Found my sunroof leak, is this piece replaceable???

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srkpaco

srkpaco

10 Year
Joined
Mar 12, 2012
Threads
84
Messages
273
Location
Austin, TX.
These are pictures of my sunroof closest to the rear of the vehicle right in the middle of the sunroof on the outside of the vehicle. For a long time I thought this was a normal gap and was supposed to be there but when my sunroof is closed I can see daylight through it from the inside, this is where my sunroof is leaking. If this trim piece replaceable? if not what should I use to fill the gap in?

Thanks in advance

photo1.webp


photo2.webp
 
I can't say this for sure, but we have a gap that size and ours doesn't leak. Silicone it? Are your sunroof drains clogged? Where does the water end up? In your passenger footwell?
 
There is an indoor channel below the sunroof. Water sometimes collects in there but it drains out via little holes in the front on either side. Make sure those front drains are not clogged.
 
I'd personally just try to fill that. Silicone/RTV should work. If you can get it into the crack, even better. Not sure if I've ever seen a needle applicator for silicone materials.
 
It may be the gasket that surrounds the sunroof frame. The gasket and its adhesive eventually degrade just enough to allow water to seep in. Many have tried to replace it but the results aren't spectacular; getting the new gasket to adhere evenly to the frame is difficult even for the pros. I've been thru it all. I would suggest sealing the seam with silicone.


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it is usually clogged drains that causes leaking
 
You can order the gasket for about $50. You can glue it on with 3M adhesive. Make sure you clean the surface well before you try to glue the new one onto the frame. Then let the sunroof glass sit for at least 24 hours so the glue can dry before you reinstall the glass into the truck. I thought I did a perfect job but I still had to re-glue one corner after it came loose when I shut the roof the first time. I would say that replacing the gasket should be your last resort. My dealer had no interest in trying the repair. You can buy an entire new sunroof which comes with the gasket installed, but obviously that is the least cost effective solution.

There are 2 front sunroof drains which you can snake out with some thick weed wacker string as others suggest. I pulled one of the wires out of a piece of 12 gauge romex and that worked well as it was much stiffer than weed wacker line. There are also 2 rear sunroof drains which can be snaked out the same way. The front drains are highly visible when the roof is open. It is impossible to see the rear drains....you just need to keep sticking the line back there and hope you get lucky and it pops into the hole. I found it impossible to snake the front drain lines all the way out to the ground as the wire seems to get hung up on something near the end. However, they now flow very well so I guess I got everything out. If your wire is long enough you can snake the rear drain tubes all of the way out of the truck...just be careful not to let the end of the drain tube go up into the fender area as it will be very difficult to get it back out.


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Gafjc had it right. You almost have to replace the glass with the gasket factory installed to get everything seated right. So, silicone is your friend. Honesty, the sunroofs on our 100s are junk. Mine is seized and won't open. $700 will get me a new sunroof cassette. Yeah. Not happening. That money will go to sliders before sunroof
 
Again, all sunroof drains and clear of debris and are draining fine I have cleaned and tested them all.

Will try the silicone RTV unless there is something out there that someone says is better?
 
srkpaco said:
Again, all sunroof drains and clear of debris and are draining fine I have cleaned and tested them all.

Will try the silicone RTV unless there is something out there that someone says is better?
Click to expand...

When it happens again to me I am also thinking I may try flexible spray rubber gutter sealant.

Black of course. I'll remove it, tape it off and spray it so the lines are straight. Test it first for texture. Hoping it will look better than a silicone bead. Either way, while I don't want it to looking crappy no one will see it but me.

Just a thought as I also wonder about the elasticity of the sealant even though I don't open my roof but twice a year.


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I've said it before and I'll say it again. When I tackled replacing my sunroof gasket and cables last year I asked a few parts suppliers before getting a definite answer from Onur (aka beno) one of our parts suppliers here: the rubber gasket that mates the plastic frame of the glass to the sheetmetal is SEPARATE, unlike the 80 series where the new sunroof has the weatherstripping pre-installed.

The plastic frame on the sunroof itself where you have the crack in the middle is part of the sunroof glass, but there is no weatherstripping installed on new sunroofs, so buying an entire new glass would be pointless unless you're willing to attach the weatherstripping yourself. This can be a major pain in the arse as others have said. Luckily, a year later and I've had no leaks at all, but it took a lot of time and patience!

