Hello people.

I'm new to this forum and indeed new to Fiat. I have just agreed to buy a 2002/02 1.9JTD Dynamic 3dr Stilo from a friend at a rediculously low price. The car is as straight as anything, has a full dealer history and has never had any mechanical or electrical issues with 47k on the clock.

The only issue with it is that the multi panel skyroof is leaking at the front. The roof and inner screen both work perfectly otherwise.

I was wondering how difficult this would be to put right and would it cost me a fortune? Is it just a case of adjustment or a new seal?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Lobster, welcome to the Forum. Sounds like a nice deal you got going on there. Best model in my opinion only made better if it's yellow.There are some fiat techies on this forum and they offer some great advice, probably be on later and will have an answer. Never had a leak on my sky-roof yet so cant help you myself.

The thing to remember about the sky-roof is that it doesn't so much keep water out as it lets water in. If you open the roof fully you should notice drain channels (I think there are 4) which drain down through the body of the car. One or more of these may be completely or partially blocked.

While you've got it open it's a very good idea to give it a thorough clean too (easiest to stand up in the middle of the car to do this).

Hmm sounds like an interesting concept. So you are saying that the roof does not form a water tight barrier but relies on drainage to prevent water entering the cabin.

Well I shall certainly investigate this in more depth. Thanks ever so much for your replies.

Any more input would be greatly received.

Excellent forum by the way. Thanks for the welcome!

LoBsTeR said:

Hmm sounds like an interesting concept. So you are saying that the roof does not form a water tight barrier but relies on drainage to prevent water entering the cabin.

Well I shall certainly investigate this in more depth. Thanks ever so much for your replies.

Any more input would be greatly received.

Excellent forum by the way. Thanks for the welcome!

Click to expand...

If you wind back the inner roof and look at the side of the slats you can see daylight through the gaps.

LoBsTeR said:

Hmm sounds like an interesting concept. So you are saying that the roof does not form a water tight barrier but relies on drainage to prevent water entering the cabin.

Click to expand...

Going back through the ages, most factory-fit sunroofs have been like this. The seal around the edge of a single panel is frequently cosmetic... of course the Skyroof is special... but the principle is the same, drainage is what makes it work.

-Alex

Once again, thanks for everyones input!

I am picking the car up on Tuesday and will take a good look. Lets hope its something as simple as clearing the drainage out.

Its amazing what one can learn from asking a simple question.

Many thanks indeed.

Well I got the car today and I'm not sure as to whether or not it is the drainage issue discussed. The water is dripping through from the interior light/roof control cluster and I hope it doesn't cause too much damage to the head lining.

To be honest, I don't think the roof has had much use. The tracks look as new as the day it rolled off the line.

Just a quick question, what exatly am I looking for with the drain channels?

Apart from that and an annoying blown n/s brake lamp (which the computer reliably informs me about), I think the car is great.

EDIT: Got a mate who works for a car glass company gonna take a look next week. Will update when I know what the score is.

Yep, you want to get that leak looked at ASAP.

I'd advise checking under the front carpet as you may be taking on more water than you realize

From the way you describe it I'd say you've more problems than just a blocked drainage channel but you'd be silly not to check the easy stuff first.

Good luck anyway

You can adjust the sunroof 'slats' but if your not sure about this it might be worth getting it set up correctly (dealer should only charge hour max) incase you make it worse.

T14086 said:

You can adjust the sunroof 'slats' but if your not sure about this it might be worth getting it set up correctly (dealer should only charge hour max) incase you make it worse.

Click to expand...

I always thought that adjustment was to modify air-flow and thus reduce wind noise rather than to keep water out

UPDATE!:

Well it hosed it down with rain today and water got the better of the sunroof. It decided to open itself to the second position. Fortunately, I was in the car at the time, so was able to grab my hex/allen keys and (after removing the fascia) crank the roof back to closed. Have disvonaected the rotary control switch and will wait for my friend to take a look.

