Introduction
Hello All, I have been losing my mind for almost a year now trying to find a water leak in my 2004 4Runner. It started off on the drivers side where the right foot would usually rest when driving about a year ago and then I noticed the left side was wet last weekend. I have taken it to a dealership, a windshield shop, and a couple of local mechanics and none could figure out this particular leak.
I read all of the forums and checked the typical spots:
- Sunroof
- Windshield seal (two holes on each side of glass that can be exposed when new windshield is installed)
- Grommet in firewall
But to my surprise none of these were the problem.
The past 3 weekends my Dad and I were trying to find this leak. We started running water at the top of the windshield on the drivers side and noticed it would leak in the car. I managed to trace where the water was coming from (or so i thought) and it looked like it was from the rubber grommet. We sealed that grommet so well it will never leak again, but water kept coming in. I gave up and cut the black rubber cover a lot so I could move it out of the way and find the culprit.
We took the Cowell off and I noticed a few cracks on the frame of the car. It wasn't the metal but instead the factory seam sealer.
It seems to be either a factory defect or just because of the climate we live in, the heating and cooling could've caused it to crack.
We ended up using a screw driver to pry it open, filled it with RTV Black silicone, hammered it back shut, and then put more RTV Black on top of it to ensure it won't leak anymore.
I suggest all of you check this spot on your 4Runner because it looks like it could be a problem for a lot of us in the future.