Sunroof leaking down into footwells - no, it's not the drains! (1 Viewer)

[kickitrootdown]

I've had an issue with leaks getting down into the footwells that has been repeatedly problematic this monsoon season in Utah...

I checked my windshield seals and gutters to make sure they weren't the source and they are decidedly not. Then I cleaned the sunroof drains down the A pillar and those were draining just fine too (and flushed A LOT of water down there to try and flood the drains, but they work perfectly well) with no water ending up in the footwells. And after all of that I kept getting water in during big rain storms, I finally paid for someone to take a couple hours and just go to town trying to track down where water was coming in. They determined that water was getting onto the sunroof rails and leaking into the A pillar but not through the roof and into the ceiling (which I found odd). Here's where I'm talking about:

Somehow water is getting dumped onto the sunroof rails/motors - could be the screws that are letting water in. I sprayed my hose up and had water falling down on the sunroof area (so that it fell like rain instead of direct pressure) and that was the only way I could get water to start coming through. That's secondary though as to why water is getting on them in the first place . Anyone have any ideas? Is it the seal or moulding on the inside edge perhaps? Or coming from further back on the car since it extends quite a way (see photo and arrow below)?

And again, I've done my research and am pretty confident that it isn't the drains. Any thoughts on resealing the sunroof maybe? Sealing the sunroof motor and tracks?

Thanks mudders!

 

[dosruedas]

Hey man I’m up in Park City and I’ve been having a similar issue that I have not been able to track down! If it’s raining particularly hard i can have water dripping on the passenger seat (but not consistently). Interestingly in the hard rains we had this past week, i noticed that if my truck is parked facing up the driveway I get less water/moisture inside… when it was parked facing down the driveway I had much more water in the truck.

I was thinking about replacing the seal around the sunroof but haven’t had a chance to tackle that yet, and don’t see anywhere specific where it’s getting in.

 

[kickitrootdown]

Hey man I’m up in Park City and I’ve been having a similar issue that I have not been able to track down! If it’s raining particularly hard i can have water dripping on the passenger seat (but not consistently). Interestingly in the hard rains we had this past week, i noticed that if my truck is parked facing up the driveway I get less water/moisture inside… when it was parked facing down the driveway I had much more water in the truck.

I was thinking about replacing the seal around the sunroof but haven’t had a chance to tackle that yet, and don’t see anywhere specific where it’s getting in.

I could almost live with the resolution of just facing uphill when I park, if it solves the problem.

I haven't had any water come down from the roof onto the seats, it all just runs down the A pillar to the footwells for now.

 

[KFunk740]

It's not hard to change the sunroof seal, just a couple screws and the glass comes out, and you tightly wrap the new seal around it with a little adhesive.

You're also forgetting about the common leak spot of the bolts that hold the luggage rack in the front. Pop them out and put some silicone around them.

Or the even more fun issue, which is what I've had, is the ole rusty windshield frame.

 

[kickitrootdown]

It's not hard to change the sunroof seal, just a couple screws and the glass comes out, and you tightly wrap the new seal around it with a little adhesive.

You're also forgetting about the common leak spot of the bolts that hold the luggage rack in the front. Pop them out and put some silicone around them.

Or the even more fun issue, which is what I've had, is the ole rusty windshield frame.

.... another leaking spot?! Where is this? At the front of the rails?

Thankfully, the autoglass guy I paid to sniff out the leak went to town on the windshield and he said it was still sealed perfectly. Whew.

 

[Greenbean]

This might help....

Just a thought.

DIY: Sunroof Weatherstrip Replacement

So since last year November time frame, I've have a leak from my sunroof. After cleaning the drains, the rails, and everything possible, I was able to isolate the issue to a bad weatherstrip. I bought the replacement, but never had the time then since I was T-1 week to leave on my 7k mile road...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[KFunk740]

.... another leaking spot?! Where is this? At the front of the rails?

Thankfully, the autoglass guy I paid to sniff out the leak went to town on the windshield and he said it was still sealed perfectly. Whew.

Yeah, the front of luggage rack rails. Pop the cover off and there are a couple big weird bolts (torx maybe) that go through the roof. You can smear some silicone on and around them and put them back.

 

[kickitrootdown]

Yeah, the front of luggage rack rails. Pop the cover off and there are a couple big weird bolts (torx maybe) that go through the roof. You can smear some silicone on and around them and put them back.

Quick follow-up for anyone that stumbles into this thread: it is torx40 judging from this video:

 

[kickitrootdown]

Another update. I think I found my problem. The sun hit my windshield just right today and I noticed there were SCREWS holding the side moulding for the windshield. They're tucked up underneath and hard to see, but sure as s***, they're there! Or some of them. About half were gone, just empty holes. Not sure if this was what Toyota intended, but someone screwed up installing this moulding. Lathered up the holes in rtv silicone and put in some new sheet metals screws. Fingers crossed this does the trick...

 

[ramangain]

Screws introduce rust. Best to do OEM rivets that have the protective sheathing on them.

 

[kickitrootdown]

Screws introduce rust. Best to do OEM rivets that have the protective sheathing on them.

Any idea what part number those are? I haven't seen them in the diagrams.

 

[ramangain]

Any idea what part number those are? I haven't seen them in the diagrams.

You're in luck. I bought 20 and didn't use them.. Send me a PM

 

[kickitrootdown]

Heavy rains in SLC tonight have shown I have solved nothing. New wet spots on the inside of the a pillars though, at the upper corners of both sides of the windshield. Starting to get to point where I have no clue what to do. Do I just rip out the moulding and redo it? I've read enough threads on here of people throwing a lot of time and money trying to track these leaks down to no avail. Might just go through Safelite and probably end up getting a new windshield if things keep up.

 

[saucebox]

Do I just rip out the moulding and redo it?

Yes, especially if you don't want rust in the pillars. It looks like someone just half-assed a windshield replacement somewhere in the past.

There is one specific thread somewhere in here about good windshield installers here in SLC. The downtown Safelite location came up, and a place called Adan’s Auto Glass. No idea if they're still around, but I saved the name of it for when mine will need replacement. At least in that thread (can't find it right now), both knew about the factory rivets and installed it correctly.