for the past couple months or so ive noticed that my floors have been moderately wet after it rains. after some investigation i noticed water was spewing down from under my dashboard. the local volvo dealer wanted 150 an hour to work on it and wouldnt actually tell me what was happening. if anyone can please help me out ide appreciate it

 

Maybe sunroof drain came loose?

 

TECH, don't the sunroof drains run down the C pillars in the rear??

r.

 

And A pillars in the front. There is 4 drains.

 

I have the same issue with my 2006 v50, it was at the dealership 6 months ago with a "clooged sunroof drain" or so they say, car was leaking on the passenger side by the door under the dash. It was repaired "free of charge" but the dealer warned the next time they may have to charge. Now the car is leaking 10 times worse on the drivers side with water pooling below the foot rest after running down the underside of the dash (above the red hood latch). I have tested all sunroof drains along with the drainsunder the windshield wipers, they all drain.......It will be going back to the dealer and it should be interesting to see what the story will be this time. If you anyone knows what the problem is please let me know, it's not the drains water comes out just fine.

 

I have the same issue and i suspect that the drain tubes in the A pillar have come loose from the drain i.e. where the water goes in at the sunroof. My problem is how to access it as its below the interior lining in the ceiling and not the A pillar cover. If anyone has any ideas on how to access it, i would appreciate it.

 

I had a similar problem. I could not figure out what it was. After taking half the car apart and thinking my welds broke. As it turns out the sunroof drain was clogged. There is a small seep hole at both of the corners of the sunroof. One of mine was clogged. All I need to do was stick a small plastic tube about 4 inches and push the dirt out.

 

How is water getting into the sun roof if it is closed? Isn't it sealed with a gasket?

 

You never get a water tight seal. Thats why they have the drains there. I think its like that in every car.

 

Can someone post pictures of where and how to clear them? I want to clear my 2008 S40 regularly to prevent this. Does this happen on XC70's? My wife drives one.

 

The same thing is happening in my xc90. It's like I was in elementary school jumping in the puddles. I f someone could post a pic on where to unclog these moonroof drains it would be greatly appreciated.

 

I don't have pictures from the drains but every sunroof has water drains, except for the aftermarket ones. The drains are in the 4 corners. The front ones are easy to spot. In the corners are, depending of the module, holes they can be 10 to 15 mm (3/8 - 9/16) in diameter. Most of the time the holes point slightly downwards and can point from straight forward to straight to the side. With normal use you shouldn't need to clean these but if you park under or close to a tree or if there is a lot flying around in the air things can get clogged. With the glass closed while you drive there is a slightly under pressure by the tube openings and that creates a suction. You will be amazed how much stuff gets inside the sunroof. I have pulled out complete oak leaves. The easiest way to check if the drains are open or not is to open the glass panel in slide (backwards) and pour water in the water management area. Look by the drain tubes in the front to see if water enters. This is the outside channel at the sides or the front beam. Water should come out by the a-pillar and or c/d pillar. Most of the time the drain exits by the a/c/d-pillar or in the wheel well so after a little while you should see water dripping under the car. Don't pour too much in otherwise you will soak the headliner and interior.

Good luck

 

Here is an excellent 'how to' on cleaning out the sunroof drains over on Swedespeed. We are getting the musty smell in our 2005 xc90, thought it might be the drains, but they seem to be draining properly. I did not check to see if there are rear holes, will do that soon. There is water coming in but I can't find any wet carpets. I guess it could be the cabin filter housing, but it only happens after we leave it out in the rain.

Here is the how to link http://forums.swedespeed.com/zerothread?id=102526

Cheers!

-Mike

 

Thanks Dutch.
I pushed some thin copper wire into the two front holes after pouring the water as you advised.
No more puddles on the driver's side mat...even after a couple of major thunderstorms!

Thanks again

 

That link to swedespeed was great. If the leak ever happens again I'll know what else to do to solve the problem.
I hope that others that had the same problem click onto that link.

Thanks spideyman411!

 

spideyman411, I have a 04 XC90 with the same problem that you described - smells only after rain. I have checked about everything, including the front drains, and the cabin filter. I have been fighting this for years! PLEASE let me know if you figure out what's causing the problem in your car. Thanks.

Dave

 

Dave,

I checked my sunroof drains (the front ones) they appear to be draining OK. I haven't checked the rear drains that go through the B pillar yet. It is time for me to replace the cabin air filter, when I do that, I will try to see if condensation water is not draining from that housing properly, but the smell we get hits you right when you open the door...I would think if it were water collecting in that housing, you would notice it more when you run the heat or a/c, but assume that it could also be leaking into the vehicle from the coil housing. I read few posts that talk about a faulty/leaking windshield seal, that could be the culprit too. The odd thing is that I cannot locate and water inside the vehicle and do not hear any sloshing of water when I drive it. I will definitely post if I discover anything. Good luck!

Mike

 

Mike, it's been raining pretty hard in South Florida recently, and the stench of the car has become unbearable. I will be testing the sunroof for the next storm. I am going to seal the sunroof with Contact paper, or something similar, preventing any water from getting into the drain pan. I'll see where I need to go from there. I will follow up with my results.

I have seen countless mildew smell issues with XC series cars, but I have never seen any forum members report that the cause has been determined and fixed. Good luck to you in finding your solution.

Here's another thread to which I contributed, so you get a little more info on my (and your?) problem:
https://volvoforums.com/forum/showth...t=13043&page=2

Dave

 

I checked the cabin filter last night, and it was bone dry, and smelled and looked clean. With the condeser off, and the fan on, either by the afterblower or manually, the air seems moist and a bit dingy. However, once the condenser is activated, whatever smell is in the car quickly dissipates. I have had the system flushed and disinfected multiple times by two different dealers, and the smell always comes back. With all of the reports of A/C issues with Volvo, does anyone think that it may be the culprit? If so, what else should I look for?

I sealed my sunroof from the elements yesterday. After a night's worth of rain, the car eminated a wondrous odor of wet dog this morning, just as usual. This, coupled with the full test of the sunroof drains with a cup of water last night, leads me to almost rule out a sunroof leak.

My next step will be to fully remove the headliner. I still think that a roof leak, of some sort (luggage racks, rear plate, etc.), is causing water to collect within the headliner, although I haven't been able to find any signs of water damage. I noticed that the inside glass of the sunroof showed a bit of condensation. While this may have been the heat from me working on the inside of the vehicle, I think that it may be related to moisture trapped between the roof and the headliner. If anything is found, I will post pictures.

Dave

 

When it rains hard my 07 starts dripping water from the dome light.... WTF? I pop the whole Assembly out and I can not see how the water is getting in there. Open the moon roof and pour water around the channel and it goes right out the drains onto the garage floor. Could this be a windshield leak? I am gonna wait for warmer weather and try a garden hose to duplicate the problem, but until then.... Any one else experience this?