Hello all,

After being a member of this forum for a couple of years and utilizing much information and great communications on issues from other members I wanted to try and reciprocate.

After having the rear drain issues after buying my 2004 S-Type with the soggy floor issue, I read the posts on the cause and repair. Again the information and folks on this forum are remarkable in helping us all fix issues. After reading all the posts on the drain problem, I kept thinking there must be an easier way without pulling down the headliner or blowing the tube off inside with compressed air.
I came up with a method that has worked well and will allow future clearing as needed with out headliner removal:

1.) Open the rear roof window so that it is opened as high as it will go in the back portion. Remove both sides of the felt trunk liner to expose the drain pipes coming from the rear of the sun/moonroof drains.

2.) Detach tubing from the clip holders which I felt seemed to pull the tubing too tight and could also cause clogs and cut about half way or what allows you to work with the tube easier.

3.) I then inserted some thin wall brass tube (approx. 1/4") to allow me to add a few more inches of tubing to re-position it for better draining and access as needed.

4.) Taking 1/16th " coated flexible wire cable with about 1 " of the tip dipped in plastic dip to give some rigidity I slowly feed it up through the tube until I felt it stop. This where the tube connects to the actual drain nipple in the tray. Basically from here it is a touch method by moving the wire in back and forth while turning it a little at a time. It is a feel method and you will get it as your doing it. You will feel when you hit the nipple lip. It may take a few minutes but eventually the wire will all of a sudden enter the hole and will push right thru. I fed up about 1 1/2 feet of wire to clear. I then slowly removed the wire.

5.) Taking a 1/8 flexible bottle washing brush about 24 in long I went in from the rear top opening to clean the drain tray down to the nipple area. Then I flushed the lines with simple green and water. Lot of junk came out. I then went back and cleared again with the wire and another flush.

6.) Finally after I had good flow I took my air gun set at about 8-10 psi and gently blew air back through the drain tube from the trunk tube. You could hear the air coming from roof. I then added a few inches of tubing to route the tube so it had no stress on it and clamped all in place.

I could not get the pics to upload to this post but I have them in my album in my profile. Please feel free to look at them there.

I hope I have contributed a small amount and have made this a little easier to do.

Mike

 

Yes, after seeing this posting I went into my trunk to take a look and I found the sunroof drain line running out from under the rear window and down the side of the trunk.

I didn't have to remove the trunk lining to see it, I just reached in almost to the back of the seat and tugged down on the top of the lining. I could easily se the rubber tube running down behind it.

I'm now in the belief that it is the source of the leak that (I'm sure) dripped onto my radio amplifier and caused it to short out (costing me over $3K to diagnose and repair). I can now realize how water might be able to flow along the path of the drain tube and come out near the rubber tube and then run along the top of the fender to finally drip on the top of the amplifier further along that side of the trunk.

I have tried to "water-proof" the amplifier stack but will now attempt to make sure that the sunroof drains correctly.

$3000+ to get my radio working, never again...
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Jaguar - it's not an automobile, it's a Motorcar
'08 Jaguar S-Type 4.2 "Satin Edition" (250.06 hp / 259.67 torque)

 

Thanks for posting this as I finally now have direct evidence of a leak in my car coming from this area so I need to tackle this issue.

My water and pollen crud accumulation has collected alongside the rear seat bench and wall. It's icky and smelly too!

In reading the issues with some of these threads on the topic people had indicated a problem with the clamp on the hose of the sunroof tray being an issue.

Did you not have that?

If it is indeed just blockage in the tub then the water is going over the lip of tray then running down the rear pillar of the car into my passenger area and not leaking out of a failed hose connection at the top?

Thanks for this write up as I'll now give this a go and see it the issue stops.

BTW I've also read about issues with the front drains though I've not seen where those hoses come out? Probably behind the sender liners?

I think ALL of my drain hoses will require cleaning. It's been a very filthy spring here with all of the pollen and flowers from out local trees.

 

Hello Staatsof,

The front drains don't usually clog up as far as I can tell and what I've read. The drain ends are located behind both front wheel plastic fender liners. Once the liners are off you have great access to them.

The water does back up at the rear drain holes and then comes down behind the pillars and that gives you the soggy rear seat foot wells. The rear drains tend to accumulate all that fine dust/pollen which creates a silt like crud that then breeds mold and can clog the orifices over time. I figure a clean out once every 6 months or so should keep that from happening again. If you use the sun roof more often then perhaps quarterly would be better. Hope that helps.

Mike

 

Thanks for posting. I am going to check mine too soon.

And, I'm going to try to remember to stop leaving the roof cracked open when parked outside which I have done to allow excess heat escape. I might crack open a rear window instead, or nothing at all.

 

I rarely use my sunroof and still it has clogged up so I don't think it matters all that much if you use it or don't. It's just weakness of this car.

 

Yep, the frequency of use of the moonroof has nothing to do with the rear drain lines clogging up. It has more to do with where you live, where you park, and whether or not your car is typically garaged most of the time. Outdoor cars with moonroofs in areas with lots of trees will face more frequent drain clogs regardless of car manufacturer....

 

A bit more information.
The front drains are much more likely to clog. This is very common on the Lincoln LS forums. Yes they drain right behind the front wheels.

