Leaky roof

[Mateo8]

Recently I have had trouble with trying to track down a leak in the interior of the car. I do not know where the water is entering the interior but will gather where the windshield and headliner meet, so I have focused my attention in this area. Water will dampen the front of the headliner right next to the windshield and will also drip down the mirror and onto the shifter which will result in a puddle in the shift boot cover (5 speed car). I have tested the sunroof drains and they are clear, the windshield seal does not look like it is cracked, and the seal around the sunroof fits flush with no apparent cracks. This only happens sporadically, I have tried to replicate it with a water hose but I can't seem to replicate it. Sometimes it will lightly rain in the afternoon and there will be a puddle in the shift boot, then other times it will downpour for a week straight and the car is dry as a bone. I was putting up with it until today when I got in and the leather on the shift knob ripped off (it was a little worn before) but now I am trying to clean off the black spot the glue on the shifter implanted on my hand. Any help is appreciated

 

[mtbtim]

Even though you say you don't see a crack in the strip around the sunroof, that would be my first vote for the source of the leak since you say it's dripping on your shifter.

I would do the water hose again directed over the sunroof and windshield and give it more time to see where the leak is occurring. Do you park with the front end facing downhill? If so, it might be a situation where water is getting through one of the roof rack screw holes and is traveling forward until it find a pathway out.

If you still can't figure it out, separate the headliner in the front and pull it down far enough until you can see the roof and get a better look at where the leak is originating from.

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[brillo_76]

If it's not your sunroof. Someone may have done a botched windshield change in the past as well. So keep that as a thing to check if the sunroof is not leaking.

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[FD7683]

Open the sunroof, and looking in the front, there should be 2 holes (1 in each side). These get clogged due to age. Just grab weed wacker string, and unclog both holes.

 

[Kbuch1]

This happened recently with my 2000.
If leaking at the sunroof seal, shouldn’t this water travel down the drain tubes before spilling over and getting to the headliner provided they are clear and not blocked?

 

[mtbtim]

This happened recently with my 2000.
If leaking at the sunroof seal, shouldn’t this water travel down the drain tubes before spilling over and getting to the headliner provided they are clear and not blocked?

Nope. The water getting past that split in the sunroof trim can drain under the glass and drip straight down into the vehicle. It's water that gets between that sunroof trim and the body that ends up going down the drain tubes. You're relying on that trim piece to be tight around the glass to keep water out. Age and lots of direct sunlight cause that trim piece to shrink and create a gap for water to find it's way in. I bet vehicles that are mostly garaged don't have this issue.

 

[Mateo8]

The water seems to originate around the top of the windshield, the headliner will get wet enough for droplets to run down the mirror and drip from there. When it gets wet, there is no wet spots near the sunroof, just where the headliner meets the windshield

 

[rickmum]

Do you have a roof rack? Mine was leaking from the bolts that attach the rails to the roof. I had water coming down from above the headliner above the drivers seat and it would trickle down to the floor behind the panels. I just pulled each bolt one by one and pumped a bit of silicone into the holes.

 

[bg_atx]

Oh no, that stinks!

This weekend I noticed a leak coming from the sunroof of my 99 Limited. It hadn't rained since I bought the 4runner so I don't know if this is an existing issue or not. The vehicle did not smell of mold when i bought it either. The front of the 4runner was facing downhill and it was raining so I'm guessing it's my seal. I live in Texas so it might be a while before we see some rain but I do need to figure out that issue as we plan to camp out of it in a few weeks.

 

[Mateo8]

Do you have a roof rack? Mine was leaking from the bolts that attach the rails to the roof. I had water coming down from above the headliner above the drivers seat and it would trickle down to the floor behind the panels. I just pulled each bolt one by one and pumped a bit of silicone into the holes.

This worked, I did the silicon in the holes and it hasn't leaked since. Very simple fix, and only took like 15 minutes