You could try pulling the glass and seeing if the weatherstripping is pulling away from the frame which happened to my friend, which caused his to leak dead center at the rear.
 
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Sealing up the gap is what I am going to do first, then test it and see if it leaks. I would rather reapply silicone every once in a while rather than mess with pulling the sunroof glass.

It is a 2004 LC with 135,000 miles on it and I am thinking of getting rid of it at the first of the year so don't want to drop to much cash on the fix.
 
landylover21 said:
I've said it before and I'll say it again. When I tackled replacing my sunroof gasket and cables last year I asked a few parts suppliers before getting a definite answer from Onur (aka beno) one of our parts suppliers here: the rubber gasket that mates the plastic frame of the glass to the sheetmetal is SEPARATE, unlike the 80 series where the new sunroof has the weatherstripping pre-installed.

The plastic frame on the sunroof itself where you have the crack in the middle is part of the sunroof glass, but there is no weatherstripping installed on new sunroofs, so buying an entire new glass would be pointless unless you're willing to attach the weatherstripping yourself. This can be a major pain in the arse as others have said. Luckily, a year later and I've had no leaks at all, but it took a lot of time and patience!

You could try pulling the glass and seeing if the weatherstripping is pulling away from the frame which happened to my friend, which caused his to leak dead center at the rear.
Click to expand...


Describe the process for adhering the new gasket to the old frame and glass if you can. When I attempted it i was a huge pain in the arse. You must have mad skills or huge reserves of patience!


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GaFJC said:
When it happens again to me I am also thinking I may try flexible spray rubber gutter sealant.

Black of course. I'll remove it, tape it off and spray it so the lines are straight. Test it first for texture. Hoping it will look better than a silicone bead. Either way, while I don't want it to looking crappy no one will see it but me.

Just a thought as I also wonder about the elasticity of the sealant even though I don't open my roof but twice a year.


...via IH8MUD app
Click to expand...
Hey, GaFJC, what do you mean you will remove it? Is it easy to remove that plastic trim piece without messing with the glass? From what i have read it sounds like that piece is attached to the glass?
 
Good question. I was referring to removing the sunroof glass from the opening. The two trim pieces pop off (left and right) with a little downward pressure exposing four bolts, two each side. Unbolt them and the whole assembly comes out in minutes. More importantly, it goes back in as easy. Then snap the black plastic trim in place. I've have mine out twice in the last year to condition the rubber gasket in hopes of extending its life.

I was not referring to the gasket that surrounds the glass and its plastic frame.
 
GaFJC, sorry, I haven't been on the forums lately as I've been so busy with work!

In terms of getting the gasket adhered and seated, I used 3M Trim Adhesive (I'll look the part number up later) but it is a goopy like substance that comes out of a squeeze tube (kinda like toothpaste).

I put it on the weatherstripping and attached it to the glass, lining up the four corners and pressing the plastic into the trim slit on the weatherstripping and let it sit for a few hours.

After that I loose fitted it into the roof and poured water to check for leaks. Any areas where I saw dripping I used a hairdryer to soften up the gasket and glue and reseated it. It took a lot of patience and trial and error, but I finally got it.

A few days after that I took it to a touch-free carwash (the ultimate torture test for concentrated water pressure on the roof) and only got one or two drops in the center. A year later, my sunroof still has pretty bad flatulence when opening (the weatherstipping is still tight and is rubbing against the roof as it slides) but other than that, no rips, no tears, and most importantly, no leakage!

As for the other question about the plastic trim piece, it is permanently glued to the glass itself. The plastic trim around the glass is the thing that actually comes with new sunroof glass, NOT the rubber weatherstripping.

Hope this helps.

Rich
 
Never got around to fixing the gap so gonna try this weekend. What about using plasidip of flex seal and just taping it off? I have never used plasti dip or flex seal so not sure or the coverage and if it will fill the gap?
 
Muddy Bean said:
Gafjc had it right. You almost have to replace the glass with the gasket factory installed to get everything seated right. So, silicone is your friend. Honesty, the sunroofs on our 100s are junk. Mine is seized and won't open. $700 will get me a new sunroof cassette. Yeah. Not happening. That money will go to sliders before sunroof
Click to expand...
I think clogged drain holes cause the deterioration of the sunroof apparatus, imho. Clean them.
 
I've cleaned them regularly...it's a bad design...
 
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