Water Seal on Sunroof
- Thread starter mtgreen
- Start date
Brownstevend
New member
Thanks Matze. Is it normal for these to leak a little around the sunroof seals? I've cleaned the drains and the water does drain down and out, but should it be seeping past the seal to begin with? Is this how it should work normally? Doesn't appear to drip on my head or the head liner...lol..well not yet. I called the dealer and it is about $700 to order the complete glass which comes with a new seal but no option for just the seal. It's not like I can see daylight through it. I'm just trying to avoid the extra cost or future leaks or rust.
What are your thoughts?
Matze
New member
A little seeping should be ok, the frame underneath is working like a gutter which drains into the hoses (not exactly sure on the 4runner if it’s 4 or 6 drain hoses)
Anyways, a moonroof is made out of different materials so coefficient of thermal expansion in general needs to be in mind, as well the purpose, the moonroof has to be temporarily sealed when it’s closed but opens easily and the whole system can’t interrupt with the roof line and that for a long term in all possible conditions topped by UV-rays. So many factors...
Let’s think in a different route, most people wouldn’t complain when the shingle roof on there house is toasted after 20 years and would have it replaced without a doubt but a regular shingle roof is way less complex!
Try it with a garden hose but in a natural way, so no punctual high pressure on the seal - start easy with light water and go from there when you feel comfortable and I’m sure you’ll see it’s doing the job
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51 years of ownership of dozens of cars and my new 19 TRD ORP is the first with a sunroof- like many I didn't really want one but that is pretty much all they ever have in my area.
So my question is- where do the drains lead to? Just want to verify occasionally they are clean and working.
So my question is- where do the drains lead to? Just want to verify occasionally they are clean and working.
Matze
New member
They go down on the a-pillars, b-pillar or/and c-pillar
To be honest I didn’t check so far on my t4r since it’s just a few weeks old and cleaning isn’t necessary yet.
Usual the front ones end up in the front wheel well or more up in the area underneath the plastic at the bottom of the windshield.
On the rear the common solution is to drain into the channel outside of the hatch seal
Rinse warm soapy water into the channel of the open moonroof and you’ll find them, carefully until you see if they drain properly
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I was having water issues in my 4Runner this winter with all the rain we had in LA. It's either the sunroof drains or my roof rack bolts. I cleaned the front drains out and redid the silicon on the roof rack bolts. Fingers crossed. I do park outside, so the sunroof gasket gets a lot of SoCal sun. I did buy the replacement gasket, it was ~$41. I just have to see how to replace it. I don't see much on that, but seems I can partially open it to get it on the front, then close and tip it up to snap it on the rest. I know it will drip some, but after 8 years of baking in the sun, I figured a fresh gasket may help. Any one else change this out before?
Here is a good video that I will use to replace the Moon Roof seal on my new 2022 4Runner that is chipped in a few places. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey4ZN-qNIBs It's for a Lexus ES350, but it should be the same or very similar. You actually remove the glass and seal with 4 screws, replace the seal and then replace/adjust the unit. Looks pretty easy. Good Luck!
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