Moonroof maintenance and drains (1 Viewer)

[leonard_nemoy]

I noticed water sloshing around my 91 after this last storm. I figured my drains were clogged so I opened the moon roof to check them out. I have never messed with the moon roof and it was sticky and crusty. I was able to locate the two drain holes in the front of the moon roof on either side. This piece of plastic was inside one of the holes.

Any idea what this piece is?

I have pulled the drain plugs in the rocker panel to release sloshing water in the past, but I have never messed with the drains from the top. I proceeded to run a piece of weed eater line down the drains with no resistance until I had roughly 6 ft of line in the drain on both sides. At this point the line would not go any farther. Next I poured some water into the front drains and it all poured out of the rocker panels from the holes I unplugged.

I couldn't find the slit under the rig that is supposed to be the real drain, could someone post a picture of this slit?

I can't find or see the rear drains for the moon roof but I think I found the drain lines behind the rear wheels coming from the rear quarter panels so I blew some compressed air into the lines from the bottom.

Does anyone know how to access the rear drains?

I still got water sloshing around and it seems the front drains for the moon roof are working so I am guessing there is water somehow stuck in the rear drains because I dont know where else it would be sloshing around.

Any suggestions on what to do or check next? All I can think of is running more line down the rear drains if I can locate them.

Also my moonroof was very slow and crusty so I cleaned the track and everything I could see. Next, I used some bicycle cable lube to grease the cable thing and some dry teflon type lube on the rest of the track I could access. It seems to open and close quite a bit smoother now.

Does anyone have a good process down for cleaning and lubricating these things? Any preferred cleaning and lubricating products?

Thanks

 

[greentruck]

Rear drains go directly to the outside via the lines you seem to have found. Thus, not likely to be the source of the slosh.

The front drains go directly to the rocker panels, and only then to the outside. Look up at the lower inside seam on the rocker panel and you should see several small oval opening stamped into the seam. These get blocked with mud, silt, etc and are usually the source of the slosh since they block the drain water from the sunroof from getting out. Take a larger Tywrap and poke into those holes to open them up, but careful not to get hosed when you get them unblocked.

I'll let someone better experienced than me make recommendations on maintenace and lubes, but sounds like you're on the right path.

 

[jfz80]

Some good pics and advice in here

Headliner and sunroof pulled to fix leaks if anyone wants pics!

fixing leaks and welding roof rack holes so headliner and sunroof are pulled for now. Let me know if anyone has questions or needs pics!

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[ppc]

The plugs you removed are not the lowest point in the rocker. You need to clear the drains in the pinch weld as shown by the red zip tie in the picture below.

 

[LINUS]

The plugs you removed are not the lowest point in the rocker. You need to clear the drains in the pinch weld as shown by the red zip tie in the picture below.

You may be teaching me something new here - I think the 1” round floorpan plugs you access just 3-4” in the doorjambs up FR, DS being ~6-8” back from the deadpedal - I thought those were the low point drain.

I know the slits you pic’d, but that purely just drains the hollow-core of the rockers, correct?

I find I hit the door drains & rocker drains semi-often, but I normally think when my floorpan is holding water, time to pull the 1” round plug (and frankly I think I left it out this last time) - and toss a space heater in to dry everything completely.

-Are you saying the rockers are flooded if water intrudes to the point the FR floorpans are holding water?

-I’d always just thought water in the floorpan was the drain being plugged so it ran down the A-pillar into the floorpan.

-Is my last statement false as you know the rocker/floorpan?

 

[ppc]

Not following your description and question completely but the sunroof drain empties into the rocker as long as the plastic tubing is not kinked and is positioned properly. The floorpan can get wet if the water in the rocker accumulates and sloshes around. The floorpan can get wet from a leaky windshield or rubber seals on the doors and if the vehicle is pointed downhill it can leak in further back. You need to remove the kick panels and check things out.

 

[LINUS]

@ppc - Do flooded rockers drain into floorpan - or are they divorced?

Simple stated version of above post.

I’ve never heard shoshing in the rig, so why I rarely hit that pinch seam / drain slots.

No windshield issue, no anything else - kickpanels come out anyhow to access the floor plug/is a single plastic unit to the door thresholds up front.

