Leaky Wet Mess

[SaMo2]

I need some help trouble shooting some leaks in my 1997 Landcruiser.

I have read the posts on the main forums regarding common leaks in the moonroof gaskets and/or drain plugs as well as windshield haskets, but am having a hard time with the visuals.

I get puddles of water on the floor (mostly soaking the carpet) which are more predominant on the passenger side than the driver's side. I am worried about rust and mold. I also do not want to spend a lot of money if I don't have to.

Can someone show me what to look for in terms of clogged drain holes and crappy gaskets?

I live near downtown Kansas City. I can also be contacted at cell phone (505)-280-4840. Ask for Scott. I am registered with TAC...

Thanks guys!

 

[trainrech]

Best thing to do is open the roof and start looking around with a flashlight. Another area to check is are the seam seals at the bottom of the doors and under the kick panel next to your feet. Climb underneath and you will see small slots in the seam - they will probably have some crap in them. There is discussion about cleaning these as well.

 

[DuManchu]

I'll try my best to remember what I did, I can't find the threads I used anymore.

First, you might want to check the front windshield. You can spray it with water and see if you have any water seeping in around the rubber seals. This is where the largest leak on my 80 was located, and I remedied the issue by using some Silicone caulk. It looked a little janky, but it fixed the problem.

You can also check to see if your sunroof drain lines are clear. You should be able to open up the sun roof and run some weed-whacker line down the front drain tubes to see if they are clogged. The rears you have to work backward (from the bottom up). I believe you can see the rear drain lines by removing the rear panels in the back. It is a black hose that runs out the bottom, should be pretty easy to spot.

Some 80 owners also report the seal around the sunroof leaking, which you can remedy by siliconing it shut or replacing the seal ($$$ or lots of time if I remember correct). I personally believe this doesn't matter because if your drain lines are working properly you shouldn't get any water in the cab even if the seal does leak a bit.

Another trouble spot can be the rocker panels, there are drain holes in there that can be clogged by mud/dirt/whatever. You can barely make out the drains along the pinch weld at the bottom, about half-pinky width and only big enough to jam a zip tie (or something similarly sized) up in there to knock out the debris. Alternatively, you can pull the rubber plug(s?) that are on the bottom of you rockers to check for standing water but only consider this a temporary fix (you don't want that wonderful KC road salt getting up there in the winter). If the rockers fill up with water they can saturate your carpet.

I also had a leak in the sills that run under the rear side windows, those can let water in, though it usually manifests itself as a rusty jack mount (and often times standing water in the jack mount). To fix these leaks you need to pull the sills off CAREFULLY, you can see the clips if you pop off the rear plastic panels and look inside. Once removed, you'll notice each slip has (or had) a rubber o-ring on it. These usually deteriorate over time and need to be replaced. The cheap fix is to apply some blue RTV Silicone around each clip and reinstall. I did this and it solved the leak problem back there.

Overall, my 80 had a the front windshield leak, rear side window sill leak, and the rockers were clogged.

Good luck, it can be real frustrating tracking those down. If you still need or want some help you could head out to my place in Olathe and we could go over it.

EDIT: Added fix for rear side window sill leak.