Sunroof leak repair instructions on a Volvo 960
The sunroof on my 960 started leaking. I believe I read in the owners manual that you should never get wax on the seal. I think it dries out the seal and causes it to leak. It does not leak on the edge of the body where it can drain the water down the drain tubes, it is leaking around the glass and dripping in the car while it is raining. When I think about it, I guess there is 3 ways it can be fixed. Replace the sunroof with one that is not leaking; Replace the seal with a new seal; Seal the existing roof/seal that is leaking. I did the later of the 3. I went to my Volvo salvage yard to get a sunroof but they sold me one for a 850. So the instructions below tells you what I did to stop my sunroof leak. Took me about 1 hour.
Tools Needed:
| Alcohol - Or some kind of cleaner to clean & degrease the seal / glass area. | Clean cloth |
| Black Silicone | Straight Edge Razor |
| 6 Penny Box Nail |
- Clean the edge of the sunroof very well. The seal area that meets the glass.
- Make sure the seal and glass area are dry.
- Cut the silicone tube tip to allow a 1/8" bead. I cut mine at
a slight angle.
- Press the silicone tube along the edge tilted slightly in the direction you will be applying the silicone.
- While pressing the silicone out on the sunroof surface, go around the sunroof glass until you go in a complete circle. You can stop and re-position yourself as you go around. Just make sure you go completely around the sunroof glass and pick up where you left off while the silicone is wet. You may want to overlap a little.
- If you have a little overage do not try to remove it until it
dries, maybe the next day or so. Because you kept pressure on the
silicone tube tip, there will be a like break separating the needed
bead from the overage.
Once the silicone cures, it should keep a good adhesive to the seal and glass because you cleaned the surface good before you applied it. My plan is to be gentle with it while washing, waxing, etc. It did not leak during my last wash. I'll update this page if I have a problem. I applied my silicone on 10/31/09. Here are pictures of my leak location & application.
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End of instructions.