Leaking sunroof surround - not the weatherstripping seal or drains! (4 Viewers)

[Super77]

I’ve got a drip coming from the sunroof glass assembly.

Left and right sides. Seems to be coming from the black plastic surround - Toyota calls it garnish - that’s visible from inside the vehicle (outlined in red above). The joints in that surround are wet, and the water pools and drips as shown in the photos. When the car has been sitting in the rain, the first time I hit the brakes, a trickle of water pours from that area.

I don’t believe this is a drains issue. The “moat” around the sunroof opening in the roof is clean, there is no water collecting, and the drain lines flow through. I'm also not certain that it's the weatherstripping l (that seals against the roof sheet metal), since any leakage there would end up in the moat and down the drains, right?

My hunch from reading here is that it’s the plastic frame around the glass. Water may be getting between the glass and its frame and collecting in the garnish

Does this track with anyone’s experience? What’s the troubleshooting/fix process?

 

[kbfj621989]

I would remove the plastic garnish (do it carefully as there are little clips and are probably brittle as this point) and then spray some water on the sunroof to confirm the water intrusion. Look for any cracks in the plastic frame of the sunroof. I would clean up the glass and apply a some clear silicone (very small amount so that it is not noticeable) around where the glass meets the plastic frame and replace the gasket for good measure. I did this on my rig which has an inoperable sunroof and no leaks.

 

[Bisho]

I’ve got a drip coming from the sunroof glass assembly.
View attachment 3908444

View attachment 3908443

View attachment 3908445
Left and right sides. Seems to be coming from the black plastic surround - Toyota calls it garnish - that’s visible from inside the vehicle (outlined in red above). The joints in that surround are wet, and the water pools and drips as shown in the photos. When the car has been sitting in the rain, the first time I hit the brakes, a trickle of water pours from that area.

I don’t believe this is a drains issue. The “moat” around the sunroof opening in the roof is clean, there is no water collecting, and the drain lines flow through. I'm also not certain that it's the weatherstripping l (that seals against the roof sheet metal), since any leakage there would end up in the moat and down the drains, right?

My hunch from reading here is that it’s the plastic frame around the glass. Water may be getting between the glass and its frame and collecting in the garnish

Does this track with anyone’s experience? What’s the troubleshooting/fix process?

View attachment 3908439

Yes, I’m sure you’re correct. You’ll likely find the seam on the back of the glass is separating. You’ll want to remove the glass to work on it. It’s also the best time to replace the rubber seal around the glass.

Remove the garnish, remove the four nuts holding the glass in. Lift out the glass. Remove the seal (at least the back side) from the plastic surround ( the surround has a j channel the seal presses onto).

The plastic is likely separating from the glass at the seam, leaving a gap. Pull it away from the glass a bit to clean the channel and glass. I then sealed it with a bit silicone in place, making sure you get the gap sealed through the j channel. After it cures, put the rubber seal on and reinstall.

I think that leak is what kills a lot of sunroofs. From that garnish it drips onto the cables, and not the drip trays.

 

[TahoeZ]

If your drains are clear and the outer weather seal is sealing properly to the body, then it's likely the factory-formed plastic-to-glass joint. That's where mine started leaking as well. After trying several things to stop it, I ended up covering that seam on top with strips of FlexSeal black tape. I just ripped some strips and cut radius'd corner pieces, cleaned everything well with rubbing alcohol, and pressed them on well with a little bit of heat from a heat gun. No more leaks. Only visible from the top and doesn't really stand out. Sunroof still operates fine.

 

[Super77]

Yes, I’m sure you’re correct. You’ll likely find the seam on the back of the glass is separating. You’ll want to remove the glass to work on it. It’s also the best time to replace the rubber seal around the glass.

Remove the garnish, remove the four nuts holding the glass in. Lift out the glass. Remove the seal (at least the back side) from the plastic surround ( the surround has a j channel the seal presses onto).

The plastic is likely separating from the glass at the seam, leaving a gap. Pull it away from the glass a bit to clean the channel and glass. I then sealed it with a bit silicone in place, making sure you get the gap sealed through the j channel. After it cures, put the rubber seal on and reinstall.

I think that leak is what kills a lot of sunroofs. From that garnish it drips onto the cables, and not the drip trays.

How is the interior garnish attached, so I can access the nuts to remove the glass panel?

 

[Bisho]

How is the interior garnish attached, so I can access the nuts to remove the glass panel?

They are clipped on, like interior panels. IIRC, you remove the front and back first, as they overlap the sides.

 

[99UnDaCuvaBrutha]

same problem and same places as mine. i had two areas to 'fix'. first used a weed wacker string done each drain tube, immediately the pan drained and cleared the clogged drain tube. second was the outside plastic trim seam, i sealed the gap. no more leaks.

 

[Super77]

There another thread on this topic here:

Post in thread 'Non-clogged sunroof leak troubleshooting'

Monday at 10:50 PM

Following this. I have the identical issue.

Leaking sunroof surround - help troubleshoot? - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/leaking-sunroof-surround-help-troubleshoot.1361489/

Let’s distinguish between the sunroof rubber WEATHERSTRIP SEAL, which fits between the sunroof glass assembly and the roof sheet metal, and the plastic GLASS FRAME, which sits inboard of the weatherstrip seal.

A leaking rubber weatherstrip seal will send water into the gutter around the perimeter of the sunroof and down the drains (in a properly clean and functioning sunroof). Even with a bad seal...

• Jonathan Case

But I figured I’d add to my own instead.

To recap, this is not about a problem with the sunroof’s rubber weatherstripping, it has to do with the hard plastic surround of the glass panel, to which the weatherstripping attaches. The hard plastic surround is not replaceable, it’s an integral part of the glass panel assembly.

I tackled fixing the leak today. I noticed it last spring and did a temporary fix with some tape:

Which may have worked for a while, but summers are dry in Seattle so it hasn’t really gotten tested. Last week it started dripping on my head.

I removed the sunroof panel using the 4 10mm nuts that exposed when you pop off the interior garnish - the black plastic pieces clipped to the inner perimeter of the glass panel

You can see evidence of the leak right here

Water is getting into the driver side garnish piece and one of the 10mm nuts is soaking in water, leaving rust stains.

Here is the source. In the middle of the rearward edge of the glass panel’s plastic edge, there is a crack (or seam) that lets in water.

The crack goes all the way around the plastic edge. Here it is from the top side, with some water dripping through. This is what’s flowing into the garnish.

I used a bit of urethane sealant in a syringe to get as deep into the crack as I could and fill from the inside out.

That worked well. You need to pull back the rubber weatherstripping to access both sides of the hard plastic glass surround, and the weatherstripping is glued on - takes a bit of pulling. Now’s a good time to consider replacing it. On mine, the through hole is really tiny, but enough for standing water to penetrate.

Hopefully all sealed, we’ll see at the next rain!