Bicycle Tube Sunroof Fix/wind noise gone!

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ThunderRolls said:
He said:



LOL ... but seriously, I looked on-line and saw several 26" tubes, but in different widths. Which would be best?
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It doesn't really matter. The most recent one I did was with a 29'r tube and it worked just fine. I would go with whatever is cheaper. 26, 29 or even a 700c from a road bike would be fine.
 
Couldn't find any tubes, but I did find some other junk in the garage that ought to get me done with noise and leaks...:hmm:

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So, I can't see much from the pics you have, but what is the downside to stretching it around the weatherstrip attached to the glass?
 
Might a bicycle rim strip work too. Its already precut to a certain width. the only thing is bad i think would be a hole in the rim for valve placement. Theyre made out tube rubber.

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This may sound stupid but the tube comes doubled up. Do you fold it like a mini taco and put what would be 2 layers? Or just cut one layer?
 
Sbrady said:
This may sound stupid but the tube comes doubled up. Do you fold it like a mini taco and put what would be 2 layers? Or just cut one layer?
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You just slit a strip out of the tube so it's like you have a giant rubber band.
 
I used a 26AWG wire and fed it into the gasket channel. It worked a little too well and made the sunroof rub tightly against the roof skin. I removed the sunroof and removed the wire in the back edge and reinstalled. Sunroof is tight but operates normally.

I tried the bicycle tube. Yeah, it was a pain to push sticky rubber into the narrow channel. I spent more than an hour o the tube before I gave up and put the wire in there instead.
 
@cartercd or anyone else that has experience with this. Just a bit of clarification please. My drain tubes are completely clear. I went through a car wash and the water literally poured out like a cup of water from the passenger from side of the sunroof. Do I use the bicycle tube on just the front side and wrap around the side as far as I can, or do I need to completely wrap the entire glass and every side? I'm trying to not have to remove the glass or take out the headliner.
 
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That seal was never designed to keep water out. That's why there are drains. Water will invariably get in. If you have that much water coming in during a car wash, you have another problem going on, I think. You say the drains are clear, okay. It's possible part of the drain tube is perforated and leaking, or it's possible that the tube has become detached from the drain at the drip tray. The bike tube fix will not solve your issue (unless your issue is wind noise).
 
Izeloz said:
That seal was never designed to keep water out. That's why there are drains. Water will invariably get in. If you have that much water coming in during a car wash, you have another problem going on, I think. You say the drains are clear, okay. It's possible part of the drain tube is perforated and leaking, or it's possible that the tube has become detached from the drain at the drip tray. The bike tube fix will not solve your issue (unless your issue is wind noise).
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If part of the drain tube were leaking or perforated the water would be coming into the cab wouldn't it? I do understand the seal doesn't keep out water, but I believe the seal after 25 years is dried out enough to shrink down and too much water is coming in for the drains to handle. It's worth a try to me to put in a length of wire or tubing to give it a try, just not quite sure about what areas on the sunroof seal to put it, the entire diameter of the sunroof or just area that I suspect is leaking.
 
Dr Gil said:
If part of the drain tube were leaking or perforated the water would be coming into the cab wouldn't it? I do understand the seal doesn't keep out water, but I believe the seal after 25 years is dried out enough to shrink down and too much water is coming in for the drains to handle. It's worth a try to me to put in a length of wire or tubing to give it a try, just not quite sure about what areas on the sunroof seal to put it, the entire diameter of the sunroof or just area that I suspect is leaking.
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Read the first post in this thread.

Yes, it goes all the way around the glass, under the existing seal. Yes, it's easiest if you pull the glass, which can be done without pulling the entire sunroof. It's cut to be like a giant rubber band.

When you're in thee, I suggest cleaning and lubing everything as well so operation will be smooth. Then adjust the sunroof to the FSM specs to reduce the amount of water intrusion that can get past the seal.
 
@LC4LIFE So I got the bicycle tube and got it installed. As a previous post mentioned, I was not able to open the sunroof after that install. I don't use it much anyway, but certainly don't want it to leak. I closed it as best as the switches allowed. I will test for water leakage another time. Will that sunroof seal eventually conform to that new position and the sunroof will open like before I installed the bicycle tube?
 
LC64 said:
I just did mine yesterday. Used dry lube on tubing. Opens and closes reeeeeaaaaaaallll. Sloooooooow.
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Mine did the same immediately after I finished it. I closed it all the way and let the seal conform to a new position. 24 hours later it opens and closes much much better.
 
My wife came up with a great idea to use a Window screen spline tool to push the rubber in the position. Worked great

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akarilo said:
I wonder if this mod could help my sunroof rattling problem. The noise occurs due to the slack in the track mechanism. I have a feeling that a tighter fit might keep the glass from jumping up and down on washboard type bumps. Thoughts?
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My sunroof moves as well because of slack on the rails, I’m thinking of installing a couple of washers on the mounting brackets to lift it up.
 
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