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FCP Euro Service Kits

FCP Euro Kits

You would usually think that January in Southwestern Ontario would mean lots of snow, ice and cold weather. I’m not going to dive into our ever changing weather patterns, but with rain replacing the usual flurries, an otherwise innocent sunroof leak is now a consistent drip in wet weather.

These Water Leaks Are Controlled

To understand the issue and to help you figure out what’s going on in your own car, you must first understand that all sunroofs, new, old, or ancient, are designed to leak varying amounts of water. This is because the seals must allow the sunroof to slide forwards and backwards. If it was watertight, you would potentially run into wear issues and/or difficulty in sliding the sunroof back and forth. Under normal operation, these water leaks are controlled by troughs and drains to route the water away and make sure that the interior stays dry.

Over time, the seals and glue can harden, allowing water to enter where it was not designed to enter. This is an inherent problem with older Volvos. The glass is surrounded with a rubber gasket, which is then attached to the outer seal. As the car ages, the glue/rubber at the mating point between the glass and rubber gasket breaks down, allowing water to enter the cabin. Luckily for you, all you need is some household caulking and an hour in your day to fix this leak.

 

Tools needed:

  • 1x Black outdoor household caulking
  • 1x Caulking gun
  • 1x Sharp blade
  • 1x Flathead screwdriver
  • Isopropyl Alcohol

Time: 1-2 hours

Step 1: Clean the Seals. After years/months of leaks, you’ll want to clean all the mating surfaces to ensure that the caulking will stick. Firstly, take your flathead screwdriver and slide it between the gasket and the glass, cleaning out the debris and old glue. You also will want to slightly lift the rubber gasket to allow the caulking to have a space to seal.

Wipe down all the edges with some isopropyl alcohol, and if you can, wipe the sealing surface between the glass as well.

Step 2: Seal it with caulking. The most effective sealant is black outdoor caulking from your local hardware store. Cut the tip just enough for you to be able to slide it beneath the seal and glass. It is important to make sure the sealant sits between the seal and the glass, not on top of it. Otherwise, it will not do its job. Squeeze in enough caulking so that it oozes out the edge. Let it dry for at least 24h or according to the directions on the sealant.

Note: Fight the urge to immediately clean up the caulking. Doing so will ruin your work. Don’t ask me how I know.

Step 3: Cleanup. Take your sharp blade (ie. a box cutter with a brand new blade section) and carefully cut along the edge of the seal. Don’t worry, this will not damage your sunroof glass. Once the excess caulking has been cut, just pull it off by hand.

Any excess caulking on the rubber seal should be able to roll away with a rub of your finger.

 

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Written by :
Tim Wong

Tim is a Canadian from Windsor, with a knack for taking things apart, and sometimes putting them back together. He is a mechanical engineer by day and backyard mechanic by night. His mantra in life is to never break another bolt.


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