Cargo leak due to loose wiring grommet - Thoughts? (1 Viewer)

[tfarchio]

Hi everyone. I have a leak in the cargo area of my 200 due to a problem with the rubber grommet wiring harness connecting the main cabin with the cargo door. The yellow clip isn't broken but it's not sitting properly. It keeps lifting up which allows water to travel into the headliner, down both pillars, and under the carpet.

I took it to a Toyota dealership and they recommended replacing the grommet to the tune of $850. The part is like $20 but they have to do work with the wiring so lots of labor. My other issue is that I have some aftermarket lighting that I'm not sure they'll be willing to pull back through the new grommet. Basically, this is not an ideal option though I'll do it (and pay it) if I have to.

Does anyone have suggestions for possibly repairing it instead of replacing? Maybe epoxy and silicone? Has anyone had this problem before? Any suggestions are much appreciated.

Here are a couple of pictures. I can push the grommet down but it tends to pop up pretty easily and with little force.

Best,
Todd

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Use some super glue at the base of the grommet.

 

[tfarchio]

Use some super glue at the base of the grommet.

Do you mean a waterproof epoxy or actual super glue?

 

[peez206]

I had a similar issue with my LX after pulling out the grommet to run a rear dashcam. I got it to seat back inside but after it rained I ended up with water along the rear as well. In the end I picked up a tube of silicone and just put a seal around the entire thing. Hasn't leaked since. Hope that helps.

 

[Sandroad]

I’ve had excellent success with 3M 5200. It’s a permanent adhesive sealant that bonds like crazy and seals tight. If the grommet would pop up while it’s curing, use some tape to temporarily hold it in.

 

[sdnative]

Looks like the yellow clip is broken? The left tab on the yellow clip in the first picture seems to be missing?

 

[tfarchio]

Looks like the yellow clip is broken? The left tab on the yellow clip in the first picture seems to be missing?

Good catch. No way to fix that. I think a sealant would probably still hold it down though.

 

[WCDAVE]

@sdnative is correct - that tab is busted. $850 for the dealer to repair is egregious, but they probably don't want to do it in the first place. Not a fun afternoon, but everything that runs through the ring and the rubber boot is located in the hatch. All of the trim that covers it up is easily removed with a trim tool and you can see what has to be removed and re-threaded. You will need a pin tool to remove the molex connectors that won't fit back through the hole and/or the boot. You could cut and splice, but investing in a pin tool is going to save you a lot of time and be much cleaner. Also take good pictures of wire positions in the connectors for re-attachment. It's a fiddly system Toyota has with that plastic snap ring and the rubber boot, but it works well when the tabs are intact. Any kind of sealant will ultimately fail with the hatch tugging on it each time you open it. Also if you are like me you will probably come up with a few more things down the road that have to be threaded through and you'll end up going the replacement route anyway. Good luck with whatever you decide

PS what is that white cable running through there? It looks to be a rather large gauge wire and is probably going to pull on that conduit system especially in the cold. If it is two wires/conductors in one housing, remove the jacket/housing just before and through the boot to reduce stress. That wire pressing against the snap ring may be the cause of your broken tab. (FWIW)

 

[Sandroad]

@sdnative is correct - that tab is busted. $850 for the dealer to repair is egregious, but they probably don't want to do it in the first place. Not a fun afternoon, but everything that runs through the ring and the rubber boot is located in the hatch. All of the trim that covers it up is easily removed with a trim tool and you can see what has to be removed and re-threaded. You will need a pin tool to remove the molex connectors that won't fit back through the hole and/or the boot. You could cut and splice, but investing in a pin tool is going to save you a lot of time and be much cleaner. Also take good pictures of wire positions in the connectors for re-attachment. It's a fiddly system Toyota has with that plastic snap ring and the rubber boot, but it works well when the tabs are intact. Any kind of sealant will ultimately fail with the hatch tugging on it each time you open it. Also if you are like me you will probably come up with a few more things down the road that have to be threaded through and you'll end up going the replacement route anyway. Good luck with whatever you decide

PS what is that white cable running through there? It looks to be a rather large gauge wire and is probably going to pull on that conduit system especially in the cold. If it is two wires/conductors in one housing, remove the jacket/housing just before and through the boot to reduce stress. That wire pressing against the snap ring may be the cause of your broken tab. (FWIW)

Good call on that large gauge wire that’s been added to the grommet. The lack of flexibility on that will likely mean the grommet has to be mechanically sealed and not just glued. i would hope all the connectors would fit the hole. I doubt the harness was installed without connectors at the assembly plant.

 

[Fisher23]

Sounds like some after-market wire run thought there broke the tab on the connector, so then it is not a warranted item.. is that correct?

Marine 5200 I would not recommend if you ever want to take it apart for any reason in the future.
The marine 5200 I use on my sport fisher when I want a seal that will never come apart.

I would use Marine 4200. It will water seal and in the future you can remove it if needed.

