Water intrusion...fixed? (1 Viewer)

[Pnw425]

After our first big rain up here last week I went our to start my LC. It would crank but wouldn't start so I had it towed to my local shop. Here is the info from their report

No start no codes checked ecu voltage, ecu Reference voltage, fuel pressure, crank and Cam sensors all passed. Then it coded up b2799 immobilized code requested a second key still no start , started testing for system and no start condition persisted, left both keys on dash for evening, the next morning the car starts normal with no codes. If this occures again will need to got to Toyota dealership.

They said that best they can tell there was some water intrusion which caused the issue and after spending the night in their garage it dried out enough to start again. They handle water intrusion even after I asked them to check the sunroof drain holes so I went to pick up the vehicle to try and DIY it. On my drive home I noticed a number of things acting funny including windows acting sporadically and the locks not working.

When I got home it was raining and after sitting out for a minute I was able to see that one of the sunroom drain holes wasn't draining. I used a little snake tool I got off Amazon to clear the blockage on the front passenger sunroof drain. After a longer drive with the heat blasting all systems now seem to be working fine and the drain is still draining.

So...am I good to go now that the water intrusion seems to be fixed or am I starting down the path of electrical gremlins now that sh*t has gotten wet.

Thanks!

 

[bloc]

So...am I good to go now that the water intrusion seems to be fixed

Maybe, but you need to do some further digging.

Pull the door sill trim and have a look in the gap under there for water. I'd bet some remains. Even worse, unless this was the very first time you may have corrosion of the pins in the floor harness connectors that sit submerged in that water.

You may get lucky and dry everything out and be ok.. but it is definitely in your best interest to have a look and be aware of what may be brewing in there.

Also note that some people get water ingress through the fresh air inlet which is under the cowl cover. Parking with the nose of the vehicle downhill seems to make this worse.

 

[matte36s50]

My brother had a blocked sunroof drain on his 2013. His foglights would turn on and stay on. The next day it killed his ECU and the car has been at the dealer for over 3 weeks. They are at $13,000+ in damage, but fortunately insurance is covering most of it. I am really concerned about my 2018 LX570 sunroof drains now. I pour water down them regularly to check, but I am still nervous that I am going to get water coming in...

 

[GordJ]

I blamed the sunroof drains for about 200k miles before I gave in and started reading the “replace the cowl” threads.

 

[bloc]

My brother had a blocked sunroof drain on his 2013. His foglights would turn on and stay on. The next day it killed his ECU and the car has been at the dealer for over 3 weeks. They are at $13,000+ in damage, but fortunately insurance is covering most of it. I am really concerned about my 2018 LX570 sunroof drains now. I pour water down them regularly to check, but I am still nervous that I am going to get water coming in...

You can get sunroof drain cleaning brushes on amazon for less than $10 and they work great, at least for the front drains. Then run some water down there to flush things out. So far I haven't found a good way to get at the rear drains.. though I think those are far less prone to clogging since they are further away from much of the dust and pollen that finds its way through the sunroof gasket.

 

[Pnw425]

I pulled the door sill trim this morning on both sides and it is dry in there. Rained a bunch last night and the sunroof is also draining properly now. All systems seem to be working normally so I guess I will call it good to go.

 

[bloc]

I pulled the door sill trim this morning on both sides and it is dry in there. Rained a bunch last night and the sunroof is also draining properly now. All systems seem to be working normally so I guess I will call it good to go.

That’s a great sign..

 

[Pnw425]

That’s a great sign..

Thanks for your help...fingers crossed over here.

 

[coleAK]

I blamed the sunroof drains for about 200k miles before I gave in and started reading the “replace the cowl” threads.

On my 3rd cowl (and 4th windshield). I’m about to do another windshield replacement and may throw in a new cowl….

The cowl leak puts a lot of water on the interior side of the firewall.

Look at the passenger side carpet and trim superior (above) the footwell. If there is any dampness there I’d look at the cowl.

 

[arock]

I had the cowl leak when I got my '16 LX (pretty sure the windshield had been replaced shortly before I purchased it). Pulled the cowl and removed all the foam, cleaned the trim and reinstalled new foam that I purchased from Home Depot that was slightly larger than the foam that was on there. No leaks, no issues since. Took about 45 min and cost about $20 in foam weather strip.

 

[2021 LC200]

Some interesting info on 4ea A pillar and 2ea rood clips and sealing of the same into the body when the front windshield gets replaced. This seems to be the key items to get new OEM parts for to ensure sealing, yet may allow you to get an OEM type glass yet non Toyota or Lexus labelled and get good results (all at your own risk ofcourse...)

 

[bloc]

Some interesting info on 4ea A pillar and 2ea rood clips and sealing of the same into the body when the front windshield gets replaced. This seems to be the key items to get new OEM parts for to ensure sealing, yet may allow you to get an OEM type glass yet non Toyota or Lexus labelled and get good results (all at your own risk ofcourse...)

Any installer that knows what they are doing will replace the four plastic clips per moulding, and will do the upper stainless clip if necessary. Some installers can get the trim out without killing the upper clip.. but it's also just luck.

Thing is none of this should contribute to a leak. The rivets very rarely fail, unlike in the 100-series where they are mandatory replacement.

 

[2021 LC200]

Thing is none of this should contribute to a leak. The rivets very rarely fail, unlike in the 100-series where they are mandatory replacement.

Could you point out what is critical then to prevent issues with leaks when the windshield needs replacing? Interested to learn from fellow 200 series owners.

 

[bloc]

Could you point out what is critical then to prevent issues with leaks when the windshield needs replacing? Interested to learn from fellow 200 series owners.

Making sure the cowl cover plastic is snapped in to the bottom windshield rail completely, and that the lip on that cover is intact all the way across. And if we’re talking about a cruiser with a fair number of years and/or miles, I’d consider replacing the cowl cover entirely.

Water coming in through the recirc port (via the cowl cover) is the most common windshield related leak we get. Other than that it’s a pretty standard windshield to install, and as long as we use a competent installer there shouldn’t be any issues.

 

[2021 LC200]

Making sure the cowl cover plastic is snapped in to the bottom windshield rail completely, and that the lip on that cover is intact all the way across. And if we’re talking about a cruiser with a fair number of years and/or miles, I’d consider replacing the cowl cover entirely.

Water coming in through the recirc port (via the cowl cover) is the most common windshield related leak we get. Other than that it’s a pretty standard windshield to install, and as long as we use a competent installer there shouldn’t be any issues.

This video points to what you are saying. Good to know/understand. Maintaining the cowling seal periodically with some rubber seal protectant would probably help. A small amount of silicone lubricant applied between the seal and window, as used on swimming pool O-rings, is a consideration as well.



This dude has some corrugated solution to stop water entering the recirc port, looks simple and good.

 

[bloc]

There’s a pretty large sample size here on the forum. People only seem to have issues if it’s either not installed correctly, or the cowl is getting old and has a few remove/installs in its life.

Personally I don’t think the extra stuff is necessary, especially because most of us have weatherproof floor liners and will notice water making it through right away.