Sunroof Repair

[Lsantamaria]

Anyone know of a shop they can recommend in the San Francisco Bay Area that can repair my sunroof. I checked the lines and they are draining. I will do some more probing around tomorrow, but want a place I can go to before the rain starts and my headliner starts leaking.

 

[BrianSD_42]

Be prepared to pay a lot to diagnose, especially if it involves removing the sunroof.

Id suggest you do a search for "sunroof leak" on this forum. See the link in my signature.

You could just do what I did for 3 winters .... Blue painters tape along the sunroof. Problem solved.

 

[vipergrhd]

What seems to be the problem with the sunroof? Is it a drain issue or a sealing issue?i have done quite a few sunroof repair from a variety of vehicles i also did it to my long gone 91 T4R when it needed a replacement sunroof module.

 

[Lsantamaria]

I have checked the drains and it appears to drain well on both sides so my only other problem would be the seal around the roof. The water pools in the front part of the headliner and and soaks my center console where the drink holders are. If I have time tomorrow I will mess around with it and if it still leaks I will go the painters tape route.

 

[vipergrhd]

Dollar bill

I have checked the drains and it appears to drain well on both sides so my only other problem would be the seal around the roof. The water pools in the front part of the headliner and and soaks my center console where the drink holders are. If I have time tomorrow I will mess around with it and if it still leaks I will go the painters tape route.

When you said both sides did you mean front and rear or left and right? FYI there is a drain tube in all 4 corners of the sunroof a lot of times they get build up with dirt or crumpled leaves,open up the sunroof and get a cup of water and pour water in all 4 corners and see which one is clogged.You also need to check the rubber seal between the glass and the body you can use a dollar bill and use it to see if you feel any loose spot were water could rush in you need to close the sunroof and drag the dollar bill and see if you find any spot were it is not sealing properly,check the drains first most common issue on any sunroof.

 

[BigSlim]

I have checked the drains and it appears to drain well on both sides so my only other problem would be the seal around the roof. The water pools in the front part of the headliner and and soaks my center console where the drink holders are. If I have time tomorrow I will mess around with it and if it still leaks I will go the painters tape route.

Yep, exactly what my 97 did. I also thought it was the sunroof. I sealed it up with silicone and guess what? Still had water getting the front of the headliner wet and water dripping in my console. A closer inspection told me that water was seeping in between the windshield gasket and the roof. For temporary fix, I put silicone across the top of the windshield gasket on the outside of the 4runner and haven't had water problems since. So, next spring I am going to find someone around here to replace the gasket. To test this, just run a water hose over the windshield area and not the sunroof and see if the headliner gets wet.

 

[Lsantamaria]

Good idea thanks I will try it and see what happens.

 

[drdolittlerwc]

I'm curious too...

I checked into what it would take to replace the weather strip around the sunroof, no dice! You have to replace the WHOLE glass, the weatherstrip is integrated. $600 bones...

Mine doesn't leak yet, but I'm hoping there is a way to 'treat' the strip to drag out the life in it. I'm going to the land of rain and greenery. I need to spare it...

 

[JBurt]

I checked into what it would take to replace the weather strip around the sunroof, no dice! You have to replace the WHOLE glass, the weatherstrip is integrated. $600 bones.

That's crazy. My weatherstripping is starting to go but the glass is absolutely fine.

 

[onesicsvt]

Mine just started leaking a few days ago. I unclogged all the drains and i found the weather stripping where it comes together in the front of the sunroof in the center there is a small opening. I read a few places its a pain in the ass to replace. Should i just put some silicone or like a caulking on the spot where it has to opening or what. I really dont feel like paying to have it done.

 

[FROGrunner]

You can use silicon, I used a product by permetex called "right stuff" Just used a little bit and went across the windshield gasket/seal. No more wet headliner. I have the aftermarket sunroof from ASC.

