How to unclog a sunroof drain using water

[mrstg65]

Good day all. I have a 2003 Grand Prix GT 3.8 litre engine with 96K miles. This is my first post here in a very long time, but I wanted to share a method for clearing a clogged sunroof drain. After searching this forum and many other places on line I found three different ways to do this. One way is to use compressed air. I tried this with no luck but it could be that my pump was not powerful enough. The next involved a shop vac, PVC piping, and a vinyl tube. This method vacuums the clog out from top. I did not try this so I can't comment on how well it works. The last way is to use a piece of flexible wire or weed wacker trim line to snake the clog out. I did try this and it did not work for my clogged rear drain. In hindsight this was probably not a good idea as you risk poking through the line or disconnecting it from the drain itself.

Here's what worked for me. I took a sinus rinse bottle (NeilMed is the company that manufactured the one I used, I am sure there are many other brands available) and removed the hose on the inside of the bottle. I then took a piece of vinyl tube used for fish tank pumps and worked it through the hole in the bottle cap. It is a tight fit and I had to use needle nose pliers to pull the tube about 1/2 inch into the cap. I then snaked the other end of the vinyl tube about 6 inches into the clogged drain, filled the bottle with water and capped the bottle. One good hard squeeze forced enough water into the drain to clear it of the debris, and water now flows freely from top to bottom.

I went crazy for several days trying to solve this problem, so I really hope this post helps some of you out. I have always loved this forum and am thankful for the wealth of knowledge that can be found here. It has helped me solve too many problems to count! A special shout out to the moderators, you guys are the best in AF. Take care and be well!