Sunroof Drain Fix

JerseyCruiser · 10-06-07, 11:51 PM

There are many out there including myself that have had the misfortune of wet carpets and drowned out rockers due to blocked sunroof pan drains and or blocked slit drains in the rocker cavity. Unfortunately for what ever reason Toyota decided to let the spill over water along with whatever debris to empty into the rocker cavity leading to soaked carpets and more importantly the malignant creep of rust. I have devised a way for the sunroof to drain to the outside of the vehicle instead of the rocker by extending the drain tube and having it exit through the first drain plug in the rocker.

1- Remove the inside molding/kick panel from the PS and DS and the first drain plugs on both sides.

2- Pull out the black vinyl hoses inside the body cavity they are behind the wires that are stuffed in there. NOTE use some work gloves I cut my finger on some of the sharp edges inside that cavity, also DO NOT pull down hard on the drain tube if it pops off the sunroof pan shame on you!

3- I used a hard 1/8 plastic water line to snake from the drain plug to the opening in the kick panel to use as a guide to push the the drain tube extension on. When the guide is snaked up from the bottom it will be in the small space next to the door hinge not the space where the tube normally drains I tried but was unsuccessfully.

4- I purchased some black vinyl hose from Home Depot with a an outside diameter of 5/8 and an inside diameter of 1/2 which slips perfectly into the existing drain tube.

5- The 5/8 hose fits snugly in the round rocker drain hole, I used lots of dish soap to help it along the way. Its a bit tricky it helps to pull the guide while pushing the new tube from the bottom.

6- When you have the new tube extending from the rocker drain to the kick panel opening you are going to glue them together with PVC cement make sure both tubes are cleaned with PVC primer. Push the the 5/8 hose into the existing drain as far as you can and inch or two will be fine.

7- After the cement has cured you are going to pull the slack out of the tube so its straight and not kinked.
Some tips:

Use plenty of soap while pulling the tube back down and it helps to push it from the top at the same time. If it gets stuck push it back up and add more soap don't keep pulling.

Make sure that the tube is in the corner of the of the body cavity towards the outside of the body because its wider, you can feel it with your finger. The DS pulls down easier then the PS

8- After the hose is straight you can trim the excess off leaving a few inches extending down.

You are done! If your drain tubes get clogged you can simply push some string trimmer line completely through them to dislodged and debris. I would not block up the rocker drain slits but make sure they are unclogged to let any condensation drain through them. I'm going to spray some Eastwood Rust Encapsulator inside the rocker the best I can followed up with some of their Anti-Rust spray.

George

JerseyCruiser · 10-06-07, 11:54 PM

...

JerseyCruiser · 10-06-07, 11:57 PM

,,,

sandcruiser · 10-23-07, 12:26 PM

thanks for posting. good idea. I think that I'll leave a little less than 2 or 3 inches hanging out- for aesthetic's sake- but like the idea of offering the drain a better place to go than inside the rocker.

And the tube should help prevent too much water/dirt from entering the panel from below as well.

gray · 10-23-07, 01:44 PM

JerseyCruiser;
can you post a few more photos from further back and/or wider angle to give us spatially challenged
a better idea of where you are working, etc.
Thx
g

gray · 10-23-07, 01:47 PM

Not to hijack the thread, but maybe Jersey Cruiser can give an opinion on
cleaning the drains (this has been covered before; just asking)
when attempting to clean the drain tubes, can you screw things up by using compressed air? Like blowing the tubes off their connection points? I believe most have suggest using some sort of wire.

g

JerseyCruiser · 10-23-07, 05:12 PM

Glad to see some interest in my mod! I have mentioned above that from the sunroof you can fish a piece of line from your string trimer aka weed wacker to clean them out. It goes in easy up until the last foot or so then it gets hard to make the last bend with a little work I have gotten it all the way down. I don't think you will ever need to unclog them again and that was the main purpose of routing them to the outside, besides rusting your rocker out. What part do you want more pictures of?

gray · 10-23-07, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerseyCruiser

Good to hear some praise! I have mentioned above that from the sunroof you can fish a piece of line from your string trimer aka weed wacker to clean them out. It goes in easy up until the last foot or so then it gets hard to make the last bend with a little work I have gotten it all the way down. I don't think you will ever need to unclog them again and that was the main purpose of routing them to the outside, besides rusting your rocker out. What part do you want more pictures of?

I think I figured it out, I am slow sometimes;
you were working on the front drain lines that come down the A pillar, is that correct?

There are two more that come down inside the B pillar; correct?

