Check under your rear wind deflector mounts for rust (1 Viewer)

[Kernal]

Noticed a few months ago some rust starting to peek out from under the mounting brackets for the rear wind deflector so this evening decided to pull the deflector off and take a look. When removing the deflector I first removed the wing from the mounts, two #2 Phillips screws on each side. There are then three more #2 Phillips head screws holding each mounting bracket on, two visible at the top of the mount and one hidden inside a blind compartment (covered by the wing).

Once I got the wing off I found water in each compartment covering the bottom screw heads, used some strips of paper towel to soak up the water. When I first attempted to remove the bottom screws they would not budge so I put some Kroil down into the compartments where it would sit over the screwheads then sprayed some more underneath the mount from above (after removing the top screws) so it would trickle down to the screws and nutserts, then let it sit an hour. Gave each screw a light whack before I tried again to remove them; both came out with solid downward pressure on the screwdriver, luckily the nutserts didn't spin.

Surprise (not), much more rust underneath, and one tiny little hole broke through while I skraped the rust off.

What I found is that the original double-sided adhesive pads under the mounts had come loose in the center which allowed water to get underneath, I saved those foam pads to use as templates for replacements. Another thread on the same topic had rust starting at the same location; the lower nutsert. Also found that water gets trapped inside the blind compartment where the bottom mounting screw is located in each mount, but the screws head itself was not rusted, so not sure if any of that water gets under the screw head. I think the main problem is the foam pad under the mounting brackets, it appears to either trap and/or absorb water which keeps that lower nutsert wet.

The top photo is staged looking down on the mounting bracket from above (wing removed) showing how the bottom screw for the bracket is hidden underneath the wing. In bright sunlight this was very difficult to see and impossible to photograph without a flash.

 

[Kernal]

A few more photos showing the bubbled paint and the extent of the rust after some skraping. After the photos were taken I applied some Rust Mort (phosphoric and chromic acid solution) to kill the rust while I decide on my next move, either have to fix what I got or replace the hatch. Will probably do a quick fix (kill the rust and rattle can prime and paint) and put the deflector back up for now.

If you look at the mounting pads you can see the vertical center section that acted like a pouch for trapping water and the bottom of that pouch led directly to the lower nutsert. IMO a long term fix (other than eliminating the nutserts) would be to better keep the area under the mounting brackets dry. As the photos show the rust started around the bottom nutsert where the water was trapped. The top nutserts have no rust.

The top photo in this post is the same area as the bottom photo in the above post (under right mounting bracket). The middle and bottom photos below are from under the left mounting bracket.

 

[inkpot]

Do you think that it would help to cut out a notch in the adhesive pad at the bottom center around the screw so that water could drain out quickly?

 

[wearsabrowncoat]

Is the rear wind deflector really needed? What is it suppose to do, keep dust off the rear window?

 

[sterling]

Is the rear wind deflector really needed? What is it suppose to do, keep dust off the rear window?

I have heard from another LC owner that it keeps snow etc. from clumping on the rear window.
He didn't have one and said he couldn't see out the rear when it snowed in GA.

 

[Kernal]

I've found the deflector works well to keep rain and dirt off the rear window, more important if your wiper doesn't work. I don't see a way to allow water to drain out from under the bracket due to the design, the bottom is flat and follows the curve of the hatch. Maybe apply a sealant underneath the entire bracket along with a non-absorbant pad or cushion. As others have pointed out the problem apparently starts with the nutserts but the constant water exposure probably accelerates the process. The rust around the bottom nutsert might also be partly due to water constantly dripping off the bottom edge of the bracket, some being sucked up toward that nutsert which is very close to the edge of the pad??

 

[western flyer]

^^^ Kernal is "on" here to what is likely the fix, if you want keep the deflector and stop the rust.

I ended up using Permathane as a paint-appropriate sealant, after Rust-Bullet paint over the ground off rust, with butyl rubber to fill the gaps between the towers and hatch. And stainless hardware.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/597910-wind-deflector-woes.html

 

[Kernal]

western flyer: that's a good thread, photos always help.