If I flood a floorpan I always just snake the top drains - and it seems to fix - I just do the lower rocker & door drains whenever I have mud/dirt/pollen to the point I think I should - about as often as I do the rear slider windows drains.

 

[Jroc561]

it truly is incredible how much water came out of my rockers when I cleared my drains a couple weeks back. It was like having the faucet on max for a good 45seconds, but yeah since clearly your slits are clogged, make sure you clear them and open up the circle black plugs under the rocker.

Once the slits are cleared you shouldnt have to unplug the rockers in the future (until they get clogged again).

 

[BILT4ME]

If the rockers are plugged, it is possible for the sunroof drains to overflow the rockers and flood the floor pan, through the A-pillar.

The front sunroof drains snake through the A-pillar, and down through a hole in the bottom of the A-Pillar into the rockers. If the rockers fill up, it could back up into the kick panel and flood into the cabin.

Don't forget to clear the slits on the bottom of your doors as well. They are similar and will hold water and slosh as well. If your rockers were clogged, odds are your door panels are too.

If your window mouldings are shot (like mine were) you can get a LOT of water in the doors as well as debris that will clog the slits. Then, as the door fills, it will run out the hole for the speaker into the cabin.

 

[LINUS]

If the rockers are plugged, it is possible for the sunroof drains to overflow the rockers and flood the floor pan, through the A-pillar.

The front sunroof drains snake through the A-pillar, and down through a hole in the bottom of the A-Pillar into the rockers. If the rockers fill up, it could back up into the kick panel and flood into the cabin.

Thank you, that was the direct answer I was trying to get to - I had a different idea I’ll keep to myself before it becomes bad info, but I was under the false impression the rocker was divorced completely.

(strange I never looked when doing floor harnesses for e-lock conversions, guess I was focused on task)

Thanks!

 

[1973Guppie]

yes if the rockers are full it will overflow into the cab, I personally like to remove the rocker rubber plugs and leave them out, allows the rockers to drain, the seam drains just never stay open especially on a truck that is 4x4'd

I like to use this on the interior of the rockers, bottom of doors and any other low lying areas that will eventually see moisture, great stuff and dries to a waxy finish and wicks it's way into crevaces etc

Eastwood Heavy-Duty Anti-Rust in Black

Spray inside doors and rockers where painting won't be required.

www.eastwood.com

 

[Navyator]

I wrote this thread a while back. I'm pretty confident the plastic piece you showed in your picture is related to the part in my thread. Good luck!

Sunroof leak fixed!.... I think

I've been dealing with a leak for the past month or so, and I just had no idea what was causing it. During rainy days, water would seep trough the headliner on the driver's side A-pillar and would develop a slow drip. I was concerned it was somehow coming in my rain gutters as there are a few...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[LINUS]

@1973Guppie -

Mind a little installation / elaborating Noah?

Are you say sticking popcicle sticks in the drains, and areosol can / fogging it in as you can, or are buying the qt can & brushing it around?

I’ll admit from as fast as a cedar pollen bloom here can plug mine, I flat pulled the floorpan drains some ~2yrs ago, ran that way since & between foggy windows and that ‘smell’ - I know if I fell behind on roto-rooting the drains.

Also, does the Eastwood product dry to say a black cosmoline -type finish?

 

[1973Guppie]

@1973Guppie -

Mind a little installation / elaborating Noah?

Are you say sticking popcicle sticks in the drains, and areosol can / fogging it in as you can, or are buying the qt can & brushing it around?

I’ll admit from as fast as a cedar pollen bloom here can plug mine, I flat pulled the floorpan drains some ~2yrs ago, ran that way since & between foggy windows and that ‘smell’ - I know if I fell behind on roto-rooting the drains.

Also, does the Eastwood product dry to say a black cosmoline -type finish?

they sell it in spray cans and quarts, I usually use the cans as it comes with the red straw and you can get it into places easily that way, it wicks when it sprays kind of like an oily wax, on the rockers I usually just pop out the little round stock plugs and leave them out and then spray in up through those, I find the pinch weld drains just keep getting clogged and personally I would rather the rockers drain properly, when it dries it is like a waxy flat black finish

when I do doors and or quarter panels I usually coat about a foot up from the lowest point, after any sound deadening etc is applied, the nice thing is the product wicks similar to water and goes into those channels to lay down a barrier to combat moisture