Ric Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 (edited) Hi Guys, I wanted to put together a little FAQ style thread regarding fixing aero-top leaks, it seems to be a common problem that doesn't have a definitive set of solutions to solve leaks. I've had a few leaks on my aero-top after it was in the body-shop and I've tried MANY things, only the final set of things I documented have seem to provide a fully leak free solution. First of all, my aero-top has new brand new seals and I still had some pretty severe leaks which goes to show it's not always the solution. Firstly: You will want to check your drains, there are 4 on the car, 2 on the front and 2 on the rear. They connect to pipes which run down the A pillars and on the rear they run along the roof down the C pillar. There are little connecting fittings inside the car which are mid way down the A pillar (behind the trims) and just above the plastic trim behind the seat belts If they have come loose, they will be dumping water straight out of the pipe into the car check these if you are getting a wet rear headlining or a damp foot-well but not seats. On the car, they are marked L R, they are held in with 2 screws and should line up perfectly. Mine where wrong, the fronts where on the rears and the rears on the fronts etc, if yours are similar, swap them around (mine had just come out of the bodyshop, yours should be fine) They should fall into place, not like the pictures above, mine where the wrong way around, the picture is to show where the drains are. Make sure you connect the pipe to the drain before you refit! Always test with some water to make sure the drains are clear, not blocked. Once you are certain your drains are clear and not blocked and all connected we can move onto the sealing rails. -- Even if you have installed new seals onto your aero-top you could still get quite severe leaks (like mine) due to the sealing rails. These are the bits of metal which holds the seals to the car, most people don't know that these rails also have seals behind them! In my case, the seal of the rail to the car was at fault which was letting water in: Remove the seal carefully, there are 2 clips holding the bottom section in Here you can see the seal rail, remove them by taking out the 4 screws When you've removed this rail you can see the sealing tape on the rear of it, it may have failed or just be old and rubbish, if this has failed, water will just bypass the seal completely and go straight in the car. - The front sealing rails will probably see water in the footwell (it gets onto the apillar trims and drains into the footwell) clean the surface also to make sure the sealant sticks OK The aerotop roof sealing rails would see water on your seats, we cover them later. The seal is shown above, the black strip going along the rear of the rail, take a Stanley blade and take off all the old seal. I applied a new self adhesive rubber seal which i bought from the local wickes You should also apply some Butyl rubber to fully seal the joint too, this stuff is instantly waterproof and sticks like glue. Apply around the screw holes on the mating face of the rail. Attach back to the car, making sure the 4 screws are placed back in nice and tight, you might get some sealant coming in, but thats OK. Apply the sealant into the rail where the seal sits and reseat the seal making sure that they are tucked in perfectly. -- The Aero-top roof also suffers with the same problem. Again with new seals my aerotop roof leaked like a river, because of the higher point of this sealing rail a failure here will probably give a wet seat or boot release area, rather than the foot-well. As with the front seals, remove the seals carefully. You can follow Carbon_Bullets awesome aerotop seal post for info on removing and refitting the seals here Once the roof is separated from the rail, clean the surfaces to make sure the sealant takes properly. On the rear of the sealing rail you will see a similar sealing to the front ones, remove it Apply the new rubber strip and seal the area in the same fashion as the fronts, rebuild the aerotop roof using Carbon_Bullet's thread Test your work with a watering can or bucket, mine so far has had 6 cans per side and not let a single drop into the car. Leave some cloths on the seats etc just incase it still gets in. -- Once you have rebuild the roof, i had to do both sides of the aerotop roof and both front sections (so 4 areas in total) Refit the roof using the proper Toyota bolting order (just to avoid any silly problems like poor fitment) If it turns out you need new seals or any other parts you can see the parts listing below for the aerotop. Part numbers for the seals (4 in total) 63251-14050 WEATHERSTRIP TARGA FRT 63252-14020 WEATHERSTRIP TARGA REAR 62383-14030 WEATHERSTRIP TARGA RH 62384-14030 WEATHERSTRIP TARGA LH These can be bought from various traders and can be had much cheaper from the USA with delivery times of around 2-3 days. Other methods for older seals include rubbing them with Vaseline (although this could degrade them) or a silicone spray. Once you have installed some new seals, treat with Gummi Pfledge during every wash or a similar product to keep them supple. Hopefully this thread helps you finding leaks! Edited October 22, 2014 by Ric (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SupraP-Z Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Fantastic thread bud, this should be stickied IMO. Great information plus the sequence which seems to have faded away or removed from other peoples cars. I haven't got an aerotop myself, but this would be the first point of call of things to do if I did Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 