Roof Leak
- Thread starter cpayne5
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villaphoto
New member
Do you have a sunroof? We'd need a better picture or description of the leak to help with the diagnosis.
LinuxHack3r
New member
I'm debating on a moonroof or not. Not made a purchase yet, do the moonroofs hugely increase the chances of leaking?
clear forward sunroof drain holes with a wire. clear AC firewall drain too. if you have aftermarket windshield it could be holes under weather stripping that have to be filled...to name a few
i just gave up on this over the weekend actually. got my garage
doors working electronically and dad said wetness under passenger floormats wasnt too bad (he thought i had a puddle there) so im just over it now. pia.
i just gave up on this over the weekend actually. got my garage
doors working electronically and dad said wetness under passenger floormats wasnt too bad (he thought i had a puddle there) so im just over it now. pia.
villaphoto
New member
Moon roof is fine, just make sure it works. I had a faulty seal on mine that ended up getting all weird. I just replaced the entire assembly, since Toyota doesn't sell just the gasket.
It's one of those make sure you open it regularly and grease the gears so it doesn't get messed up.
villaphoto
New member
No other holes that I can think of. Might try checking the seal of where your back hatch closes at the rear of the vehicle though. That could potentially let water in.
cpayne5
New member
Thanks.
My leak is resulting in a wet drivers seat belt. Water is getting into the B pillar, somehow. I've seen a few posts about 5th gens having this issue, but little in regards to 4ths.
Mine does have a sunroof and both drains test fine and the glass frame does not have any rust like others have experienced. My drains have clogged in the past, so I'm familiar with that flood pattern and this is different. I'm confident in saying that it's not the sunroof at this point.
The roof rack mount doesn't quite line up with the B pillar, but it may be close enough. I RTVd the bolts and the little plastic insulator holes yesterday, so hopefully that was the issue. The 13 year old cover shattered like it was glass, so I've got to replace that now...
Hopefully you've got your problem solved but, out of curiosity, where does a clogged sunroof drain manifest itself inside the truck?
Last carwash, I noticed water coming in near the driver's side footwell, seemingly originating behind the fuse panel and dripping down from that area - wondering if this could be a sunroof issue?
cpayne5
New member
I have not experienced it when it's leaking, but just the after effects. For me, that was a very wet drivers floor pan. There was a dead bug stuck in the drain hole. Blew him out with shop air and all good (after letting it air dry for a couple days in my shop). :thumb3:
I have the same issue..... wet seatbelt. Not all the time but it hardly rains here. I have an aftermarket Baja Rack, figured it was the problem and was going to pull the rack and check for leaks. I have a moonroof btw but don't think that is the problem. Hope you figure it out!
cpayne5
New member
I'm out here in Virginia and it's been very wet all year. I noticed the wet seat belt a few months ago, but haven't had time to do much about it until recently (I just hop in the 5th gen after a rain!).
I RTV'd the mount up pretty good, so if it was leaking there before, it shouldn't now.
Montego Murph
Member
I had this issue a while back.
There are four drains in the sunroof -- two in the front, and two in the rear.
The fronts are pretty straightforward -- a tube that runs through the A-pillar to the ground.
The rears are a little more tricky. Water runs along a drain channel to a little box (maybe about 2 inches by 2 inches.) This box is open on the top, and a drain hose connects to this on each side. Driver's side runs along the body into the jack and tools compartment, and the passenger side follows a similar path without the handy compartment to work through.
Because of the location of things, I'm guessing that the "collection box" is clogged, and the water is overflowing into the area around your B-pillar.
Your first course of action is pretty easy. Take your shop vac and empty it out so you can see what was clogging the lines. Open the tool compartment and disconnect the clear hose from where it enters the wheel well, and using your hand as an adapter, use the shop vac to suck whatever is clogging the line through. If you see a pile of glop followed by a rush of water, be happy. If not.... it's headliner removing time!
There are four drains in the sunroof -- two in the front, and two in the rear.
The fronts are pretty straightforward -- a tube that runs through the A-pillar to the ground.
The rears are a little more tricky. Water runs along a drain channel to a little box (maybe about 2 inches by 2 inches.) This box is open on the top, and a drain hose connects to this on each side. Driver's side runs along the body into the jack and tools compartment, and the passenger side follows a similar path without the handy compartment to work through.
Because of the location of things, I'm guessing that the "collection box" is clogged, and the water is overflowing into the area around your B-pillar.
