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Thread: winter checklist - sunroof drains

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Posts
    879

    Default winter checklist - sunroof drains

    If you live in a cold climate (like I do), you're probably aware of the kind of damage unwanted water can do to your car as it thaws and refreezes.
    So if you love your e34 (with me it's kind of love/hate, but anyway...), you might want to make sure your sunroof drains are clear before the winter season hits.

    I first realized I had a problem when I went looking for a wire (that I don't have it turns out) under the carpet. To my horror the bottom 4 inches of foam padding in the driver's footwell was completely soaked - it had been like this for some time and I hadn't noticed, the foam there is very thick.

    Luckily for me the damage wasn't too bad - I had only owned the car for a few months and the previous owner parked in a garage, phew!
    It takes a long time to dry out, even with the carpet propped up (took 3 days for me outdoors).




    To check your drains, you will need some basic equipment...


    The drainholes are in each corner of the sunroof opening.
    The rear holes are difficult to see but they are there.
    Here is the front hole.


    You might have to park the car twice to do this test for the front holes and the rear holes.
    In this case, tilting the camera seemed to help.


    What goes in, must come out - here is where the fronts drain on my car - near where the jacking points would be if I had them.


    And in the back - again near the jacking points.


    If you park on a slope it will affect the symptoms - the trapped water has a tendency to run around the headliner... this can cause rust along your windshield frame and doorframes. Eventually, the water will end up in your front footwells (bad and smelly) or under the rear seat (worse and electrically hazardous!).

    If you find that one of the drains is blocked, generally a blast of air from a bicycle pump is enough to clear it out...
    i'd be scared to use chemicals - a thin wire might help.

    Good luck this year... stay dry, stay happy!
    Attached Images Attached Images    

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Pennsylvania
    Posts
    206

    Default

    Well that could explain where I had water coming from underneath.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    El Paso TX
    Posts
    1,534

    Default

    You can reach inside the kick panel and pull out the drain tube to clear it if needed as well. Have no idea where the rear drain tubes are on sedans.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Japan
    Posts
    9,249

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    Tim,
    is it possible to use the pics for my website? Can you make a write-up and send it to the email address shown on my site below? Mike (Hairywithit) is doing all the stuff with the website and he will integrate it.
    You can add also more pics if you want, the more the better.
    Thanks for the contribution
    http://twrite.org/shogunnew/topmenu.html

    if wit lowell agrees we could also add these pics where one can see the hoses
    http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...frontclip5.jpg
    http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...frontclip4.jpg
    http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...frontclip1.jpg
    http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...frontclip2.jpg
    http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...=rearclip1.jpg
    http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...=rearclip2.jpg
    Last edited by shogun; 01-07-2009 at 09:10 AM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Posts
    879

    Default

    wow those photos are great! i'd be more than happy to share mine, can i assume someone would tell us not to hotlink photos on the server?

    http://www.bimmernut.com/forum/attac...1&d=1227998142
    http://www.bimmernut.com/forum/attac...1&d=1228000981
    http://www.bimmernut.com/forum/attac...1&d=1228001217
    http://www.bimmernut.com/forum/attac...1&d=1228000981
    http://www.bimmernut.com/forum/attac...1&d=1228001353
    http://www.bimmernut.com/forum/attac...1&d=1228001353

    feel free to copy the photos for now, i was actually going to put this and a couple other writeups on a little site in the "<$10" section.



    i'll send a copy to your webman when it's done.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Japan
    Posts
    9,249

    Default

    we can copy the pics and put them on our server, so that you do not have any problem with hotlinking. Just need the o.k. to use the pics from you and also from lowell.
    Because there are some strange people out there which make website for DIY, but they do not allow copying pics or even text. So best is you send the pics and text to Mike (Hairywithit) and he will do the rest and select what we need and might change slightly the text you send in to fit.
    But if you want to make a own site, also fine for me. Can link to there.
    If anyone has some more pics of the hoses or which helps beginners to understand how the hoses go, post them here and pls allow to copy them.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    El Paso TX
    Posts
    1,534

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    look on bf.c under my nick.
    when i fixed mine and took the headliner down on the touring I don't remember if I snapped pictures or not.

    you may use them if you need to.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Japan
    Posts
    9,249

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    El Paso TX
    Posts
    1,534

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    the 4th one shows the rear drain from the sunroof, I'll look for a better establishing shot in my photobucket account.







    I guess i didn't take pictures when I pulled the front drains out of the kicks and cleaned em. probably because it is such a damn pain to reach in there... really the only way to do it properly though

    Front drain from sunroof:



    I wonder how many posts I will have by my 3 year anniversary.
    Last edited by attack eagle; 01-08-2009 at 05:22 AM.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Austin
    Posts
    1,087

    Default

    On the touring which ones are metal and which are rubber. I think the fronts are metal IIRC, and I augered them out with a guitar string or with a broken brake cable.

    I have since bought extra rubber roof rail inserts and cut them to fit my Thule Foot packs to prevent future clogs..

    ~6 speed~ Rear Fogs ~ Shadowline ~ Tow Package ~ OEMMM///S38B38

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