superloaf

My sunroof is leaking and figured a new seal is in order but $200 for the OEM versions seems ridiculous. There is a Uro version for $36 which initially seems great but there are some unhappy online reviews with that seal. Only944 has a seal for $70 but I haven't seen any reviews for that version. Does anyone have any information on which seals to use and which to stay away from? Or better yet, does anyone know a generic/universal seal that works?

Of course I'm referring to the seal around the sunroof panel and in my case specifically, the series 1 version, I think. Part number is 944 564 114 01. Car is an 86 944 turbo built in 1/86 and with a VIN lower than 54952 so that all puts it in the early version. But what exactly is the difference in the 2 seals?

Also, if I'm missing a seal from somewhere else, please let me know as I'm tired of cleaning up leaking water and mold....

ebbowron

I have used a lot of Only944 stuff and it’s all been great.

Dr. 914

URO will work fine, we sell many many many of them

jeyjey

I have a pair of brand-new URO rear drop-links free for the taking for anyone that wants them.

The Only944 version of the sunroof seal is probably worth a try. Personally, I think unwrapping a URO one would be more effort than it's worth....

V2Rocket

I put a new genuine Porsche one on in 2011 and it seemed like the wrong size. It was the correct PN for my early car. It makes (still) the sunroof panel stick up a bit.

So alternatives are likely worthwhile..

MikePellegrini

+1 on the Only944 seals. My son and I have both used them on our cars. Work great.

superloaf

Thanks for the info as the Uro version is definitely the best price and I've used Uro products in the recent past which always have been decent quality. I acknowledge that when Uro first started probably around 20 years ago or more, they were not very good but then they changed, not sure if it was ownership or just management, but they improved greatly.

But can you tell me the difference between the 2 different seals? There seem to be a lot of complaints about the seal being too big and the sunroof won't close; is that due to maybe having the wrong seal? Not sure what changed as the sunroof is the same for both versions so did Porsche change the entire body in some way????

secondchris

The reality is with Uro, it's a gamble and it might be OK or you might be unhappy and buy twice.

Gage

Regardless of which model or manufacturer you select, it is unlikely to cure the water ingress problem. It is my experience that the sunroof seal performs more as an air / wind noise reduction device and is not intended to prevent water from entering the channel entirely, hence the drains. If you are convinced the water is coming from the sunroof area and the drains are fully connected and clear, I recommend a close inspection of the channel for cracked or missing seam sealer. After 35 or 40 years of exposure, much of the seam sealer is compromised and needs to be redone. This is true for any areas that are "wet" and are comprised of overlapping panels such as the battery tray and entire cowl area (including areas concealed by fenders), sunroof aperture frame, windshield aperture frame, roof edge "rain gutter", gas fill recess, etc. Another important thing to consider is that the area where the water collects can be deceptively removed from the leak source. Good luck.

chudson

As a 54 year veteran of the automotive repair industry, I absolutely +1 everything in this response. Most factory installed sunroofs leak. They are designed to, and intended to leak. The perimeter seal keeps out large debris, stops wind noise and slows the water intrusion to a controllable rate. The water slowly drips in, follows a channel to the closest drain tube (our cars have 4) the then flows out under the car. As to seam sealer, it’s just like any type of caulking. It doesn’t last forever. Water also has tremendous surface tension. I’ve seen it travel quite a distance before actually dripping into the car. We do dozens of water intrusion repairs every year and I’ve done hundreds in my career. The statements by Gage are absolutely correct. I hope this helps

Cliff

jeyjey

Indeed. And if it's a motor mount that you're having to fight with a second time, there will be swear words involved.

superloaf

So when the seam sealer leaks, where does the water go exactly? I'm trying to figure my problem out and after lots of work repairing the battery tray area and clearing the sunroof drains, I was surprised to be still having water inside the car when it rains. However, I'm pretty positive the leak now is coming from the sunroof because the passenger seat is getting the most water and the area of the roof around the sunroof is slightly wet. I say slightly because it is really difficult to tell exactly as when a car leaks, everything inside gets slightly wet to touch. But I am positive the seat has the most water and in a specific area of the seat directly under the sunroof. Also, my sunroof seal is original and is definitely deteriorated. In fact, the entire sunroof panel is noticeably lower than the car roof by about 3mm. And if I understand the design of the sunroof seal, the fat inner part is compressed against the replaceable trim section that attaches to the car body when the roof closes and the mass of the seal also causes the sunroof to raise up. And with this rubber being compressed, it completes the inner most part of the seal and is the final defense against water intrusion. Obviously. my sunroof seal is pretty much past any point of sealing and with the sunroof being lower, it will also pool the water to allow more incursion.