G

40thEd · 10-23-07, 07:02 PM

After pulling out the whole interior sans dashboard and door panels, and having my 2 sons stand by to look where the leaks were coming from, I found the front passenger's drain was clogged by a spider egg nest about 1 inch down. I cleared it with an 8 inch long cable tie and checked it by blowing (by mouth) through the tubes. I should have checked the drain tubes before pulling the interior, as I should have known the leak could not have been the poor quality/busted roof rack.

2 lessons: 10 year old drain tubes don't taste too good, and the previous owner loved McDonald's French Fries and Andes mints.

JerseyCruiser · 10-23-07, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gray

I think I figured it out, I am slow sometimes;
you were working on the front drain lines that come down the A pillar, is that correct?

There are two more that come down inside the B pillar; correct?

G

Correct, they are the front drain lines that are inside the A pillar the rear drains are inside the C not the B pillar.

zcruiser · 10-23-07, 08:02 PM

Jersey, that is an awesome solution, thanks for the DIY and photos.

gray · 10-23-07, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerseyCruiser

Correct, they are the front drain lines that are inside the A pillar the rear drains are inside the C not the B pillar.

Ok,
Now wondering how my DS seat belt gets damp after a hard rain?
I thought the drain went down the B pillar; someone said
overflow could do it.

g

JerseyCruiser · 10-24-07, 05:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gray

Ok,
Now wondering how my DS seat belt gets damp after a hard rain?
I thought the drain went down the B pillar; someone said
overflow could do it.

g

Yes your front belt will/can get wet from overflow if its excessive especially if you have the one piece molded headliner.

gray · 10-24-07, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerseyCruiser

Yes your front belt will/can get wet from overflow if its excessive especially if you have the one piece molded headliner.

That must be it; I do have the one piece molded headliner(is there
another type?);
Why would the headliner make a difference in how the water drained??

Will have to get some weedwacker nylon

g

JerseyCruiser · 10-24-07, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gray

That must be it; I do have the one piece molded headliner(is there
another type?);
Why would the headliner make a difference in how the water drained??

Will have to get some weedwacker nylon

g

The headliner does not affect how the sunroof drains it only affects where you will see the leak 1991-94 have a suspended headliner that has a vinyl backing and is stitched together. The leaking sunroof on your 80 will spill over and pool up on the headliner then drip along the B pillar and above the DS door, they older style will leak at a seam above the of $hit handles on the A pillar.

JerseyCruiser · 10-31-07, 04:43 PM

Here are some more pictures of were the drains exit the rocker, and the access hole with the PS kick panel removed.

Kief · 01-14-08, 08:19 PM

What kind of floor covering do you have or are those just covers?

JerseyCruiser · 01-14-08, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kief

What kind of floor covering do you have or are those just covers?

Queensland Moulded Car Carpets

harper68 · 01-14-08, 09:10 PM

Anyone have their rear seat belts get wet fron this?

wussyPup · 01-15-08, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerseyCruiser

In that last picture (above), would it have been easier to shorten the existing tube by a few inches so that the new 5/8 hose could be inserted without kinking the existing tube?

-Steve

JerseyCruiser · 01-15-08, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wussyPup

In that last picture (above), would it have been easier to shorten the existing tube by a few inches so that the new 5/8 hose could be inserted without kinking the existing tube?

-Steve

Steve,

The drain lines don't stay kinked, after the glue dries the excess is pulled through the body cavity until the lines are straight. I probably only added about 3-4 inches to their length. The drain lines are soft and they go back to their original shape after being kinked. It was explained in Step 7

JerseyCruiser · 01-15-08, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harper68

Anyone have their rear seat belts get wet fron this?

By rear seat belts do you mean the 3rd row? The 3rd row belts will get wet from leaking sliding windows or the trim (AKA belt molding) below them not sealing properly. A worn or damaged rear hatch seal will soak the back carpet and belts too, I know I've had all three!

peepers · 01-16-08, 05:46 AM

my issue is that it gets clogged higher up... is there something similapr for that? other than yanking the headliner to replace the tube? i have tried chasing it with wire... still clogged i think. going to try compressed air soon.

LandStalker · 02-10-08, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerseyCruiser

The headliner does not affect how the sunroof drains it only affects where you will see the leak 1991-94 have a suspended headliner that has a vinyl backing and is stitched together. The leaking sunroof on your 80 will spill over and pool up on the headliner then drip along the B pillar and above the DS door, they older style will leak at a seam above the of $hit handles on the A pillar.

I've got the O-$hit handle leak on both A-pillars of my '94. I will try the weed-eater line trick to unclog these lines soon. Hopefully the lines aren't disconnected/broken, since I was told that these lines were "blown out" by the dealer.