 

[tfarchio]

@sdnative is correct - that tab is busted. $850 for the dealer to repair is egregious, but they probably don't want to do it in the first place. Not a fun afternoon, but everything that runs through the ring and the rubber boot is located in the hatch. All of the trim that covers it up is easily removed with a trim tool and you can see what has to be removed and re-threaded. You will need a pin tool to remove the molex connectors that won't fit back through the hole and/or the boot. You could cut and splice, but investing in a pin tool is going to save you a lot of time and be much cleaner. Also take good pictures of wire positions in the connectors for re-attachment. It's a fiddly system Toyota has with that plastic snap ring and the rubber boot, but it works well when the tabs are intact. Any kind of sealant will ultimately fail with the hatch tugging on it each time you open it. Also if you are like me you will probably come up with a few more things down the road that have to be threaded through and you'll end up going the replacement route anyway. Good luck with whatever you decide

PS what is that white cable running through there? It looks to be a rather large gauge wire and is probably going to pull on that conduit system especially in the cold. If it is two wires/conductors in one housing, remove the jacket/housing just before and through the boot to reduce stress. That wire pressing against the snap ring may be the cause of your broken tab. (FWIW)

It's a tough decision. On the one hand, I want it fixed right but on the other hand, I find that letting Toyota techs anywhere near my LC tends to cause more problems than it solves. And I'm especially concerned when it comes to electrical. I would hate to find out in a couple thousand miles that something wasn't reattached properly and so my speakers stop working or some other gremlin comes to the party. You get the idea.

The white cable is for an aftermarket light in the cargo door. I bought the light from someone here on the forums. That's another one of my concerns. I'm not sure it's easy to detach the wire from the unit and I'm not even clear if the tech would be willing to do it. So I would probably have to rip that out or try to reconnect it at a later time. I'm sure I could do it but more hassle than it's worth.

 

[grinchy]

If you can see where the missing tab is, perhaps you can drill thru the connector and recreate the tab with a rivet head, or screw head, or bolt head, or a hardening shapeable clay like sugru. Or let a bead of epoxy dry where the tab used to be.

 

[tfarchio]

If you can see where the missing tab is, perhaps you can drill thru the connector and recreate the tab with a rivet head, or screw head, or bolt head, or a hardening shapeable clay like sugru. Or let a bead of epoxy dry where the tab used to be.

That's a good idea. I'll take a look at the clay.

 

[tfarchio]

Sounds like some after-market wire run thought there broke the tab on the connector, so then it is not a warranted item.. is that correct?

Marine 5200 I would not recommend if you ever want to take it apart for any reason in the future.
The marine 5200 I use on my sport fisher when I want a seal that will never come apart.

I would use Marine 4200. It will water seal and in the future you can remove it if needed.

That's right. I think it happened during an install of an aftermarket light. Toyota HQ is being pretty good about (and seems willing to cover it even thought the truck is about a month out of CPO warranty) it but it's hard to know how the dealership will present it to them.

I agree something a little less permanent is probably the way to go.

 

[RET2]

That's right. I think it happened during an install of an aftermarket light. Toyota HQ is being pretty good about (and seems willing to cover it even thought the truck is about a month out of CPO warranty) it but it's hard to know how the dealership will present it to them.

I agree something a little less permanent is probably the way to go.

Just an off the wall hack fix but what if you got a new plastic piece and cut a very small slit thru it that would allow opening/spreading (carefully) and reinserting wires then reinstall in opening with some epoxy to reconnect it? That would allow the tabs to do what they were designed to do.

 

[WCDAVE]

Just an off the wall hack fix but what if you got a new plastic piece and cut a very small slit thru it that would allow opening/spreading (carefully) and reinserting wires then reinstall in opening with some epoxy to reconnect it? That would allow the tabs to do what they were designed to do.

I like this idea! Hardest part will be making the cut fine enough. Maybe an Xacto modelers saw blade.

 

[RET2]

I like this idea! Hardest part will be making the cut fine enough. Maybe an Xacto modelers saw blade.

If it's getting backfilled with epoxy or like substance super fine isn't really that big of deal I would venture?

 

[tfarchio]

Thanks for all of the helpful suggestions. Since three of the four tabs are still intact, I decided to go the repair route. I used 3M extreme weatherstripping adhesive. The adhesive was incredibly difficult to work with because it was so thick and sticky. It's also a really small work space. But with some sweat I was able to fully secure the side that had been broken and cleaned things up with an adhesive remover. My plan is to also put a silicone seal around the edge of the rubber gasket later today. Assuming the yellow plastic piece stays in position and doesn't pull away from the metal too much over time, it should be all set. I figure I'll be able to tell from the silicone if the seal has been broken. If it gives me any more trouble, I'll remove the yellow piece and try the RET2 hack.

Thanks everyone!

 

[bloc]

I know you’ve already fixed this but for future reference.. think it’s possible to turn the yellow clip 180 degrees so the broken tab is further away from the large wire and now on the side that isn’t getting pulled upward as aggressively?

I’m not sure if the clip is keyed so that it only fits in the boot with one orientation but if not this may be a good option to further mechanically hold the system down in conjunction with a sealant.

 

[RET2]

I know you’ve already fixed this but for future reference.. think it’s possible to turn the yellow clip 180 degrees so the broken tab is further away from the large wire and now on the side that isn’t getting pulled upward as aggressively?

I’m not sure if the clip is keyed so that it only fits in the boot with one orientation but if not this may be a good option to further mechanically hold the system down in conjunction with a sealant.

I concur in regards to large wire, I think it is the root cause for the issue. Just curious, why a cable large enough to power a nuclear reactor in the hatch?