B Pillar water

[thenative1]

All,

I have an '84 FJ45 Troopy that I love dearly. It just came back from having some work done at Cruiser Solutions in NH (thanks to Tedd and Hank) and on its return home, I was finally able to enlist the help of a friend to install the roof rack from Diamond Rax, thanks to Greg, who was excellent.

Here's the issue:

Yesterday was absolutely torrential rain from morning to night and in the Troopy, I had water dripping out of the interior lights that are mounted on the "B" pillar as well as some water dripping at the front top edge of the passenger's side door.

The roof rack is mounted via rain gutter towers and I made sure NOT to crank down the mounts on the fiberglass channel and as far as I can tell, I did not create a crack/break/separation that would then allow any water to enter via the rain gutter.

So does anyone have any wisdom/tricks as to how the water might be getting in and weeping from behind the "B" pillar interior convenience lights?

This might be coincidence as I think it's the first time since my purchasing the truck in June that it's been outside during a really serious rain storm. So the mounting of the roof rack MIGHT have nothing to do with the leak.

Your collective wisdom/suggestions are appreciated.

Regards,
Evan

 

[Ambrew]

Look with a mirror at the inside lip of your roof. if it is seriously corroded, then your roof has been leaking for a while.

The roof gutter is not exactly strong. It is possible that you broke the seal between it and the fiberglass but cannot see it. The only proper fix is to take the roof panel off, check the gutter for rust, clean out the junction between the metal and fiberglass, fix any rivets that need attention and fill it with a self leveling seam sealer. If there is any rust, you'll have to deal with that too. Otherwise, the seam sealer will just trap moisture in and make it worse.

My roof rack had a bracket that bolted to the side panel, essentially going around the gutter and putting the weight closer to the support pillars.

If water is in the b pillar, chances are it's the roof or the roof to side weatherstrip.
As nuclearlemon says, find the source of the leak first.

 

[nuclearlemon]

is the seam sealer in the raingutter still intact? is the gasket between the raingutter and the sides in good pliable condition?

i used to get a torrential downpour on my corner windows until i pulled the top off, scrubbed the crap out of the rubber gasket and reassembled. crustiness or dirt or something was keeping it from sealing.

if you cant find where it's coming from, you could put some sort of a water soluable dye or powder in the rain gutters and get it wet and see where the streaks of dye go

 

[Living in the Past]

I see two main ways water can get in. One is a leak between the fiberglass top and metal channel. The second is the gasket between the top and the sides. If the seal is bad between the fiberglass and metal channel the inside lip should probably be wet. Since the interior light wiring comes from the inside lip area it's possible water is running along the wire thru the hole in the top and coming out the light. Could be doing the same with the gasket but not as likely to be follow the wire to the light. The inside lip will contend water looking for a hole to go thru. Third option is if the metal channel is rusted out.

 

[thenative1]

Thanks!

All,

Thanks for the prompt replies. I'm not in front of the troopy this weekend but will check the next time I'm out. There is no obvious crack in the rain gutter but it might be time to pull the top and just make sure things are clean and in good working order.

Any good links you're aware of (before I start searching in mud and Google) for step-by-steps of pulling the roof off? I imagine/hope that we're talking a 2-3 person job and approx. 3-4 hours?

Again, thanks for the help.

Best,
Evan

 

[et3surge]

Thanks!

All,

Thanks for the prompt replies. I'm not in front of the troopy this weekend but will check the next time I'm out. There is no obvious crack in the rain gutter but it might be time to pull the top and just make sure things are clean and in good working order.

Any good links you're aware of (before I start searching in mud and Google) for step-by-steps of pulling the roof off? I imagine/hope that we're talking a 2-3 person job and approx. 3-4 hours?

Again, thanks for the help.

Best,
Evan

Just curious, did you ever get a step by step from anyone? I know it’s an old post, I am searching for now.

thanks

 

[sportinglife]

Just curious, did you ever get a step by step from anyone? I know it’s an old post, I am searching for now.

thanks

Et3surge, did you ever find the step by step to take the roof off of a Troopy?

 

[thenative1]

FWIW - "no," I never got a good step-by-step tutorial on taking the roof off (in my case) the FJ45 Troopy. I have no doubt I can suss it by working carefully but this would be a great thing to provide to the community.