FJ Cruisers of Northern California
Leaky Roof
Hey All, has anyone else had an issue with a leaking roof? In the recent storm my daughter caught my attention and said, "Hey dad, look your car is all wet" OMG wet headliner from the A pillar to the back of the rear door. Needless to say I was pissed. I went online and have read every thread I could find on the blue room. Seems that people have that problem with stock FJ's, aftermarket racks, rack deletes, etc. I've had my Gobi on for years with no issue and now it's leaking out of the blue. The best info I can find is that perhaps I should replace all of the bushings, etc with new as they degrade over time. I can't for the life of me, however, find the parts kit or list on any of the threads. Does anyone know which factory parts I should order? I'd like to take care of it ASAP as the rain isn't letting up and my interior is soaked!
Views: 261
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by TRD Black on
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I installed the rack 3 years ago. It's never had an issue until last week.
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Permalink Reply by Sonof40 on
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The reason I asked is that, if you did, it may have decayed over time and would explain the problem.
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Permalink Reply by MoreFJland on
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I discovered a leak this morning in the headliner on the passenger side just above both doors. I have an OEM rack. The FJ's an 07. The BR notes past issues with door weather stripping, with a $300+ repair.
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Permalink Reply by Revoked on
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I installed my ARB with a LOT of silicon, I would suggest doing the same. Take the rack off and use the silicon to make a gasket around the bolt holes. I put some on the bolts and bolt heads when I was done as well. Good luck
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I did not initially use sealant and have not had a single issue in the 5 years I've had the FJ. I did try to remove the bolts the day I found the leak and fill with silicone. It lessened the problem but perhaps I need to take the whole thing off and be more thorough. I know there is a plastic tube in the mounting holes, but can't find the part numbers or a place to get those parts. Also, I believe there is some sort of gasket type material on the mounting brackets under the bushings. I had hoped to just find these parts on the web and use all new pieces. I guess my plan is to peel it all off and re-mount using silicone. The only problem with that is silicone degrades over time. Especially in 100 degree plus summers.
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Ya everything, (sealants, weatherstripping, your truck) degrades over time of course. Your plan is the right one. It's just a matter of upkeep. And patience.
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Permalink Reply by DivnGirl on
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I agree with Sonof40. It is probable the sealant issue. When we installed my Gobi, we applied loctite on the bolt threads and around the bolt head after screwed in. Never had a problem. I would take off the entire rack and re-install with loctite.
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Yeah that is my next course of action. Locktite, silicone, boat sealant, roofing tar, whatever I can pile up. Seriously though, I explained the issue to Gobi & they were very helpful. They're going to send me a new install kit. On the forums I've seen people blame the various rack companies, but it seems the real issue is that Toyota created bolt holes that go directly through the roof into the car. They could have welded a box & no one would have leaks till the box rusted through. Anyway I'm going to try to pull it all off and reinstall on the next clear day. Hope to do that with new parts, but alive gotta track them down from Toyota I guess...
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The tubes / mounting is terribly designed. I lost almost every bracket into the headliner taking off the stock rack. Terrible.
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Permalink Reply by NestahEdition on
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I noticed the potential leak issue on the roof mount when i installed my ARB roof rack.
The gap between the white plastic (bolt guide/retainer) and the roof mount holes will be the cause of water leaks if not covered properly.
So I bought a sheet of 1/8" butyl rubber and made 6 gaskets for the roof mount holes.
The punched holes on the butyl gaskets are a tad smaller than the white plastic retainers for a tight fit since the butyl rubber is stretchable. I did not have to apply any sealant to the mounts and no leaks so far after ~ six years.
I have an exrea butyl rubber material and i can cut/make some gaskets if you want.
BTW, to minimize the inside brackets being dropped inside headliner is to loosen (half turn) the two bolts first. Do not remove one bolt all the way then the next. The bolts were threated with green thread locker from the factory and are tough to remove. If one bolt is remove already, there is chance of breaking the spot weld on the inside nut or the bracket since there is nothing to hold the bracket to counter the Torque being applied on the bolt.
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