Oem roof rack rusting beneath footing

[IslandCruiser808]

My 99 LC has sprung a leak recently after the heavy storms we have had recently in Hawaii. I have had moisture in the rear of the cargo area and have been trying to track it down. In the process I have looked at my roof rack and pulled the covers off the footing. I have found some rusting area around the bolts that secure the rails to the roof. The rust is not on all footing but in one in particular. Drivers rear. I know that I need to replace most of the roof rack trim but for now I need to seal the bolts to stop the water from intruding. Where the holes are for the bolts it looks like something on top like a metal gasket and not sure if it’s replaceable but definitely rusted. I have read lots of posts about removing the roof rack and that is the plan but in the meantime until Eduardo Deniro shows up I am only able to try and waterproof the bolts until I can afford the trim pieces etc….Any advise on rust removal/remediation and if these areas that are rusted are replaceable. Thanks in advance and patience with my descriptions/ pictures. Aloha

 

[IslandCruiser808]

My 99 LC has sprung a leak recently after the heavy storms we have had recently in Hawaii. I have had moisture in the rear of the cargo area and have been trying to track it down. In the process I have looked at my roof rack and pulled the covers off the footing. I have found some rusting area around the bolts that secure the rails to the roof. The rust is not on all footing but in one in particular. Drivers rear. I know that I need to replace most of the roof rack trim but for now I need to seal the bolts to stop the water from intruding. Where the holes are for the bolts it looks like something on top like a metal gasket and not sure if it’s replaceable but definitely rusted. I have read lots of posts about removing the roof rack and that is the plan but in the meantime until Eduardo Deniro shows up I am only able to try and waterproof the bolts until I can afford the trim pieces etc….Any advise on rust removal/remediation and if these areas that are rusted are replaceable. Thanks in advance and patience with my descriptions/ pictures. AlohaView attachment 4125927

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Is it possible that the rusted parts are part of the track that goes into the roof gutter ?

 

[frawstme]

I just dealt with this not too long ago but not nearly as bad of a scale.

I ordered the bolts with factory double washers (they came in the mail today). In the meantime I sanded and then applied rust reverser to the rusted area, taped and painted white over top + clear coat. Only the inside of the drip channel was painted so color matching really doesn't matter as it'll be hidden

I did apply gasket maker to the holes that I had bolts for. Is that rusted area still able to screw bolts in or is it too bad?

 

[IslandCruiser808]

I just dealt with this not too long ago but not nearly as bad of a scale.

I ordered the bolts with factory double washers (they came in the mail today). In the meantime I sanded and then applied rust reverser to the rusted area, taped and painted white over top + clear coat. Only the inside of the drip channel was painted so color matching really doesn't matter as it'll be hidden

I did apply gasket maker to the holes that I had bolts for. Is that rusted area still able to screw bolts in or is it too bad?

Yes the bolts all went back in and hand tightened. Is the rusty area part of a drip channel that can be replaced or part of the roof.

 

[frawstme]

On mine is it part of the roof. Yours kind of looks like it has some sort of panels there, though. There is only a one year difference between yours and mine. Here's a pic of mine, it's sloppy right now because I've been waiting for the bolts to come in

 

[Mike NXP]

Aren't the rusty things being shown in OP just like little pads that go under the rack? Pretty sure I threw mine in the trash when replacing my rack . You could replace them with rubber block / spacer / bushing or something similar from hardware store

The key here is to clean up the threads and make sure you use an appropriate sealant . This is what you want. the 3M 4000. It is under water - waterproof but can be removed in the future if needed. They have another version, I think 4200 which is more permanent but not suggested.

 

[frawstme]

Aren't the rusty things being shown in OP just like little pads that go under the rack? Pretty sure I threw mine in the trash when replacing my rack . You could replace them with rubber block / spacer / bushing or something similar from hardware store

The key here is to clean up the threads and make sure you use an appropriate sealant . This is what you want. the 3M 4000. It is under water - waterproof but can be removed in the future if needed. They have another version, I think 4200 which is more permanent but not suggested.

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Ohh that's possible, mine didn't have a rack when I bought it. I would have assumed that they would just lift out of that's the case, those kinda look welded in but it's hard to tell. I did use thread chasers on mine before I sealed them too, I wasn't sure how bad his rust was tho.

The fact that only that section is rusted makes me think too much weight was put on the rack and that dented the area in a bit, so when it rains the water sits on that spot

 

[Mike NXP]

Ohh that's possible, mine didn't have a rack when I bought it. I would have assumed that they would just lift out of that's the case, those kinda look welded in but it's hard to tell. I did use thread chasers on mine before I sealed them too, I wasn't sure how bad his rust was tho.

The fact that only that section is rusted makes me think too much weight was put on the rack and that dented the area in a bit, so when it rains the water sits on that spot

Yeah and for sure reason I can't find the roof rack on parts diagrams but I'm pretty damn sure those are just little rubber pads that sit between the rack and roof... I could be wrong.

@IslandCruiser808 , am I understanding correctly? Is that part of your roof or can you lift up and remove the rusty piece shown in your picture?

 

[Mike NXP]

Different model years have different styles but look HERE to get an idea of what's going on. I'm pretty positive those are just spacers. Remove em, replace em with OEM if you can find part number or just go to hardware store and get creative.

@nakman is the roof rack guru with all the answers