I first have to grind down the rust to see how much metal I have left and reapply Rust Mort to kill any rust in remaining pits. When initially skraping the rust off just using a flat bladed screwdriver I poked a tiny hole in the metal, so thinking I may have to build that up a bit. Might use some JB weld instead of body putty to add some strength. then sand that down?? Then cut a ? rubber pad and glue that to both the mount and the hatch, or just use double sided tape.

Not sure if I want to drill out the nutserts, although that is a good idea using a larger size. Have to also seal the top of the mount, where it mates to the wing, to prevent water from getting into the compartment holding the bottom screw. Then use a sealant on all the screws before they're tightened down. I have a non-corrosive industrial grade silicone adhesive/sealant, Dow Corning 832, it's miles ahead of the usual RTV found in parts stores. Also have some 3M urethane adhesive used for windshields. I'm thinking a drain hole for the bottom screw compartment might allow water and salt spray to work it's way in, so maybe better to seal the compartment and the threads.

 

[rolliges]

Add a drain hole to the bottom nut. I think the support's internal column holds water and slowly leaks onto the metal; therefore more rust around bottom nutsert.

Let it drain.

 

[Kernal]

rolliges; The original design did not have a seal or sealant between the underside of the wing and the top of the bracket which allowed water to get into the blind compartment. I plan to seal that compartment from the top where it meets the wing and also the threads of that screw.

Edit: after having looked/thought about it I think the main cause of the rust is the foam pad which absorbs and/or traps water under the bracket at the lower nutserts IMO.

 

[western flyer]

Kernal,

I looks like you can keep the nutserts you have. I will be doing that with my roof rack nutserts. I had some nasty ones on my hatch, thus the next size up. If I had to do it again, I would have only drilled out a couple of my hatch nutserts. I searched for quite some time for an appropriate sealer. The Permathane was the best fit I found for this use. Buenas suerte.

Jon

 

[Kernal]

Bringing this back to show how the hatch repair turned out. I hand sanded the rust down, couldn't use any power tools as I wanted to keep the nutserts. After killing the rust with Rust Mort and letting that dry I cleaned the sanded areas off very well, first with water then with Acetone (good to use before the JB Weld), then applied standard JB Weld. I raised the hatch so the surface was more horizontal which kept the epoxy from running too much but it still ran some, hence the lumpy look as I pushed it back in place. Again could not sand it smooth due to the nutserts but was careful to not get it higher than the top of the nutserts which is what the mounting bracket rests on, but also part of the idea with the JB Weld was to reinforce the weakened metal. I let the JB Weld cure for about 24 hours then sprayed the area with primer followed by rattle can white. I lightly feathered the edges of the painted area once the paint was dry to remove the sharp edge.

The final appearance is not pretty but as most of the repair is hidden by the mounting brackets and the wing itself I'll take it. The only other route would have been to grind off the nutserts, fix the damaged metal, paint, then replace the nutserts. If I run across a non-rusted white hatch someday I might replace what I got but this repair should hold it till then.

FWIW the correct color code (045 white) is no longer available in rattle cans from Duplicolor or any other company off the shelf but I recently learned that Sherwin Williams auto paint stores (parent company of Duplicolor) can make up 12 oz individual rattle cans of any color you want for about $18.

Edit: 8/2022. Duplicolor does now have an aerosol can of what they say is 045 white, BTY1578. I recently used this around a pinch weld and it is very close but maybe not perfect match. Hard to tell due possible oxidation of the old paint next to new. FWIW

 

[Kernal]

Few tips: when remounting the brackets start the bottom screw first, the bottom screw would not line up with the threaded hole correctly when I started with the top screws, so had to start over at the bottom. Definitely use a thread sealant on the screws for the brackets. I had driven around a couple of weeks with just the screws tightened down lightly into the nutserts until I could get back to putting the wing back on. During that time it rained about every day and surface rust had already started on the screws.

