--
Date: Thu, 29 Aug 1996 10:24:25 EST
From: "Tin Man"
To: [email protected]
Subject: Sunroof gasket sealing
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
A recent post on leaking sunroofs is rather poignant as I have just
finished installing a new seal and what I did is not probably the
best way to install one of these.
First of all, I remember reading in some posts awhile back of
others who have attempted this and were shocked at the rust found
under this seal. The rust is from the steel channels that hold the
seal in place and not from the sub-frame. Everything in that groove,
except for these four pop rivoted channels, is plastic, so not to
worry that the roof will fall in eventually.
My assult on this seal was motivated by the fact that water would
pour down on my left sholder when going around left turns right after
a rain. Draping a towel over my sholder was my "professional" way of
dealing with this problem until on day Carol drove it at IT happened
to her. It got fixed. I'm not hen-pecked, mind you, I just know when
to appreciate a good thing. Another post will soon follow on this
"problem" of marital bliss.
Where does the water go? Certainly some will leak between the glass
and the seal as I could hear wind noise through the breach, but I
think water leaks down thru the pop rivots and the threaded inserts
that hold the roof panel on. My leak was coming through the
headliner. But the question I have is, what happens to the water that
sits in between the seal and the roof panel, it has no place to go;
does it just depend on evaporation? If you ever have the chance to
remove the roof panel (not the glass panel, but the whole roof), you
will find two drain holes, one on each side that remove condensate
that gets between the roof plastic and the body steel, but there's no
drain in the sunroof gutter.
Now, what is the proper installation of the weatherstrip? I used
clear RTV on all pop rivots and along the outer edge of the grip
strips and in the corners just prior to installing the rubber. I did
this for two reasons; one was that RTV is a good water seal and
secondly,it would give me the necessary setup time to completely
install the weatherstrip and work out the stretch. If I used
weatherstrip adhesive,I would wind not be able to adjust the
stretch, as this rascal will "grow" as you install it. Well, the RTV
is messy stuff, it got onto everything! It was on my hands, arms,
shirt, roof, windows, one holy mess! After I repositioned the rubber
to work the stretch, I cleaned up everything with lacquer thinner,
but there's got to be a better way to do it, maybe less RTV. What do
you folks use?
It hasn't rained yet to test, but the wind noise is gone and to
test with the garden hose is pushing my luck.
---
SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER: 86-10-1
Date of Bulletin: Jan 1986
Component: VISUAL SYSTEMS: SUN ROOF ASSEMBLY
Summary: VISTA VENT WATER LEAKS. REPAIRED BY ADDING DRAINAGE
HOLES TO PLASTIC ROOF OUTER PANEL AND REPLACEMENT OF
HARDWARE NUTS AT HINGE AND LATCH LOCATIONS ON GLASS PANEL.
PROCEDURES FOR ADDITION OF HOLES. DESCRIPTION AND PART
NUMBERS OF NEW HARDWARE NUTS AS WELL AS PROPER SEALING
PATTERNS FOR WEATHER-STRIPS (IF REPLACEMENT IS NECESSARY).
ALL 1984-1986 PONTIAC FIERO MODELS WITH AD3.
This bulletin shows the location for the drain holes and the
new hardware (hinges and latch) with the integral seal.
Anyone who needs a copy, send me your (snail-mail) address.
Scott Backer
---
While looking up the sunroof service bulletin, I found one
on the roof creak problem.
CAUSE: Roof fasteners on some 1984-87 Fieros could lose
torque/clamp load over time due to body flex; loss of clamp
load allows for roof movement; resultant motion combined
with plastic panel to spaceframe contact produces the creak.
Correction (without Vista Vent): Remove nuts around outside
perimeter of roof. Apply Loctite 242 (P/N 12345382) to nuts
and retorque to 10 N-m.
