Sunroof drain tube exit point

Hi folks,

Many times on many Discovery forum sites I've seen people asking "where does the sunroof drain pipe end and empty from?" and never seen a clear answer. Well, in solving my A-pillar flooding problem I have now found out, at least for my 2004 td5 Disco. The front sunroof drain pipe runs down the inside of the A-pillar and empties into the bottom end of the A-pillar, emptying through the A-pillar drain hole. The plastic pipe does not show itself out of the A-pillar. To get a hold of the bottom end of the drain pipe on mine requires removal of the passenger side footwell kickpanel, removal of the grommit for the door wires that pass through the A-pillar and then fishing the tube out with a bent wire. Good luck.

If the drain hole is blocked by external mud like mine was (it's at the back of the A-pillar above a mud catching ledge , not at the front like earlier models) then the A-pillar fills up with water, that runs out unseen through the wiring harness hole behind the kick-panel and soaks the carpet and underfoam.

Hope this helps someone one day.

I assume that yu can get to this tube from by removing the A pillar inner trim.
If so, cannot it be extended out of the drain hole?

If you need drain tubes then you have a leaking sunroof/s two reasons for that both are seals

Hi Discool, Mad Hat Man,

Yes, you can get to the tube by taking the lower inner trim (kickpanel) off the A-pillar and getting to it through the hole the door electrics come through. You could extend the pipe to make it accessible outside the drain hole and easily cleared if you really wanted to.

The sunroof drain takes away water that leaks past the glass to the plastic sunroof surround due to dust or grit preventing the glass closing fully or condensation that forms on the glass and drips into the drain channel that surrounds the glass. (Leaks between the roof metal and the sunroof surround get into the roof lining!)

I think yu misunderstand me - I mean the top trim on the A pillar by the windscreen - I think it is also accessible there.

Hi Mad Hat Man, (love that name!)

You're correct, I misunderstood you, apologies. I'm not sure if there are any holes large enough to get at the tube in the upper A-frame above dashboard level until you get to the roof lining? If there are then the drain pipe should be accessible there too.

Great post Mogman! I have been looking around for this info and no one could tell me where they exit. Some mentioned "above the gearbox" but that must be for some other model...

Thanks Motom, I'd been looking too and seen others online asking so when I found out I thought I'd post it. Glad to have helped.

The Aircon drains are above the gearbox....

The rear ones are more accessible,once you find out where they are, behind the rear light clusters on a D2...

rear ones are dead easy to sort, take rear lights out and blow up em, but 9 times out of ten is sunroof frame that is the problem, seal gone dry and no cotact, every time it rained my misses got a shoulder full of water down out of the seatbelt, then a wet arse! so i had to do a complete refit, headlinning out etc, and then a tube of low mod silicone and job was a good en!! no more nasty showers or scowling faces at me!

Hi All,

Where my drain tube exits on the Drivers side seems to be blocked. When blowing down the tube it gurggles away like a kid blowing down a straw into a cup of water.

Has anyone had this? It seems to be located in the bottom of the A pillar. The water is seeping out through the grommet that allows the electrics out to the drivers door. I have a genuine puddle in the drivers footwell. The other morning after a heavy down poor there was a lot of water coming from the roof. I think this may have been backed up from where the drain tube exits.

Looks like I may have to take the door off as there looks like small access plates near where the hinges bolt onto the body.

Any ideas?

Many thanks.

Got bored of chafing the skin off my finger trying to get the drain pipe out of where the door cables go through. I will attack this again some time...

For now I have drilled a hole through to as low down as I could. a LOT of water spilled out. Job done, for now. I have taken a photo of where the hole is, just need to work out how to post it on here.

Hi Sonny,

Just seen your message.

On earlier Td5 and older Discos the drain tube for the A-pillar was at the bottom of the pillar where you could see it, just below the hinges, just as it starts to slope inwards below the sill. On later Td5s like mine it is not visible unless you crawl underneath the vehicle. It is at the back of the A-pillar, i.e opposite side to hinges. It is hidden at the end of a cross member and clogs with mud, you can reach with long fingers to clear it. Pic attached (I hope).

In my case the water inside the A-pillar that soaked the footwell came from a small leak in the joint where the roof meets the A-pillar. The water then ran down into the blocked A-pillar and filled up the pillar until it could run in at the cable hole.

Hope this helps

Hi

Thanks Mogman.

Got a bit thredders and just drilled a hole. Thanks to you and your pick I can now attack this again another day! Ours is an early 2003, Facelift so it should be the same? These really should be on the servicing, inspect and clean...

Well I know how to take out my roof linging now. Need to look at the sunroofs themselves next.

Thank you so much for your help,


Sonny

Thanks Sonny,

I was about to do exactly the same as you when I decided to dig around in the mud at the back of the pillar and there it was, water shot up my sleeve as I cleared the mud away! Until then I had been draining the A-pillar regularly by removing the lowest door hinge bolt.

My rear sunroof leaks between the roof and the sunroof's outer black frame. 18 months ago I climbed up to the roof and tidily taped around the edge of the frame to the painted roof with electrician's black insulation tape as a temporary measure to go on holiday without moans of "we're getting wet again in here!". The tape is still there doing such a good job I've not taken the sunroof out to fix it. You can't see it from road level so I tend to forget about it. My guess is the tape's glue may have marked the paintwork if I do take it off so I'm not fixing what ain't broke until I need to. Good luck.

Hi Mogman and all.
I realise I am picking up on a very old thread but it is very relevant to my situation.
I have a 53 plate Facelift Disco 2, which although mechanically and bodily sound (apart from the 3-Amigos and Central Locking, which I am working through), was definitely short of TLC. I am getting there on that, with pretty much only the headlining to (try and) clean, and I need to replace the cover on the cushion of the Driver seat as it is split on the vinyl and worn where it attaches to the beading. Anyway, to get to the point, I always have a wet patch in the forward outboard corner of the driver side foot well, which I am sure is due to a blocked sunroof drain tube. I have seen the photos you and Sonny have put on line, but do you also have any of the access from behind the kick panel in the footwell.
Also, last question, I assume for both front and rear sunroofs, they have a drain tube on each side, is that correct.

Thanks.

The thread is almost 9 years old.
They may not reply quickly.

Shimsteriom said:

The thread is almost 9 years old.
They may not reply quickly.

Click to expand...

Hi, appreciate that, but just sent out in hope. Thanks.

Dad635 said:

Hi Mogman and all.
I realise I am picking up on a very old thread but it is very relevant to my situation.
I have a 53 plate Facelift Disco 2, which although mechanically and bodily sound (apart from the 3-Amigos and Central Locking, which I am working through), was definitely short of TLC. I am getting there on that, with pretty much only the headlining to (try and) clean, and I need to replace the cover on the cushion of the Driver seat as it is split on the vinyl and worn where it attaches to the beading. Anyway, to get to the point, I always have a wet patch in the forward outboard corner of the driver side foot well, which I am sure is due to a blocked sunroof drain tube. I have seen the photos you and Sonny have put on line, but do you also have any of the access from behind the kick panel in the footwell.
Also, last question, I assume for both front and rear sunroofs, they have a drain tube on each side, is that correct.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

Mogman was last seen in 2016.