Your first course of action is pretty easy. Take your shop vac and empty it out so you can see what was clogging the lines. Open the tool compartment and disconnect the clear hose from where it enters the wheel well, and using your hand as an adapter, use the shop vac to suck whatever is clogging the line through. If you see a pile of glop followed by a rush of water, be happy. If not.... it's headliner removing time!
cpayne5
New member
Thanks.
Yeah, I have considered that rear drain as well, but I dumped some water back there and it immediately drained and dumped on the ground behind the rear wheel. I obviously can't see back there to determine if it may be partially clogged, but I feel confident in my test right now.
If it's still leaking, I'll look deeper into that drain.
Yeah, I have considered that rear drain as well, but I dumped some water back there and it immediately drained and dumped on the ground behind the rear wheel. I obviously can't see back there to determine if it may be partially clogged, but I feel confident in my test right now.
If it's still leaking, I'll look deeper into that drain.
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cpayne5
New member
I've still got a leak somewhere. It rained this afternoon, so I thought it would be a good time to pull some things apart to see what's up.
The pictures show what I found.
In order...
Wet seatbelt...line of water running down the b-pillar, dripping on the seatbelt...dry front sunroof channel...dry side sunroof channel...little bit of rust at the source...farthest I could trace the water up the b-pillar.
Any ideas of potential leak spots on the roof? Are there any fasteners hidden by that black drain track trim that runs between the roof rack mount points?
The pictures show what I found.
In order...
Wet seatbelt...line of water running down the b-pillar, dripping on the seatbelt...dry front sunroof channel...dry side sunroof channel...little bit of rust at the source...farthest I could trace the water up the b-pillar.
Any ideas of potential leak spots on the roof? Are there any fasteners hidden by that black drain track trim that runs between the roof rack mount points?
Attachments
cpayne5
New member
I pulled the drip rail trim. I was hoping to find something obvious like a rusted out spot weld, but I didn't.
I dumped a bottle of water into that channel and the hole I photographed above weeps, so it looks like I've narrowed it down. It's a slow drip.
One thing I did notice is that it looks like there's tiny cracks in the seam sealant in that channel. No idea if these tiny cracks are the source or if my RTV job from a few weeks back is insufficient.
I dumped a bottle of water into that channel and the hole I photographed above weeps, so it looks like I've narrowed it down. It's a slow drip.
One thing I did notice is that it looks like there's tiny cracks in the seam sealant in that channel. No idea if these tiny cracks are the source or if my RTV job from a few weeks back is insufficient.
Attachments
I have a mysterious west seat belt...
Hello! Was the this ever resolved?
I have a wet passenger seat belt and can't seem to understand where it is coming from. To date I have:
-Applied RTV Sealant multiple times to the stand ups under the roof rack mounts (both front an rear, passenger side)
-I have replaced the 4 roof rack bolts on the passenger side with brand new OEM bolts ordered from the Toyota dealership
-I have tried to seal around the plastic stand up with rubber washers (from ACE) and RTV
-I snaked the front sunroof drains and have watched the successfully drain from behind the front tires
The 4Runner is parked backed into the driveway slanted toward the front of the vehicle. I have not removed any trim or the headliner yet.
Does anyone have an idea of where this water is entering the B pillar on the passenger side?
Hello! Was the this ever resolved?
I have a wet passenger seat belt and can't seem to understand where it is coming from. To date I have:
-Applied RTV Sealant multiple times to the stand ups under the roof rack mounts (both front an rear, passenger side)
-I have replaced the 4 roof rack bolts on the passenger side with brand new OEM bolts ordered from the Toyota dealership
-I have tried to seal around the plastic stand up with rubber washers (from ACE) and RTV
-I snaked the front sunroof drains and have watched the successfully drain from behind the front tires
The 4Runner is parked backed into the driveway slanted toward the front of the vehicle. I have not removed any trim or the headliner yet.
Does anyone have an idea of where this water is entering the B pillar on the passenger side?
cpayne5
New member
I fixed my leak, but I'm not sure what the actual leak was. I applied RTV, cleaned out the sunroof drains, lubed the sunroof seals, reseated the door weather seals among maybe a couple other things. It hasn't leaked since. 5+ years now. Sorry I dont have a better answer. Holes in the roof are just a bad idea, long term. I've contemplated just removing the sunroof and welding in a plate to be done with it.
Thank you for replying!
What lube did you use on the sunroof seals? I lubes the track with lithium grease. Also, I managed to clear the front drains but how did you get to the rear ones?