Other than that, great looking car and a pleasure to drive with an umbrella, lol!

UPDATE:

Well after reading into things on this forum, I was astounded to find that by pushing and holding the rotary dial in for about 5 seconds after reconnecting the dial, the roof reset itself! Oh what joy! A working sunroof! Damn me, I should have looked earlier, but with my shift work and overtime, I never had a spare moment.

Thanks a million fiatforum. Just got to get the leak sorted on Monday and I'll be as happy as a pig in poo.

UPDATE:

The leak was from the windscreen, not the sunroof at all. Cost me 40 quid to get it repaired.

Job done.

Thanks to everyone for their input.

Sky-roof leaking?

There are 4 drain holes in the Stilo's skyroof and over a period of time one or more of them can become either completely or partially blocked. The first you're going to know about this is when after a prolonged downpour you notice the roof lining is stained and there's a fair bit of water in one of the foot wells

If you want to test the drainage system before this happens it's really very easy.

I found a jug of water and a funnel is best. With the roof fully open pour water into the water collection channel and within only seconds you should hear it pouring onto the ground just behind the front wheel arch (where the mudguard would normally be mounted). If it only trickles out then mud might be restricting the flow so it's well worth clearing any loose mud away.

If it still only trickles out then the drainage tube is most likely blocked. Of course if it is then the water wont drain away from the guttering channel so it should be fairly obvious and don't get too carried away otherwise you will flood your car (Well, at least it's clean water ). In my experience it's most likely going to be blocked at the end (bottom) of the tube rather at the top as you might otherwise expect.

How to unblock it

1. Buy about 1.5-2.0 metres of curtain wire (the stuff you normally thread through net curtains - often plastic coated).
2. Carefully thread this into the hole in the extreme corner of the sunroof. This takes some patience as you need to get the angle just right.
3. Keep twisting the wire as you push it in and feed down carefully. You'll need to feed in at least 1.5m to clear obstructions at the bottom of the tube.
4. Now carefully remove the wire.
5. Pour warm water into the gutter channel.
6. If you've cleared it then you'll hear the nice sound of water splashing on the ground.

If while you're doing all this you notice the roof seals look rather hard and in poor condition then read this

Re: Sky-roof leaking?

Nice stuff Argo.
Gonna stick it in the Stilo Guides?

Re: Sky-roof leaking?

Fantastic guide. A must for any Skyroof equipped Stilo. Good work Argonaught!!

I used cable a cable rod, used for running cables through conduit. A bit firmer and narrower, but cost me £20 for the kit. Why didn't I think of a curtain rod?!?! Doh!

Re: Sky-roof leaking?

I got caught out in the recent rains again (on the day some parts of the UK had tornadoes) and came back from holiday to find the passenger foot well had taken a good soaking As I'd cleaned it less than 3 months ago I was a bit surprised by this so did the water test again and sure enough the tube was blocked solid

Another clean using the above process had it cleared and water was pouring through freely again

You really do need to give these sky-roofs a bit of attention as they clearly can collect a lot of rubbish during heavy downpours (just like any drain I guess)

I have a leaking stilo too - it's in the right inside "column" that holds the windscreen and it only happens in a heavy rain - but never when I take the car to a carwash - strange - I hope it's the windscreen, couse it's an easy fix I guess with some sealer?

Re: Sky-roof leaking?

Hi, I am new to the forums, I have had my 53 plate 1.6 Stilo Multiwagon Dynamic with skywindow for just about a year now and this technique has proven invaluable in keeping my front footwells dry!! Sadly I am having problems clearing the nearside drainage channel, it is not totally blocked and water does trickle out by the front wheel arch but no matter how long i spend with the curtain wire I can't clear it .

As a result I am getting a wet patch on the lining to the top left of the windscreen which spreads down the more it rains but at least its not leaking enough to cause a puddle! Before I take it to the Fiat Garage I wondered if anyone had figured out where the water exit hole is? I have tried but can't seem to pin point it.

Any advice would be appreciated.