XC90 Leaks from Sunroof Drain Topic is solved

[sabinaa]

I've got 1 inch water on the passenger side carpet of my 2005 XC 90! However, in my case the drains from the sunroof are all fine and dry. The water seems to leak in from the windshield front right corner where the cowl is. We took cowl off and there is a cover for the air intake where we think the problem is. We are still trying to figure this out ...

Also, I called Volvo Care at 1-800-458-1552 and they will look up any recall or service you need on your car and they will take care of it for free. It's a good idea to register with them - I have 2 minor recalls that they will fix for me at no charge - unfortunately, they are not related to my water problem.

[scootay45]

As previous post explained, this job takes 10 mins per side to fix, take front window pillar handles off(take care not to damage plastics) remove 2 no retaining bolts gently remove pillar cover, this will reveal the drain hole pipe(s) coming down from the sunroof into the corner of the dash area, the tube is attached to a 90 degree plastic bend leading into the wing. Take the 90 degree bend off and give a good clean this is where the problem lies!! these block and the water back's up and pours out of the 90 degree bend! clean the plastic pipework with hot water remembering to point outside car!!! when clean replace pipe into bend and add some tape to secure and replace all in reverse order (happy days) and a saving of £475.00 plus vat (main dealer quote) sorry this is a bit late for some but may help others, Rob

[worldhistorcalgenius]

I plan to try the fix posted by obiwan later today. This is a new (used) vehicle to me and I remember being curious about the stain on the passenger side's pillar cover fabric on the drive home from picking it up. Now, after a heavy rain last night, I am drying it out for the second time this week. Personally, I have no use for sunroofs and always look for models that forego them. The cost/benefit ratio is disproportionate in the wrong direction. A few opportunities to have the sun on your face is not worth the inevitable leaking, motor failure, etc. that will occur eventually. If the problem persists or looks to be more involved, I plan to just caulk the seam between the glass and roof with clear, exterior grade silicone and then disable the switch to prevent accidental operation. Although drain repair is preferable, water exclusion by sealing would be just as effective.

[Dingo]

Thanks for posting that link obiwan. Those instructions and pics were nice. Now if it will stop raining I can hopefully go stop my leaking xc90 tomorrow.

[ejbj]

Same issue solved in 15minutes.
During a bad storm I got in the car to find water dripping from the sun roof. After watt have by a couple of related YouTube videos where people took the car apart to remove the blockage, I decided to try something of my own. I put some bleach in both side drains. Using a compressor set to 40psi and a drinking straw I shot some air in them, then a little more Barack and compressed air.
Finally poured abou 4 gallons on water on drain channel to rinse it out. Water was sitting there when I started. At the end it could handle 3 gallons/minute. Give it a try...
I left the car overnight with a oil filled heater running inside with the windows opened very lightly. I never got any bad smell from the incident.

[MoVolvos]

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Extremely dirty 2012 XC90, removed front carpets to pressure wash and found the driver's side is wet but not soaked.

1) Removed the 2 - 8mm bolts in the handle of the A pillar and the pillar cover just snaps off easily with the handle still attached.
2) Found the driver's side tube loose in the elbow and elbow clogged. Water was backing up and coming from the loose connection. The tube's end has hardened and shrunk while the elbow rubber has expanded a little. Removed and cleaned elbow end.
3) Inserted curtain wire besides blowing air to clear the drain hole and tube while detached from the elbow.
4) Cut about 1" of harden end of the drain tube.
5) With the hardened portion removed used a film of silicone grease and inserted 1/2" barbed irrigation connector into both the tube and elbow. This is not ideal however as dirt in time can sit on the edge of the connector whereas if you insert the tube into something water and debris will free flow without a lip or ledge to collect things. Just have to clear with air and water once in awhile but at least the hole size is the same all the way through.

1) The driver's side iwas very clean, tube and elbow not as loose. Decided to just wrap the tube above the insertion line with self stick wire loom tape and then wrap the elbow and tube together with the same.
2) Zip tie at the elbow where the tube and elbow meets. The self sticking tape won't allow tube and elbow to come loose nor will there be water seepage due to the zip tie.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/296504605263?v ... R-z7xZ6IZA

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[chitownV]

This design using the hard plastic coupling is designed to leak since the sunroof drain tube is on the outside. The drain tube will loosen up over time and it isn't layered properly. Plus, the elbow should be changed since that relies on the rubber to keep tension. They are not expensive.

If you really want to prevent clogging up the drain, trim a little of the flappy end of the elbow. This is a practice done by working mechanics as more and more electronic modules can get water damaged by clogged drains throughout the body.

[AVOIT17]

Common problem for volvo models over a certain number of years. That is the first thing I do with every Volvo I buy:

[MoVolvos]

Common problem for volvo models over a certain number of years. That is the first thing I do with every Volvo I buy:

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That's the first video I saw but was too lazy for a trip to the hardware store so just used what I had in the parts bin. Definitely a cleaner fix though the barb and hose being heavy, along with the friction bend at the hole, might pull down the hose from the top at the sunroof. Not sure if the bend in the hose will kink with time?

Below is another of the same repair.
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[AVOIT17]

" ... Definitely a cleaner fix though the barb and hose being heavy, along with the friction bend at the hole, might pull down the hose from the top at the sunroof. Not sure if the bend in the hose will kink with time?"

I use plastic barb fittings instead of brass. The tubing I use fits in the oem plastic clamps that are in the pillar for the purpose of holding the tubing in place. If the section of tubing entering-pass the orifices' in the metal body is short enough then there should be no gravitational force leading to a kink. Of course this would depend on the material of the tubing. I have been using Vinyl - But if one would happen to have polyurethane tubing then the likelihood for kinking would even be less. More common than polyurethane, but less common than Vinyl is 'silicone' - I am not confident that silicone would be a good choice?!

In my case to all the cars I have performed this modification the issue was never "dirt" or "plugging of the channel" BUT deterioration of the lower end of the oem tubing and break-down of the rubber end.

I also splice the new tube much higher than in these videos. I keep the section going into the whole at about 2".

I recently purchase a 2011 XC70 when removing the pillar trim to do this modification I was surprise to see that Volvo (unlike a 2008 XC70 and a 2009 XC90 I previously had modified) - change not only the type of tubing used but also changed the manner the channel "exit" the car interior. In other words Volvo remedied this issue sometime between 2009 and 2011.