Correction (with Vista Vent): Same steps as above and
install 2 1/8" x 1/2" steel pop rivets forward and inboard
of each existing Vista Vent hinge rivet (2 per side)
Scott Backer
---
Date: Thu, 29 Aug 1996 14:54:22 EDT
From: [email protected] (Carlos A Martinez)
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
~Subject: Re: Sunroof gasket sealing
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
When I installed the sunroof panel I did notice that the little metal
rails were rusting on the ends. I painted the roof and cleaned up all
the crispiness from the rust. What I did was install the seal like
normal. Then with clear flowable windshield sealant (like silicone only
more liquidy) I went all the way around the outside of the seal so that
no water would get to the metal rail and rust it some more.
BTW, my roof has drain holes in each corner right under the seal, but I
plugged everything up. No water, absolutely no water has ever gotten
through. Throug the glass and the seal yes, but not through under the
seal.
And yes those drain holes were on the frame of the car, it was like a
little channel that channels the water that goes through the holes in the
roof panel. It really does not matter for me because everything is
sealed up. OH, I also put that flowable silicone all under the seal, the
corner drain holes and everything. No problems here.
I just changed my seal a while ago 'cause the one that came with the
roof was very flattened and was letting the water through the glass.
With the new seal it still leaked. But I stuck a piece of newspaper
through the back of the seal and there was enough gap to let the paper
through. I simply lowered the latch thingy that is bolted to the frame
so it would close lower, and presto, no more leaking.
//'''''''''''' ''''''//''''' //'''''''''''' //''''''''''\\
//''''''''''''''//
//''''''''''' // // ''''''''''' //..........\\ //
//
// ...//... //......... // \\ //.........//
Carlos Martinez 1988 Black Fiero Formula
Brownsville, Texas
On Thu, 29 Aug 1996 10:24:25 EST "Tin Man" writes:
>
> A recent post on leaking sunroofs is rather poignant as I have just
>finished installing a new seal and what I did is not probably the
>best way to install one of these.
>
> First of all, I remember reading in some posts awhile back of
>others who have attempted this and were shocked at the rust found
>under this seal. The rust is from the steel channels that hold the
>seal in place and not from the sub-frame. Everything in that groove,
>except for these four pop rivoted channels, is plastic, so not to
>worry that the roof will fall in eventually.
>
> My assult on this seal was motivated by the fact that water would
>pour down on my left sholder when going around left turns right after
>a rain. Draping a towel over my sholder was my "professional" way of
>dealing with this problem until on day Carol drove it at IT happened
>to her. It got fixed. I'm not hen-pecked, mind you, I just know when
>to appreciate a good thing. Another post will soon follow on this
>"problem" of marital bliss.
>
> Where does the water go? Certainly some will leak between the glass
>and the seal as I could hear wind noise through the breach, but I
>think water leaks down thru the pop rivots and the threaded inserts
>that hold the roof panel on. My leak was coming through the
>headliner. But the question I have is, what happens to the water that
>sits in between the seal and the roof panel, it has no place to go;
>does it just depend on evaporation? If you ever have the chance to
>remove the roof panel (not the glass panel, but the whole roof), you
>will find two drain holes, one on each side that remove condensate
>that gets between the roof plastic and the body steel, but there's no
>drain in the sunroof gutter.
>
> Now, what is the proper installation of the weatherstrip? I used
>clear RTV on all pop rivots and along the outer edge of the grip
>strips and in the corners just prior to installing the rubber. I did
>this for two reasons; one was that RTV is a good water seal and
>secondly,it would give me the necessary setup time to completely
>install the weatherstrip and work out the stretch. If I used
>weatherstrip adhesive,I would wind not be able to adjust the
>stretch, as this rascal will "grow" as you install it. Well, the RTV
>is messy stuff, it got onto everything! It was on my hands, arms,
>shirt, roof, windows, one holy mess! After I repositioned the rubber
>to work the stretch, I cleaned up everything with lacquer thinner,
>but there's got to be a better way to do it, maybe less RTV. What do
>you folks use?
>
> It hasn't rained yet to test, but the wind noise is gone and to
>test with the garden hose is pushing my luck.
---
