What would Oppo do?

"deprecated account" (savethei4s)
11/18/2015 at 16:59 • Filed to: None

Okay. Tough decision here guys. As I found out yesterday, my sunroof leaks like Ed Snowden. However, my dad doesn’t want to pay for parts and labor to get the gasket repaired. He says we’re probably gonna have to caulk the sunroof shut. Problem is, I wanna use the sunroof sometimes, so I suggested caulking it and then slitting the caulk with a razor so the sunroof is still operable. I don’t know if that will even work, but it’s worth a try I suppose? Does Oppo have any better ideas?

DISCUSSION (42)

TractorPillow > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 17:04

Duct tape and a trash bag. Then take it off when the weather is nice. Super cheap!

crowmolly > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 17:04

Year/Make/Model?

Might not be too hard to fix on your own for not a lot of money

deprecated account > TractorPillow
11/18/2015 at 17:05

Don't wanna leave duct tape residue.

deprecated account > crowmolly
11/18/2015 at 17:05

‘95 4Runner

Party-vi > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 17:06

Is it the gasket or clogged drains? I’m not sure what your mechanism looks like, but replacing the sunroof gasket on my E46 was only the cost of the gasket and my time.

Justin Hughes > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 17:08

I’ve used painter’s tape, of all things, to cover a crack in my bumper since last winter. It comes off without residue, yet it’s the ONLY thing that’s consistently held it together. Duct tape let go quite quickly on hot summer days. (When I get into a garage (and house) next month I’ll probably do a bit of a drift stitch on it.)

crowmolly > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 17:08

Are there drains you can clean out? Sometimes that helps.

deprecated account > Party-vi
11/18/2015 at 17:09

We're pretty sure it's the gasket. Thing is, the sunroof goes in between the roof and the headliner.

deprecated account > Justin Hughes
11/18/2015 at 17:09

Needs to be waterproof

deprecated account > crowmolly
11/18/2015 at 17:10

Did it last night, leaked this morning.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 17:12

What about going to a pull-a-part, snagging a good gasket out of another 4Runner there, and going the work yourself?

I’m sure it’s probably not an easy job, but it would allow you to keep your sunroof functioning without paying a ton.

deprecated account > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
11/18/2015 at 17:13

Ooh, that's a good idea, but my main obstacle is time.

Under_Score > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 17:13

Hide it in a Russian airport.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 17:14

I’d imagine it’d be a job you could do in a day or two. You won’t have a free weekend, even with the upcoming holiday season?

deprecated account > Under_Score
11/18/2015 at 17:14

Am I missing something here?

Under_Score > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 17:16

“My sunroof leaks like Ed Snowden.”

deprecated account > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
11/18/2015 at 17:16

I’m definitely busy most of Saturday.

deprecated account > Under_Score
11/18/2015 at 17:17

Oh yeah, that. Lol i don't think my budget would allow for that.

Sam > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 17:18

How valuable is your time? Because caulking it means spending days cleaning it out once it come time to fix. Just do it right in the first place. You could probably do the gasket yourself for next to nothing.

mattc993 > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 17:18

Caulking it is a lame fix. I suspect you’re already sensing that in your gut.

Some things to think about:

First, check that the sunroof is actually flush with the roof when it’s closed, no corners are sagging below the roofline and allowing a ton of water in. This would be a problem with the frame/mechanics, and generally sucks to fix, but read on as there’s still hope.

The gasket around the glass is actually not designed to be 100% watertight, although replacing it may help the drains to keep up with their job. Drains you say? There are drains in the sunroof frame that run down the pillars, usually to the wheel wells, that drain excess water that makes its way through the window seal when it’s closed.

I’d try clearing the drains first, unless it’s not sitting flush with the roof, as they often get clogged with leaves/dirt/debris. This leaves the sunroof tray and frame to fill up with water and spill into the interior.

Usually you can get to them from the sunroof frame while the sunroof is all the way open - they’ll just look like open holes, or from their exits in the wheelwells (picture below). Shove a cable or compressed air through. If you’re using a cable, you can probably go all the way through so you see it on both ends. I’d suggest an extremely long speedometer cable to clear them. I bought this because my Audi has four drains for each corner that are crazy long: http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/atp-universa…

Good luck.

Kinja'd!!!

deprecated account > Sam
11/18/2015 at 17:19

Cleaned it last night. Didn't take long.

deprecated account > mattc993
11/18/2015 at 17:20

Oh ok. I'll check that out! Thanks!

Party-vi > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 17:24

Does the gasket fit around the sunroof glass? There should be a way for you to manually crank the sunroof and tilt it up, and then remove the glass to replace the gasket.

deprecated account > Party-vi
11/18/2015 at 17:25

Yeah, it does, but I don't know of a way to do that.

Justin Hughes > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 17:26

I am amazed at how durable the stuff has been. Seriously. You wouldn’t think it, but it’s gone months before needing to be replaced.

deprecated account > Justin Hughes
11/18/2015 at 17:27

Ok, worth a try.

EL_ULY > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 17:35

Try and fix it yourself. Buy the parts online for cheap. I’m sure there is a DIY post or video somewhere. Make a weekend out of it with a friend

deprecated account > EL_ULY
11/18/2015 at 17:36

My dad said we were gonna try to fix it this weekend, but the question is how. I didn't realize what everybody was talking about with the drains. I'm going to look into that first.

Master Cylinder > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 17:37

On my old car with a leaky sunroof, I taped around the opening with electrical tape. Worked great and didn’t leave any residue, although it wasn’t there for more than a few months.

Nisman > TractorPillow
11/18/2015 at 17:38

Gaffers tape

EL_ULY > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 17:39

Yeah the sunroof has 2 front and 2 rear drains. The hoses could of come off or are clogged somewhere

deprecated account > EL_ULY
11/18/2015 at 17:40

I'm gonna try to find them and see what's up.

EL_ULY > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 17:41

Cool cool. Keep us posted

iSureWilll > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 18:12

Here is one idea that might be worth a shot? How much is the parts/labor? I guess Toyota doesn't offer just a seal. You have to replace the whole glass right?

http://www.illistyle.com/diy/how-to-eas…

deprecated account > EL_ULY
11/18/2015 at 19:33

Will do!

deprecated account > iSureWilll
11/18/2015 at 19:36

Thanks, but I don’t think that’s the issue. It’s leaking through the headliner, not the sunroof itself.

desertdog5051 > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 19:48

Where you’re parked, Shotgun and dog and go bird hunting.

brianbrannon > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 20:09

Are you sure it’s not just plugged sunroof drains? The roof to sunroof is never watertight. The water comes in and is caught in a channel and goes out through drains in each corner. Open the roof and pour water in each corner of the sunroof channel and if it doesn’t come out on the ground under the car then the drain is clogged

deprecated account > desertdog5051
11/18/2015 at 20:22

Haha I suck at it, well, at trap at least.

deprecated account > brianbrannon
11/18/2015 at 20:23

It might be I dunno

iSureWilll > deprecated account
11/18/2015 at 22:19

Ah. That's another story. I don't have any good ideas for you unfortunately. Good luck.

deprecated account > iSureWilll
11/18/2015 at 22:21

Thanks! I’ll keep y’all updated.