Sunroof drain problem - old X5 BMW

[Jerrysends]

Bought a beautiful garaged one-owner '02 Inline 6 BMW X5 last week with 125k miles, an excellent maintenance history and a few issues to work out.

The most pressing issue involves water intrusion from the sunroof (drivers side) drain running down into the amp compartment in the trunk. The seller, a family friend, disclosed that the radio wasn't working. We found amp was submerged in water & destroyed- have ordered a new BMW Amp off ebay as a replacement.

After a weekend of troubleshooting, I discovered that water from the back (drivers side) sunroof drain spills out under the headliner & drains down from above the Amplifier compartment.

This is a huge problem in the rainy PNW!

I'm a little gun shy about fully tearing down the headboard as I fear damaging it or the 25 year old plastic surrounding it. We did get the back corner loose...

Tomorrow a boroscope arrives on the Amazon truck to provide some clarity on the exact source from the drain line/Sunroof tray.

Any tips on headliner removal and drain tube troubleshooting/ repair would be helpful.

 

[CleanSump]

I don't know if your drain is broken. It's normal maintenance for these to clog (especially if you park near trees). Usual approach is to thread a wire through the drain tube. You can google and buy one made for the purpose. I use an old fashioned speedometer repair drive insert. They're really a long, tightly wound spring that as you twist will follow some pretty tight curves in tubes.

 

[Jerrysends]

I don't know if your drain is broken. It's normal maintenance for these to clog (especially if you park near trees). Usual approach to to thread a wire through the drain tube. You can google and buy one made for the purpose. I use an old fashioned speedometer repair drive insert. They're really a long, tightly wound spring that as you twist will follow some pretty tight curves in tubes.

Thanks. I already ran a string trimmer line down it without issue- before I discovered that this was the location of the leak.

 

[CleanSump]

I've never had to drop the headliner, so can't help you there. Might want to look for a DIY on Bimmerfest etc.
Good luck with it.

 

[mcrn]

I watched a video of someone removing the headliner to a Lexus. Seriously seems like a painful job. Especially if its a light-colored headliner. Very tedious job.

 

[RooflessVW]

Most likely have to drop the headliner. Could be a brittle drain line or even a cracked sunroof cassette.

 

[50yr Street Mech]

Nice bead of RTV around that sunroof will solve you're problem. My 13' CRV came with a sunroof. I never used it to this day. No leaks. Good luck fixing the leak on the Bimmer -)....Let us know how you make out.

 

[BobsArmory]

Don't they sell special brushes to clean out sunroof drain tubes?

 

[CleanSump]

Don't they sell special brushes to clean out sunroof drain tubes?

Yes. Google it.

 

[Marcozi]

What gas likely happened is drain hose has disconnected from the metal drain in the roof. You’ll have to remove the head liner.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

Nice bead of RTV around that sunroof will solve you're problem. My 13' CRV came with a sunroof. I never used it to this day. No leaks. Good luck fixing the leak on the Bimmer -)....Let us know how you make out.

Did the same on an old Landcruiser. Sealed it and forgot about it. I also spent big $$ to fix a BMW sunroof, never used it again until I went to sell it. It quit working from being closed so long. I hate sunroofs. It's one of those forced "options"

 

[Jerrysends]

Yeah....
$20 endoscope to the rescue. I was able to repair without pulling the full headliner down. The connection to the rear sunroof drain was destroyed & the hose would not stretch further. Some 3/4 heat shrink should fix the problem long term.

 

[Marcozi]

Great job!

 

[Owen Lucas]

I've heard of techs shooting compressed air down the tube. Kind of dangerous IMHO if the line explodes and sprays stagnant water throughout the headliner.

Nice work OP.

 

[RooflessVW]

Yeah....
$20 endoscope to the rescue. I was able to repair without pulling the full headliner down. The connection to the rear sunroof drain was destroyed & the hose would not stretch further. Some 3/4 heat shrink should fix the problem long term.

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Awesome job!