 

[SpidermanGeek]

So I noticed that the weatherstripping on my Sunroof glass is pretty messed up. I have 2 chunks gone/rotted off the top/outside portion. Never noticed a leak though, so I'm guessing that the drains are keeping up.

Naturally, I don't feel like spending 600 bones on a new glass/weatherstrip. Do you guys think it's safe to use a clear waterproof silicone to "fill-in" where the weatherstripping is broken?

 

[SpidermanGeek]

Snapped a couple of pics. I gotta get some clear silicone and fix this ASAP. I don't wanna have to condemn my moon roof though.

 

[JBurt]

You might try and put wax paper or cellophane between the silicone and the roof, then at least it's still functional.

 

[SpidermanGeek]

Good idea.

 

[SpidermanGeek]

Update: I got some gutter & flashing 100% Silicone and filled the missing chunks. I don't know if this is a wise idea overall, but hopefully it works. Like I said, There was no noticeable leak inside the truck before so i just assumed the drains were doing their job, but maybe this will prevent bigger headaches down the road. I dunno.

Tilt and Slide functions still work with no visible catching or stress on the seal.

 

[3bears]

wonder if treating with armorall or something will help for preventative steps to make them last longer

 

[SpidermanGeek]

I'm not exactly sure what original tore the seal. I don't think it's rot, because the rest of the seal is still in a nice malleable state and doesn't feel brittle.

Maybe the rig's previous owner tore it on some branches.. I have no idea.

 

[SpidermanGeek]

wonder if treating with armorall or something will help for preventative steps to make them last longer

According to sites like bobistheoilguy, you really shouldn't be "treating" your door and sunroof seals with anything because you could be doing more harm than good.

The only product that people have mentioned is good for such a treatment is something called 303.

Door seals don't really need any conditioner and in fact, some conditioners may do more harm than good. Just keeping them clean is all you really need to do and for this I use 303 protectant. This is based on information from the 303 website which I posted below.


Rubber Seals - Not `Rubber' Anymore
Maybe not a surprise, but no longer are a car's rubber seals made from `rubber'. To keep the inside of your car quiet and dry, car makers use a specialized synthetic material called EPDM, (ethylene propylene diene monomer).

Real rubber, or blends containing real rubber, just cannot endure the direct exposure to sunlight(ultraviolet light) and the harmful-to-rubber oxidizing gases in our atmosphere (see Tech Facts Vol. 1). To quote from the engineering specs, EPDM is "Ideal for outdoor applications because of its excellent resistance to ultraviolet light, ozone, oxidants, and severe weather conditions".

EPDM is great stuff, but it has some downsides. It's tear resistance is only fair, so sticking & tearing is not uncommon. And just like real rubber, it has extremely poor resistance to solvents (petroleum distillates) and oils.

"You mean I don't have to `protect' my car's door & trunk seals?"
That's right, and treating your seals with a leading-brand "protectant" is almost always exactly the WRONG thing to do to your seals. Any chemical product that contains oils or petroleum distillates is incompatible with EPDM.

TIP: NEVER apply any rubber or vinyl treatment that has an oily or greasy nature or contains petroleum distillates. READ THE LABEL! If a product contains petroleum distillates, do not apply it to your rubber seals.

Though its powerful UV screening benefit is not needed in this application, 303 Aerospace Protectant is great for cleaning EPDM seals and to keep them clean. 303 Aerospace Protectant makes EPDM seals look like new and PREVENTS sticking and tearing. Because it is safe for EPDM and prevents sticking & tearing, manufacturers exclusively recommend 303 Aerospace Protectant for this application.

I can only assume at this point that the sunroof seal on the 3rd gen T4R is made of this EPDM rather than convetional Rubber

 

[SpidermanGeek]

Update... It's been raining a lot here lately and my headliner I soaked and dripping on my center console.

I iz le sad.

I'm gonna have to check the Sunroof drains and run a bead of Silicone (RTV maybe) across the top of my windshield gasket.

I'm pretty sure it's the drains though because there's a lot of water that remains near the drain holes.