Before I put it all back together I used some Q-tips and dabbed a spray rust convertor into the nutsert threads working it all the way down the threads and let it dry. Then applied a thin coating of Permatex High Tack adhesive sealant (98H) on the screws by twisting the screws through my fingers to force the sealant into the threads. Let that sit a minute to let the solvent flash away. The mounting bracket screws had a sealant on them originally and there was no rust on the screws when I first pulled them out so figured I should put something on them again.

Just before screwing the brackets down I applied a button of Permatex 80631(14A) thread sealant to the opening and top of each nutsert. This sealant remains slightly flexible and the idea there was to seal off the tops of the nutserts just under the bracket to prevent water from sitting there.

 

[Kernal]

Originally I had planned to replace the foam cushion that went between the bracket and the hatch body but couldn't find a suitable replacement ie: something that would not absorb water that would fit. As the JB Weld had taken up some of the space I couldn't use a solid rubber pad and most foams would just hold water like the original, and I didn't want to seal it up completely with silicone as that would make it more difficult to dig back into it in the future. For now I plan on leaving that 1/16 inch space between the bracket and the hatch body open. I figure that area should dry quicker than before, only downside I can see is dirt might accumulate under the bracket.

To prevent water from collecting inside the open back/top of the bracket (where the bottom screw is located under the wing) I used a strip of 5lb indoor-outdoor mounting tape with the sticky side down on the plastic bracket. I left on the plastic peel-off sheet on the side that presses against the wing; reason so that I can more easily pull it apart if I have to. When attaching the wing to the mounting brackets the screws passed through that mounting tape helping seal those off. Note the photos were taken before the screws were tightened all the way down and as they were tightened the mounting tape squished down a bit helping form a tight seal. Also before closing off the bracket compartment where the bottom screw sits I painted the top of the screw with a rust preventative paint.

 

[Kernal]

This photo shows the slight gap where the original foam pad used to sit. At first glance it might appear that the bracket is being pushed up by the repair but it isn't. The brackets originally rested on the nutserts (which protrude up from sheet metal) not the hatch body with or without the original foam pad which just filled up that gap but trapped water in doing so. That air gap should allow the area under the brackets to stay dry.

 

[mtkreitz]

Would it perhaps have made sense to get a 1/16" thick rubber pad and trace around the mount and trim to size with an X-Acto? Or is the pad still available new from Toyota? If anyone knows and/or has the P/N I would appreciate it.

 

[Kernal]

Just saw this: I considered doing exactly that, but a thin rubber pad would not fit due to the JB weld repair which is not flush with the roof. I left it proud as trying to sand it down would have been difficult without also damaging the top of the nutserts. Also figured by leaving the area under the mount open it would stay dry to prevent moisture from getting trapped under a new pad and start the process all over again. Also considered double-sided tape but that would've made it more difficult to remove the mounts for future repairs.

The original pads are not available from Toyota and were actually part of the problem, they were made of an open-cell foam that absorbed and trapped moisture under the brackets causing the rust to form around the nutserts.

A thin sheet of solid rubber would be better than the original foam, but IME not necessary as that sheet is only for cosmetic purposes. It serves no other purpose ie: the mount does not rest on it, is not buffered by it, nothing other than to fill the air gap. You don't want anything that will trap moisture and hold it against the nutserts.

The original repair is still holding up fairly well but at some point will
need to be redone properly.

 

[rolliges]

butyl tape for the pad; affix to body. make a template first

 

[Woofythewolf]

fibrous rubber gasket or just regular rubber gasket material should be available at most auto parts stores to cut out yourself.
(I got a 10" x 30" roll of 1/32 grey fibrous rubber a few years ago for fixing a palm nailer, but I think they had black rubber and a few different thicknesses too)

 

[sdouglassjr]

I lost my bolts for the rear wind deflector, I want to put it back on now. Does anyone know what size machine screws I need?