Sun roof drain tubes.

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ron
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Sun roof drain tubes.

Post by ron »

A couple of pics. to show where the drain tubes are.

Front.

Image

Rear.

Image
They are ALWAYS rustier than you thought!!!!!!
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sharkfan
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Post by sharkfan »

Whilst it's in bits could you post pics of where the tubes end up.....
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Post by ron »

sharkfan wrote:Whilst it's in bits could you post pics of where the tubes end up.....
Bit difficult at the moment but will take further pics. when car on ramp.
They are ALWAYS rustier than you thought!!!!!!
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'88 High line.
'10 X5
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Post by wattsmonkey »

How much headroom does the sunroof cartridge take up??????
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Post by GripGreg »

I read somewhere that the front drain hoses come up too short? :-?
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Post by ron »

sharkfan wrote:Whilst it's in bits could you post pics of where the tubes end up.....
Front tube goes through this hole.
Image

...and then exit through the hole in the bottom of the wing (I'm assuming this) as the hole is the correct size for the hose to pass through and I can't think of any other reason for it being there!!
Image
Image
Image

Rear tube exits behind the splash panel at the rear of the wheel well.
Image
Image
They are ALWAYS rustier than you thought!!!!!!
'85 M #228
'87 M #367
'88 High line.
'10 X5
‘84 Alfasud 1.5 ti
horsetan

Post by horsetan »

The front tube connector / seating often rusts away, leading to the rubber tube then falling away. This results in rainwater coming into the headlining, which means the front seat occupants get a shower each time the car goes around a corner.

There is a stop-gap solution to this which I discovered by accident - it comes in the form of a conical rubber grommet / tube which plugs in through the drain hole and into the tube, holding it in place so that water can take its rightful and correct route. The conical tube does not interfere with the movement of the sunroof panel and, being rubber, does not rust! BMW of course does not sell it, so I had to get it from a general components supplier.

I'll post up photos of how I did mine in due course.
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Post by ron »

wattsmonkey wrote:How much headroom does the sunroof cartridge take up??????
Image

Image
They are ALWAYS rustier than you thought!!!!!!
'85 M #228
'87 M #367
'88 High line.
'10 X5
‘84 Alfasud 1.5 ti
horsetan

Post by horsetan »

Here's my stop-gap fix for the front drain tube connector......
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Re: Sun roof drain tubes.

Post by Steenland »

Ron, your photos are very helpful and I've referred to them several times. Thanks!

However, I'm having trouble orienting the photos of where the front tubes exit. Where exactly do I look for the ends of the tubes? My sunroof drains are not clogged. When I pour water into each of the front drain holes, it comes out through the cracks and holes in my rusted rockers. I'd like to extend the tubes so they actually drain outside the car, like the rear ones.
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ron
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Re: Sun roof drain tubes.

Post by ron »

You have PM.
They are ALWAYS rustier than you thought!!!!!!
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'87 M #367
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Re: Sun roof drain tubes.

Post by olympia57 »

I'm sure Ron will have answered your query but here is a photo I took of mine during restoration.
The photo is taken looking up through the missing floor pan and shows( in my case ) the end of the plastic sunroof drain tube terminating about 2 to 3 inches above the manufactured hole in the A pillar.
Access to extend this tube is gained by removing the speaker and trim and then manipulating the extended pipe down through the hole ,bear in mind that this photo also has the sill side section removed too .
A suitable "snake " pushed up from below through the drain hole and attached to the extension piece would allow you to pull down and through.
Hth's
Don
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Re: Sun roof drain tubes.

Post by Steenland »

Thanks Don! Very helpful!
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