The moon roof is mounted over a metal pan that has 4 hoses connected. One on each corner. The glass panel is not totally sealed by design. Water does get by the glass and into the pan every time it rains. All moon roofs are built this way.

The idea is the pan will hold enough water so the 4 drains can carry it away before it builds up to the point where the water comes over the edge of the pan. Also with 4 drains it does not matter which way the car is tilted there will always be one or more drains pointing downhill.

The interior leaks are almost always from the drains because to get the pan to overflow you need all or almost all of the 4 drains to be plugged. Lucky for us that is rare!

The rubber hoses are mounted pretty tight and with age they seem to shrink a bit. Normally stretching the hose back onto the nipple and adding a clamp will fix it permanently but several people have had to add extra tubing to make it reach.
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Is the "fronts more likely" based upon the LS or S-Type?

I think it was in one of the threads where you posted that I read about the hoses coming off of the drain pan?

Mine is in the LR with a confirmed stain now so I'll be trying the "from the trunk approach on those two.

I do wonder if the fronts could be handled with a gentle flexible snake, say plastic about 1/8" and then detergent and low air pressure?

As for the cause of all of this on the S-Type ... all I can add is that my S-Type has been outside for 4 years now - no choice. I guess I'd have to say that a leak probably began a year to a year and a half ago?

I had two cars sit outside in the same location for 13 years. Both had sunroofs and neither ever leaked.

 

I hope it doesn't come to that frequent a requirement and I doubt it's quite that bad.

 

Perhaps not, I was just looking at from a service point. Depending on your parking location and use of the roof, maybe 18 -24 months would be a good interval. My location has a lot of pollen and I have to park the vehicle outside. I will be using a cover from now on and I hope that assists in keeping the drains more clear.

Mike

 

That is a good point about the drains because my other cars with moon roofs never had the plugging problems either.

So maybe the hoses are bit smaller in OD than other cars?

Or have some kinks and turns in the tube that slows the drainage down?
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It is not just the S-Type that tends to clog up. We had a 1989 Acura Legend with a moonroof and its drains tended to clog up as well. The fix was the same - blow the drain lines out with compressed air every few years....

Best way to avoid this issue is to park the car well away from the trees at all times. Our property is heavily wooded so we cannot avoid the trees. And we value them far too much to cut them down due to some periodically clogged moonroof drains....

 

Has anyone had water leak into the trunk when the drains have become clogged or only onto the rear floor?
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Jaguar: Grace, Pace, and Space - Sir William Lyons
'08 Jaguar S-Type 4.2 "Satin Edition" (250.06 hp / 259.67 torque)

 

I just ordered a cover for another collector car that I park outside of my house for a few months of the year but this will be the first time I've tried to utilize an outdoor cover for any length of time.

If that works perhaps I could be persuaded to try one for the Jag but ...

I've heard that having a waterproof cover on a car for long periods of time can lead to even worse issues. This one is supposed to "breath" and keep water & dirt off of the car. We'll see ...

The trouble with using one for a daily driver is the hassle of dealing with the cover and ... you should never put a cover on a dirty car. Covers also require cleaning when they get dirty.

I even toyed with this idea a few years back

Touchless Car Cover - Easy Universal Indoor or Outdoor Use - More Than Polish

But ... I didn't think the Jag would fit. I was very worried about the wind and in my homeowners association it might not be acceptable.

It might work for some of you though.

 

Is it the hoses or the size of the pan's drain openings?

Does the blockage occur just inside the hose or at multiple places?

With really decent clamps on those drain hoses I could see just blowing compressed air or running a specially made snake from below every once in a while. But that means dropping the headliner and the corner airbags in the front.

I looked inside of the moonroof track area yesterday and I don't see any tree debris but there is a fine dusting of dirt in there so I'm guessing that this must settle somewhere in the drain path(s) as sludge. So far only the LR on my car which is also where all the equipment is located so perhaps I should have a look and see id the hose's path is substantially different on that side which allows for a spot for the sludge to accumulate?

 

It's the fine silt like material that accumulates in the corners and blocks the drain. I tend to think they made the ID too small since it is a gravity drain and a build up of this fine material will just stop the flow.

 

I think I've found the coated flexible wire (Lowes) but the only place I can find a 1/8" x 24" bottle brush is at a specialty surgical supply company and that will take a while to arrive.

Are you a doctor?

Because anywhere I look these things are as rare as rocking horse poop!

Also ... the drain exit from the sunroof drain tray is quite a ways to rear of the back of the sunroof opening at the corner right?

How did you snake that brush all the way back there and also manage to enter a 1/4" or less drain hole opening?

 

The bottle brush I purchased from McMaster-Carr supply as I did with the flexible coated wire cable. The coated cable I ran up from the trunk and then Fed the brush from the top and down as far as I could to break up the silt like material. I again used the wire from the trunk and then flushed the drain well with simple green and water until the flow was good.

No, not a doctor, just an old British car enthusiast utilizing my Uncle Rube's methods! Had several Healey's over the years and kick myself for selling them.

 

Perhaps you could share the McMaster part numbers ?

I couldn't find a 1/8" diameter bottle brush so maybe I'm looking in the wrong spot?