1982 230te sunroof drains

[Bobster230]

Can any one give me a general description of where these drains are and how they operate? I have a wet patch on the left front passengers side and I wonder whether it is an issue with the sunroof drains.

Cheers

Bobster230

 

[Mikesmerc]

The 123 saloon cars sunroof drains are located inside the windscreen pillars. Metal pipes which connect to the sunroof darin with a rubber piece of pipe. What I found was that the end of the pipe rusts where the rubber hose connects allowing water to drip on to the headlining at the top of the windscreen pillars and then on to the seat.Rgds
Mike

 

[ddentrec]

There are four sunroof drains-one in each of the four corners of the sunroof tray. The tray is made of mild steel and the drainage tubes are each about 3 inches long and also made of steel. Each tube is connected to a rubber pipe that passes through the A and C pillars.

As mentioned by Mikesmerc, the metal tubes rust allowing water to flow down: usually the front (A pillar) tubes rust first resulting in water in the footwell... which results in a hidden swamp under the carpet which eventually eats into the sills :-(

C-pillar tubes generally do not rust in my experience-seems most of the water flows down the A-pillar tubes.

It *may* be possible to block the front tubes without having to remove the sunroof tray (which is a very big job 'cos I have done it-twice) which will force water to flow down the C-pillar tubes. But this is really a bodge.

One repair method is to remove the roof lining above the passenger/driver's seat and get it welded--though even this is very awkward.

The only 100% fix is to remove the rooflining and the entire tray. A very big job as the access bolts are not in the most obvious places. Reassembly of the tray is easy...but putting the rooflining back is certainly not.

Good Luck!

 

[Bobster230]

Thanks. Ideally need to get the gas struts in the boot lid replaced, as well as get some small bits of rust taken out of the sunroof, so I might bite the bullet and get the lining down and get it all checked out. It has done 380,000 ks and is otherwise in super nick so I will have to make an investment I think. If there is trouble under the liner then I'd rather know now.

Bobster230

 

[TimN]

Have a poke in the corner of the drip tray. I think that the drain hose is poked through a hole in the corner and mastic sealant applied around it on later models.

Gas strutts about £6 each from GS&F but mind your chin! You don't need to remove the headlining for this job.

If you are going to refurbish your sunroof and get as far as replacing the springs which keep the wind deflector up. Let me know how on earth the replacement springs and plastic clips are supposed to work. Nobody at MB had any idea and they are supposed to be the professionals. Well he had lots of certificates on the wall. Must have been 100m breaststroke and the like.