Water intrusion

[CoCoCo4Runner]

Hi all, a recent storm surge revealed that I have a massive leak in the 4runner, the center console was filled with 2” of water, and the trans tunnel/drivers side carpet is very wet. It’s going to be raining all week, so aside from parking it indoors, where can I begin to check for leak spots? Weirdly it’s rained before and I didn’t not see any water, and the sunroof seems to be dry.

thanks!

 

[CoCoCo4Runner]

Well, that was easy. Stuck the hose on the roof and let it rain for a few minutes, immediately saw dripping from the sunroof seam. Now it isn’t too hard to imagine how a cups of water got into the cabin after having been rained on heavily for 12+ hours straight.

At some point it had been addressed, but not recently as the adhesive used was all dried out. I used a pick to get the gunk out and It will remain in the garage with the windows down until it dries out fully and I can apply fresh RTV to a clean and prepped surface.

 

[theriddler]

I'm dealing with this right now too only I haven't looked to see where it's leaking from yet. I only noticed it when I opened the sunshade on my sunroof and noticed a drip from the front...right above the overhead light switches.

My temporary fix: Gorilla tape along all the seams and sunroof seals on the roof!

 

[mtbtim]

That leak spot is common. We fix the same leak near the end of this video.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MVJW0XM2x24" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[4x3Lander]

A couple of years ago, I also had a leak in the area above the passenger visor. I was sure it was because the windshield was probably not sealed well. Only to discover it was both drain holes inside the sunroof area being blocked by dirt and even a small twig. Once I cleared all that out, I dumped some water in the drain hole areas and it went straight to the ground like it should. Haven't had any leaking since.

 

[JohnMc]

I had the same leak on mine. I think there's some sort of sealant from the factory that slowly disappears. Or maybe the plastic trim shrinks over time. Or both.

I fixed it with a little cleaning and a dab of RTV 4 or 5 years ago. I've noticed it's started leaking again in the last month or two, time to redo it I guess.

 

[Malcolm99]

There is no seam there from factory, it is cracked like the one Tim fixed on his video. The plastic that surrounds the sunroof glass is seamless, none of the 3 4runners I have have a crack in that plastic probably due to the low light and lower temps we experience in Canada.

 

[Reinout]

[MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION] FTW. Great videos as always. Wish I had this one when I was chasing Cliff's leaks.

 

[JohnMc]

There is no seam there from factory, it is cracked like the one Tim fixed on his video. The plastic that surrounds the sunroof glass is seamless, none of the 3 4runners I have have a crack in that plastic probably due to the low light and lower temps we experience in Canada.

Huh, I'd have never guessed that. My sample size is small (my wife's '96, my '99', and a replacement sunroof my wife go when her cables got too stuck to fix), and all of them have a split in the same spot, which (casually looking, no measured) seems to be in the center and very straight. Not in the snap on trim underneath, but in the plastic edge you'd see from outside looking down. Maybe there's a thin spot in the plastic casting and it's just 'very common' for them to split neatly there?

Either way, dab of sealant and you're good for a while.

 

[Bad Luck]

Huh, I'd have never guessed that. My sample size is small (my wife's '96, my '99', and a replacement sunroof my wife go when her cables got too stuck to fix), and all of them have a split in the same spot, which (casually looking, no measured) seems to be in the center and very straight. Not in the snap on trim underneath, but in the plastic edge you'd see from outside looking down. Maybe there's a thin spot in the plastic casting and it's just 'very common' for them to split neatly there?

Either way, dab of sealant and you're good for a while.

Both of mine had a seam/joint in the same spot. Granted it wasn't big enough to leak like the OP

 

[TW44LR]

Conveniently I have the same leak, which thanks to this thread I’ll get to with some sealant. However I’ve also had my brake light/parking release 10A fuse blowing as soon as I turn the vehicle on. I noticed a wet headliner up in that area which originally was what made me notice the leak. Is there a shared wire that runs up into the headliner that could be my issue? Or is there some other common places to look? I have looked at a couple of threads but haven’t had time to really dig into it as unfortunately my houses foundation is also leaking into my basement. Thanks in advance!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rushthezeppelin]

Huh, I'd have never guessed that. My sample size is small (my wife's '96, my '99', and a replacement sunroof my wife go when her cables got too stuck to fix), and all of them have a split in the same spot, which (casually looking, no measured) seems to be in the center and very straight. Not in the snap on trim underneath, but in the plastic edge you'd see from outside looking down. Maybe there's a thin spot in the plastic casting and it's just 'very common' for them to split neatly there?

Either way, dab of sealant and you're good for a while.

I also have a very straight seam in the exact front center of my moonroof surround.

 

[mtbtim]

Huh, I'd have never guessed that. My sample size is small (my wife's '96, my '99', and a replacement sunroof my wife go when her cables got too stuck to fix), and all of them have a split in the same spot, which (casually looking, no measured) seems to be in the center and very straight. Not in the snap on trim underneath, but in the plastic edge you'd see from outside looking down. Maybe there's a thin spot in the plastic casting and it's just 'very common' for them to split neatly there?

Either way, dab of sealant and you're good for a while.

Both my 3rd Gens have that seam in the same place. That's not a crack like [MENTION=564148]Malcolm99[/MENTION] claims, at least I don't believe it is. That's where the glass trim piece joins. If it is a crack, it would have to be a weak spot like you said, because it always splits in the same spot from what I've seen.

What I think happens is over time and thousands of heating and cooling cycles the plastic trim piece around the sunroof glass shrinks. A gap develops at the seam of the trim piece and then water can make its way in.

 

[Malcolm99]

Ok I’ll bite, it is not a seam as [MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION] claims per-say, it was plastic welded at that location and has cracked, it is one piece as displayed in the parts breakdown, and from the 3 examples in my driveway, the 99’ + does have a more obvious joint there that was plastic welded together by the OEM supplier of the glass. Again Tim’s example in the vid and the OP’s picture has obviously cracked, it did not come like that, must be the sun exposer causing it to break in that weak location. I can provide pictures of an unbroken one for the non-believers if they would like, just ask.

EDIT: I attached a picture of one that is not cracked for clarity further down.

 

[mtbtim]

Ok I’ll bite, it is not a seam as [MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION] claims per-say, it was plastic welded at that location and has cracked, it is one piece as displayed in the parts breakdown, and from the 3 examples in my driveway, the 99’ + does have a more obvious joint there that was plastic welded together by the OEM supplier of the glass. Again Tim’s example in the vid and the OP’s picture has obviously cracked, it did not come like that, must be the sun exposer causing it to break in that weak location. I can provide pictures of an unbroken one for the non-believers if they would like, just ask.

Ok, I think we're talking apples and apples. It was joint that came apart. I'm pretty sure the definition of a "Seam" is where two pieces join together.

When you said "Cracked", you made it sound like the plastic just failed there. You have now expanded and said a joint came apart which is a big difference. I agree that's exactly what happened. The joint came apart after the plastic trim piece shrunk over time.

 

[Malcolm99]

[MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION] Whichever way you want to describe it, I would call it cracked or broken, attached is one that is not cracked or broken in my 99'. Obviously the joint or seam was bonded as one piece by the supplier of the OEM glass.

 

[Malcolm99]

Here is a pic of the 97' inside and out, sorry the 99' has 10" of snow on it still, so no outside pics, on the 97', the inside has no visible bonding location in the centre like the 99' does, it had a seam or joint during manufacturing yes, but again it is bonded or fused together as one piece, and no crack exists on my examples.