So if the seam sealer is leaking water, is it usually obvious by sight? My seams look perfect but I can't really see any sealer or gaps at all. I can see one layer of metal over another but they are so flush with one another that it's tough to see how they are joined exactly. My car is a California car that was in SoCal most of its life until a few years ago so it's had an easy life although the battery tray did experience failure but that appears due to acid corrosion.
Also, if the seam sealer is leaking, does the water appear to come from the roof or does it flow down the inside of the headliner?

superloaf

Ok, a bit of progress and a bit of the same ole problem since my last message. First, I fixed a bit of sunroof seal that had worn down to the metal reinforcement inside the seal. This damage was also right in the corner where the leak was. Afterwards the roof did not leak onto the seats as it had been but the car was still wet in the passenger area.


Damage to right front of sunroof seal, temporarily repaired with some silicone until I get new seals


Also, those of you who saw my other thread about the repair of the battery tray will suspect it is still leaking but I removed the battery, plugged the drain, and filled the battery tray with water. Result: No water leaked through and no bubbles were noticed in the water where water might be getting through. Of course, there are no cracks or other obvious damage to the refurbed battery tray area.

Right front footwell after glove compartment is removed. Grey metal above is the battery tray.

So one area of wetness still is the top far end of the glove compartment. However, I can not see any water or dampness of the metal above so I stand by my belief that the battery tray is not leaking.
And not being able to tell where that water was getting in, I peeled back most of the headliner to get a better view, thinking maybe the water could be coming from the sunroof drain. At this point, a couple of things became evident: 1) The leak is more widespread than one area. This can be seen from all the water droplets on the roof in front of the sunroof and under the headliner. The car is parked slightly sloping to the right front so this moisture didn't get there due to gravity. See the photo below. This seems to suggest more leakage from the sunroof seal or maybe the windshield seal??? It's difficult to tell how or where the water flows in these situations.


Roof underneath headliner between sunroof and top of windshield, looking from right to left.



Checking the sunroof drain in the A pillar shows the plastic tubing to be solid and not leaking. However, where the plastic tube attaches to the metal tube in the pic below, the OE sealant has deteriorated and could possibly be leaking but I don't think that's the main leak. I tried running water down the tube to check for a leak and there wasn't a problem but I don't know how much water flows down that drain when it rains so it's tough to know at this point if that is a source of any leaking. Other than the sealant needing replacement, the plastic does appear to have shrunk and pulled out from the marks you can see on the hose. The tube still goes into the metal far enough (at least an inch) so I think just resealing should be enough. Also need to check if windshield seal is leaking as it looks like it could be in the pic but this could also be water coming from higher up and from the sunroof.


Right A pillar showing sunroof drain tube, here detached to show deteriorate.


Any insight into anything covered so far? Has anyone had problems like this? Do the plastic tubes last or should I replace them? What sealant is used on the tubes? Are there any easy ways to determine if windshield is leaking? Where does the water usually accumulate when the windshield seal leaks? Other than the battery tray, where else might the water at the back of the glove compartment be coming from? I'm a bit overwhelmed here with this mess. (And after the passenger area, there is still the rear hatch to reseal even though it has a newish rear seal already in place!)

Thanks in advance.

superloaf

Update:

I think I've cured the sunroof leak just by a temporary application of some silicone on the old sunroof seal. I'll be replacing the seals but I've also read that if the sunroof height is adjusted too low, it can cut off access to the sunroof drain. And my sunroof is noticeably low now, probably due to the old seal compressing and allowing the sunroof to fall down, thus allowing more water in the channel and possibly blocking the drain port. I've read that the sunroof height is adjustable by 2 or 4 screws in the sunroof but I've never seen them before. I think there are two different designs or maybe the threads I've read are confused as there is no definite and clear explanation of these adjustment screws.

Does anyone know about these screws? Does the sunroof inner headliner trim panel have to be removed for access to the screws? Can the roof be adjusted with the sunroof installed?

Oh, and I'm talking about the height of the sunroof when it is closed and so it can match the height of the rest of the car's roof on the outside.