far that rust extends. I would follow Liam's suggestion and address that rust immediately. At the very least, remove the rear windshield and seal, inspect/clean up the rust, and replace with a new OEM seal. It will only get worse and more expensive!

[steely]

Beautiful looking car Ben - awesome pics.
Good luck and Welcome!

[Gwyn911]

Hi Ben, nice car, if you are changing the sun roof seals you could also change the sunroof drain tubes, they are rubber tube that push on to the sun roof tray at the top and connect to a rubber grommet at the lower end, you can see the grommet on the bodywork when the engine cover is open, the grommet and drain pipes harden over years, mine had shrunk and split allowing water to settle on the interior, right about where your rust bubbles are, good luck.

Gwyn.

[efy2bjg]

Thanks for the info and nice comments guys.

As far as the sunroof tubes are concerned I have read up on the 'weed wacker' and half open approach but when inspecting the rubber connecting sleeves, are the top ones visible through the zipped inspection hatch?

As for the rear screen. I agree, I should take it out and fix up the bubble/hole and paintwork and replace the seal however I think this will have to wait for a couple of months when I have time as it will probably be more than a weekend's worth of work. Is there a comprehensive guide to removing and refitting anywhere?

In the mean time I am tempted to apply a small amount of silicone under the seal on both sides (exterior) and in the small crack in the paint. Will this have any significant implications when it comes to removal?

[Gwyn911]

Originally Posted by efy2bjg

Thanks for the info and nice comments guys.

As far as the sunroof tubes are concerned I have read up on the 'weed wacker' and half open approach but when inspecting the rubber connecting sleeves, are the top ones visible through the zipped inspection hatch?

Yes, once you have removed the 2 piece sunroof motor cover and use a flash light.

[Liam O]

I personally wouldnt bother with the silicone,the damage is already done I dont think its gonna get much worse in a couple of months. Also the silicone wont bond unless both surfaces are clean and rust free and that will be hard to achieve between the two surfaces without removal. Might not be too bad once you pop the window, fingers crossed.