used the wrench; then used the power, thinking it was jammed
 

The hole had headliner material inside it, so I had to dig it out to get the allen wrench in. Once in, I turned it a couple of turns in one direction, with no apparent movement of the glass, then three turns the other way, causing the rear of the glass to lift.

I tried turning it a little more, but the allen wrench seemed stuck, not turning easily (and I feared that I was forcing it to move in the wrong direction, or I would wallow out the hex fitting, and would never be able to use the wrench again), so I did what I said I wouldn't, and put the fuse back in and tried the controls (for the first time ever).

I tried the "reset" procedure I saw on a couple of YouTube videos, where you press the button in the center, and hold it there for 30 seconds. The glass moved back and forth a few inches, but never closed. Left with no choice, I used the buttons to open/close and got better results. I was able to open it far enough to examine the mechanism and drain holes.

I cleaned and lubricated the tracks on both sides, and the sunroof worked great after that, so I opened it again and went to work on the drain holes. I checked the rear ones with a can of compressed air, and saw bubbles in the water I had poured in the sunroof...then the water came out as it should (they weren't plugged).

The left front (suspected-to-be-plugged) didn't respond to the canned air, so I tried inserting my .155" trimmer line (first downward, but it was too stiff to go in more than an inch), then upwards from the drain exit (only two feet of line went in, before jamming). I didn't have any other flexible line to try, so I pulled out my air compressor.

I set the pressure to 30 psi, and had no luck, so I raised it to 75 psi and tried it...I saw a stream of water exit the bottom outlet, success. Poured in some more water to see it flow straight out. Great! Then, I tried the other drain by pouring some more water in, and I showed no stoppage at all, so I was good to go.

Following the successful servicing of the sunroof, I used the power to close it, and I pulled the fuse. I'm going to use 3M Clear Paint Protection Vinyl film to seal the sunroof forevermore. My HHR Panel came with that film on its' rear fenders (on the leading edge), and it has protected them now for 13 years. I expect at least half that life on the roof of the X5, but will probably replace it in 2-3. No more leaks.

I also watched water flow off the roof & windshield down to where I patched the gaps in the body seals (shown in previous photos). All the water goes into the hood channels, and none disappears into the firewall "hole" on both sides. It may have been unnecessary, but why not try everything I can to keep water out?

P.S. I had to remove my home-built "roof rack" to work on the sunroof, and to clean the sunroof and rooftop itself. Sitting under oak tress sure makes a mess of the paint, IMO. I'll need to make removal/reinstallation of the rack simpler, after I apply the protective film.

that much pressure can easily blow the hose off the drain pan connector...It's a pain to re-attach, possibly requiring the dropping of the headliner...Glad it worked out

no more wet floor:final sunroof sealing, with roof rack's help
 

I sealed the sunroof around the perimeter, starting with with 36" of film on front and back edges, then 23" on the sides (actually 23" on the driver's side, and only 20" on the right). I should've ordered a longer roll, and cut the strips before I applied them...and found out I was shorted 3".

Anyway, the 6" wide strips cover 3" of glass and 3" of roof, so every edge and corner has plenty of coverage. The shorted side still gives me full coverage as-is, so I'm not too unsatisfied (I might not have stretched it as much as I could've).

I'm letting it sit under two layers of mover's blankets, while it cures, for at least 48 hours, shielded from sun, wind, and of course oak tree debris. I expect it to be just fine in two days, and then I'll re-mount my home-built roof rack.

Another item to fabricate, for further roof top protection (first was the roof rack, second was clearing sunroof drains/sealing the sunroof) will be to modify/attach a 6'x8' reflective tarp to the rack, while sitting in the sun and subject to oak tree debris and T-storms. The rack is 48"W x 54"L (with 8" upraised front and side rails), so a 6'x8' tarp should fill the bill nicely.