A useful thread for the FAQ section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Great thread Ric, well done for taking the time to document it. Useful too for leaking upper door seals if you haven't got an aero-top. Bit confused about this bit though... boot release area Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supra joe Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 I will run through these steps at some point. My seatbelts are getting wet behind the plastics and the carpet is too, especially next to the boot release..... Wherever that is They are all new aerotop seals too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Posted October 22, 2014 Author Share Posted October 22, 2014 My seatbelts are getting wet behind the plastics Pretty much the same location as the rear drain, take the plastic out and you will see the drain area, the pipe might have come off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The-Plethora Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Good guide Ric, always good to see people putting together info that can help others out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supra_ufo Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 thanks mate, i will get around to this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian C Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Moved and stuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Raven Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Bravo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPG Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Thanks Ric, very handy bit of info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abz Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Fantastic documented process Ric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Posted October 23, 2014 Author Share Posted October 23, 2014 Cheers guys, thanks for the sticky, hopefully it helps others out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Why T Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 Question if a can Ric, do new weatherstips come with the metal bits as i have none of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tina n paul Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 good thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Posted November 6, 2014 Author Share Posted November 6, 2014 Question if a can Ric, do new weatherstips come with the metal bits as i have none of them I would assume if you bought new seal rails they would come with a weather strip. However I don't actually know, as i didn't buy them, i used my old ones. if they don't just apply some, it's easy enough to buy, then butyl rubber seal the hell out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Raven Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 6 years I never checked to see if my drain plugs where blocked. Job for the weekend I feel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Why T Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 I would assume if you bought new seal rails they would come with a weather strip. However I don't actually know, as i didn't buy them, i used my old ones. if they don't just apply some, it's easy enough to buy, then butyl rubber seal the hell out of it. I have ordered all 4 seals brand new so just waiting on them. Going to order the metal parts from Mr T soon. Also need the air diverter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Raven Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 I got one and I hate it I took it off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrddin Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 I have ordered all 4 seals brand new so just waiting on them. Going to order the metal parts from Mr T soon. Also need the air diverter Still waiting for mine to turn up , then getting simon to fit them and a few other bits then hopefully fingers crossed that will solve the leaking, got water coming in from the drivers front corner and occasionally the drivers rear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Why T Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Still waiting for mine to turn up í^½í¸, then getting simon to fit them and a few other bits then hopefully fingers crossed that will solve the leaking, got water coming in from the drivers front corner and occasionally the drivers rear. We'll hopefully the seals will work but I deffo need the metal bits to make it work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Why T Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 I got one and I hate it I took it off Really. What's wrong with it? Wanna donate it to the fortune Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrddin Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 We'll hopefully the seals will work but I deffo need the metal bits to make it work. When I spoke to him he said he's going to do the metal bits too, plus some screws etc he's already cleaned out the drains and that's helped a lot but I just want it to stop leaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Raven Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Really. What's wrong with it? Wanna donate it to the fortune Its ugly. And makes no difference stupid poppy up things. I was going to keep it uncase i ever sell the car i can put it back on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Why T Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Its ugly. And makes no difference stupid poppy up things. I was going to keep it uncase i ever sell the car i can put it back on Haha lol, fair one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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