Member Since: 14 Dec 2014
Location: Chinnor
Posts: 531
Flood / Sunroof leak?
Hi all - I am currently trawling my way through the pages of sunroof leak threads on here.
I just got back from 8 days working away and my D4 was in the long term car park at Heathrow (outside).
I came back to approx 1 inch of water in the passenger footwell, and on further investigation this is all across the floor pan of the car, after a 12 hour flight I spent yesterday afternoon stripping trim and lifting the carpets. It's no exaggeration to say I think I have so far removed 10 or more litres of water from under the carpets - the foam is literally soaked and worryingly all the channels full of cables were totally under water.
Initially there was so much water I was convinced the car park must have been under water while I was away, however this morning I tested the sunroof drains. I removed side vents and air intake to see the 2 round ended rubber grommets 1 each side.
Initially I thought they were OK as both drained out when pouring water in around the edge of the sunroof - but then I noticed inside as the carpets are still up - it was indeed leaking inside also - so something is wrong for sure.
Next step is to drop the headlining, but I have also read about problems behind the CJB (central junction box) and wondered if anyone has similar experience to save me some time both in reading and unnecessary work.
Thanks all - sorry to post yet another sunroof thread.2014 D4 HSE Facelift Corris Grey
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29th Sep 2024 10:05 am
Gary_P
Member Since: 03 May 2016
Location: Kent
Posts: 1655
There's an elbow right behind the CJB joining the pipe down from the sunroof in the A pillar and the pipe going out to the vent. Mine had a split elbow which I replaced.
To get to it you need to remove the CJB on the passenger side. There is a video showing someone doing this in the forum on this subject. Getting the plugs back into the CJB is problematic.
Let your car shutdown ( 15mins IIRC) and disconnect the battery before starting the job.
Good luck.Gary
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Discovery 4 HSE 2016MY
29th Sep 2024 1:10 pm
KPTV8
Member Since: 05 Feb 2012
Location: Itinerant !! (Scotland/Donegal)
Posts: 186
Hi - sorry to hear of your hassle.
Sunroof drain system is potentially a culprit but sounds from your description not to be so in this case.
Was the car parked on level ground - and could the parking company have moved it temporarily ?
If on level ground then I'd expect any WORKING drain tubes to cope with a leak even if one is blocked.
Best way to be sure is open the sunroof, ideally stand on ladders/steps and peer down onto the rectangular black plastic gutter sitting beneath the sunroof perimeter. You should see a drain hole at each corner (from which a tube passes down the A or B pillars).
Rig-up some sort of water bottle with an exit tube you can stick down each hole in turn, and direct water into each in turn - water should exit at the corresponding front elbow and somewhere (I've forgotten the detail) beneath the corresponding B pillar. That should tell you if the drains are working as they should.
Test the FNS drain thoroughly 'cos that's the one where, if faulty, you might have to remove the CJB, which is a pretty big hassle. I managed to replace the FNS tube on a D3 by sliding soft-walled substitute tube down behind the CJB and routing it to a DIY drain in the floor pan. It worked OK even though I suspect the useful diameter of the replacement tube was smaller than the factory tube - LMK if you end up having to do this job I can supply details.
Wishing you luck
29th Sep 2024 2:48 pm
Gary_P
Member Since: 03 May 2016
Location: Kent
Posts: 1655
That's a good point. One of the other top tips is to pass a strimmer line from the sunroof down the tube in case blocked.Gary
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Discovery 4 HSE 2016MY
29th Sep 2024 3:00 pm
Johnny Oxford
Member Since: 14 Dec 2014
Location: Chinnor
Posts: 531
thanks for the info & advice guys - and yes @KPTV8 please do send me details of your mod.
I have the problem both sides, it looks as though repair or replacing the pipe on the driver side (UK) is not too bad - but as others have said, and my video research also suggests - the passenger side is a much more serious problem.
I really dont fancy removing that fusebox, it looks a horrendous job and has the potential to open a massive can of works knowing what the electrics are like on these cars.
I'm tempted to try to run a replacement flexible pipe by pulling it through with the old one, or with some strimmer line, and doing away with the grommet - I think this is what you did? Why did you go to the floor pan and not out of the original hole in the side vent?
For now I have taped up the sunroof with black PVC electrical tape, I have ordered some wider tape to make a better job of it - I will leave the carpets up until I have resolved this and I have a house dehumidifier sat in the car running 24/7 at the moment.2014 D4 HSE Facelift Corris Grey
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29th Sep 2024 3:49 pm
Johnny Oxford
Member Since: 14 Dec 2014
Location: Chinnor
Posts: 531
@KPTV8 I have found your solution on another thread, so no need to send me any info thanks, I have already seen the black grommet through the car floor under the carpets, and it had crossed my mind to try this already - removing that CJB looks fraught with potential problems and I dont want to open an electrical can of worms, so I think I will give your solution a try - thanks2014 D4 HSE Facelift Corris Grey
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29th Sep 2024 4:48 pm
Johnny Oxford
Member Since: 14 Dec 2014
Location: Chinnor
Posts: 531
OK a disappointing update this morning.
Vacuumed and squeezed as much water out of all 4 floor areas (front and back) and left dehumidifier running in the car overnight.
Taped up sunroof with PVC electrical tape and confident I did a pretty good job of that.
Ordered replacement rubber elbow grommets in preparation for repairs.
Check the car this morning (a lot of rain overnight) and it's full again. It's parked facing forward sloping down.
I know the sunroof drains are part of the problem but had hoped and assumed by taping them up that this would stop the leak temporarily - so it must be coming in somewhere else aswell.
