Same Sunroof Leaky Problem, but with a twist... (1 Viewer)

[mmessier2]

I soon discovered my newly purchased 91 FJ80 has a leaky sunroof. No surprise after reading this forum. There is water coming in near the front passenger OS handle on the windshield frame. Again no surprise.

But here is what is wierd about it... I took the front plugs out of my rocker panel and poured a glass of water down the sunroof drainage holes. I heard water draining properly out of the rocker panel hole and on to the floor of my garage. But I also looked in the cab and saw water leaking in the same spot above the handle. The drivers side does it too, but not nearly as bad.

Its a 91 and there are no stains to indicate long or even previous water damage.

So.... If my drain is not clogged and it still leaks into the cab, what is the fix???

Thanks

 

[sseaman]

sounds like maybe a dry rotted hose or something but thats just a guess

 

[cam75w/ls1]

Could the hose have split where it connects to the drain port? Leaking into the roof channel?

 

[mmessier2]

That may be it... how do I access that hose to check?

 

[othater]

I peeled back the roof liner, be careful and make sure your hands are clean.

 

[mmessier2]

OK, I pulled it back. The hose looked great and when I poured the water straight down the tube there was no leak. However if the water splashed around and got closer to the track, it leaked through and then ran down the headliner to where it was dripping. I didnt see any crack or sign of wear.

Has anybody else had this problem? Im tempted to just pack it all in from the underside with plumbers putty and seal it all up.

 

[aim]

Sounds like your rubber seal lets too much water in to the pan in the first place. The drains aren't designed to hold Noah's flood back, but to evacuate whatever drips inevitably leak past the rubber seal around the glass. So it's either the track that doesn't let the sunroof sit properly or the rubber seal that's too stiff. Or maybe I misunderstood?

 

[mmessier2]

Yesterday in Norcal was like Noah's Ark, but there is no way it should leak the way it did. The rubber seal that you are talking about- is that the one on the exterior of the sunroof? Is that a known leaking problem? Thanks

 

[aim]

There is a rubber seal going all the way around the glass panel. If that does not seal to the body, too much water goes through, the pan fills up and the drain tubes cannot keep up. From my reading of the forums there are two basic issues:

1. The mechanism is messed up enough that the sunroof does not close properly (worn rails, loose nuts, chunks of the wind deflector, etc).

2. The rubber seal gets old and even with a perfect sunroof does not seal well enough.

I experienced #2. The sunroof whislted slightly at 50+mph unless I fiddled with the up/down and open/close adjustments; the drain tubes were clear and drained fine; the driver got a shower in a car wash. The gasket is not available separately; the glass+rubber is fairly affordable, as such things go. I removed 2 pieces of plastic trim, 6 nuts, swapped the panel and my leak was gone.

Applying Vaseline to the rubber seal (or anything else that swells rubber) should be a temporary fix that worsens the problem over the long term. If you are going to seal it up or swap it out, though, it might be worth a try. Use something that's specifically *not* condom safe

There are quite a few threads for each of these scenarios (the common thing being the drain tubes running clear - you did check all 4 tubes, right?). Good luck and welcome!

 

[mmessier2]

I dont think I have the 1st problem. The mechanism works properly and the sunroof seams to close tight, there is no play and no unusual wind noise at freeway speeds.

I may try the vasoline option, and I will look into replacing the rubber around the sunroof... or the sunroof itself.