There is no evidence of any water (new or old) in the headlining - so next area to check will be around the windscreen, scuttle etc - any advice greatly appreciated - this is turning into a nightmare, the car looks like its been trashed inside with so many trim panels off and carpets lifted 2014 D4 HSE Facelift Corris Grey
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30th Sep 2024 6:51 am
markagj
Member Since: 03 Dec 2015
Location: Wrexham
Posts: 185
I was pretty sure where the water was getting into mine (passenger front) after some investigation, so I duct taped some fairly hefty plastic sheet over the sunroof until I had time to change the elbow.
I also parked facing up so that any water that may have got through ran out of the rear drain pipes, one of which I’d also recently changed.
Good luck.Discovery 4 HSE SDV6
Land Rover series 3 2.5 Petrol
30th Sep 2024 8:06 am
defector
Member Since: 23 Feb 2009
Location: Greater Manchester
Posts: 1471
If you have in effect eliminated the sunroof as a source of the water by taping it up ( assuming it's wide tape rather than the circa 25mm tape), then it may be worth looking in the forum for ingress of water from the roof seam on nearside front area.
30th Sep 2024 8:35 am
Johnny Oxford
Member Since: 14 Dec 2014
Location: Chinnor
Posts: 531
for the time being I want to resolve and eliminate the perished rubber elbow grommets, I have accessed the driver side one, and can see it is indeed split - but am not sure how to remove it from the rubber pipe - access isnt that easy and its very tight on the pipe - I had e new ones arriving today.
Any advice on how to remove it? Must the pipe be cut? Even that doesnt seem very easy to get at to do.
Thanks all2014 D4 HSE Facelift Corris Grey
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30th Sep 2024 9:14 am
DaveJLBI
Member Since: 07 Mar 2014
Location: Clare
Posts: 681
If I park my Disco facing downhill, and the rain is particularly bad, I will get dampness on passenger side. It is now just a habit to park on any slight slope facing upwards and it never happens.
I know I should sort it but having a solution that is just second nature has just worked for me.
30th Sep 2024 9:24 am
markagj
Member Since: 03 Dec 2015
Location: Wrexham
Posts: 185
I’ve just pulled them off the two I’ve done, but mine have gone on the passenger side, so access maybe tighter on the drivers side?Discovery 4 HSE SDV6
Land Rover series 3 2.5 Petrol
30th Sep 2024 9:28 am
MrTed
Member Since: 06 Jan 2023
Location: Rickmansworth
Posts: 189
When I had a similar issue (front NS split rubber elbow & flooded Disco) the garage didn't use my supplied new 'elbows' and just extended a new pipe directly out of the outlet hole with a gromet, as they said, to quote; "Well, if you haven't got those elbows it won't happen again!" Discovery 4 HSE late 2015 Euro6
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30th Sep 2024 9:55 am
Johnny Oxford
Member Since: 14 Dec 2014
Location: Chinnor
Posts: 531
I cut the pipe on the driver side, just above the elbow, as its clearly going to need some pipe surgery anyway - the elbow is indeed perished and split.
For now I have rigged up a temporary pipe to a 1 litre bottle.
Passenger side, I removed the A pillar trim cut the pipe half way down and have routed a piece of 10mm rigid air hose (the push fit type) down to the footwell, it was pretty easy, didn't need to push it behind the CJB, it goes down the side of it and comes out below the glove box and again for now have it into an empty bottle in the footwell.
Its just started to rain, which is quite convenient.
ALSO I thought I had done a good job with the PVC (narrow) tape yesterday, but I hadn't, the tape didnt like water so its possible that my problem is indeed all sunroof related, lets see - updates & photos to follow.
If this works (passenger side) I have no idea why anyone would bother or risk removing that CJB - just re-route a new pipe to the grommet in the floor.
Let's see, fingers crossed.2014 D4 HSE Facelift Corris Grey
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30th Sep 2024 10:57 am
Johnny Oxford
Member Since: 14 Dec 2014
Location: Chinnor
Posts: 531
UPDATE and interesting for anyone that has tried the removal of the CJB to get to and replace the pipe and elbow on the passenger side (UK).
I knew the rubber elbow was perished, the driver side was in terrible condition, and both footwells were soaked - so it had to come out one way or another.
I cut the pipe behind the A pillar.
I fed a strimmer wire (approx 3mm diameter) into the open rubber grommet behind the side vent, and after a few minutes managed to get it to appear out of my cut pipe.
I then pushed the persished rubber elbow inwards (still with the strimmer cable through it), and carefully pulled pipe and perished elbow out from inside the A pillar / windscreen front corner - it was fairly easy to remove.
Then I slid a length of semi rigid compressed air hose (I think its 10 or 12 mm - its a nice tight fit inside the original black rubber hose) over the strimmer wire, and carefully fed it down into the blind corner towards the now open hole (that I could not see of course) which sits behind the CJB.
Within 2 or 3 minutes of careful wobbling of the pipe on the wire, I was able to feed it directly out of the now open hole which had previously been home to the perished rubber elbow.
Removed strimmer wire and joined the new pipe with the cut pipe in the A pillar.
I put a push fitting on the exposed end of the new pipe, to prevent it going back inside the hole.
Now I'm waiting for rain - so to summarise in short, I have cut the old pipe halfway down the A pillar, added a new pipe to it which goes directly to the hole in the side vent - no rubber to perish - drains should be direct out from now on.
If this works, and I'm pretty confident that it will - it means there is no need to touch the CJB and no need to fit the rubber elbows which will in time perish again.
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Last edited by Johnny Oxford on 30th Sep 2024 7:49 pm. Edited 4 times in total
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