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Seal your roof rack mounting bolts, round II

65K views 39 replies 19 participants last post by  X-Wing 
#1 ·
OK, A while back I posted up a suggestion to seal your roof rack bolts to prevent leakage into your cab, Well...
Turns out that just sealing the bolt threads is not enough. Next big rain I had wet floorboards and headliner. Today with the help of a local FJ bro(LGTiny) We tore into it to find the real culprit.
Here goes.


Here is a pic of the mounting point with the covers off and rack unbolted. You can see all the dirt and crap that collects in there, The crud was so thick and cement hard, I used carb cleaner and a Q-tip just to clean around the bolt sleeves.



Now some of the area around the sleeves was clean, as it all should be, BUT there was a LOT of areas where the mud was all the way up to the sleeve edges. Herein lies the problem.
Notice the gap around the sleeves. THIS is where the water gets in, not down the bolt threads.
The stock bracket that lays in this channel has some paper thin rubber gaskets on it that for 3 years did a good job of sealing, but after years of desert heat, granular particulates (tiny sand and dirt) combined with flex and vibration finally did these guys in.

Here is the bracket and gasket I'm referring to.

The gasket actually looks thicker in this pic due to the angle, but 7 out of 12 of them were shredded or had holes worn through.


There are spacers that sit on top of this bracket that push it down for a seal with another small rubber gasket that in most cases was also crushed and deteriorating.


After Step 1 which was cleaning the area, came step 2. A big gray blob of roof flashing (there are many types of sealant that would work, this is just what I had laying around) over the sleeves and surrounding surface.



Then pop the bracket back in.



And a top glob just for good measure. Cause I ain't doin this again!



Then re-install the spacer sleeves.


Now do this 5 more times on the roof, and the rack is ready to be re installed. The amount of sealant in the hole of the sleeve should be more than adequate to seal the threads.

So Morale of the story is do it right the first time. and dont trust stock crap, always go the extra mile or you will have trouble down the road :D
 
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#2 ·
Last month, I resealed the footing/mounting leg of my ARB roof rack fit kit and I used a 1/8" thick of Butyl rubber sheet.

Cut a strip about 1" wide and puched a hole a tad smaller than the plastic sleeves.

 
#3 ·
Mike, aren't you suppose to remove those brackets for the Gobi rack?
 
#6 ·
#7 ·
yeah, looks like there is a wider bracket in the diagram but basically the same thing, I wonder if they just drew it that way for ease of drawing, or if there is actually a different part. But either way they seem to do the same thing.
 
#8 ·
I have a Garvin Adventure Rack, was having a ton of trouble getting it to seal properly. I tried sealing around the bolts and the bolt threads...no luck. I ended up having to pool silicone into the rack bolt wells, drop the rack on, and bolt everything back together...so that should be a ton of fun if I ever decide to lose the rack.
 
#10 ·
Mike -

Based on your pics, you forgot to install the metal / rubber washers that need to be removed from the OE bolts, and reinstall them on top of the metal bracket BEFORE you install the nylon spacer and the top plate. THis washer assembly is what gives the original mount it's seal against the nylon tubes extending up from inside the roof, and without them you have a gap that allows water to seep into the headliner, and leak into the vehicle.

The Gobi instructions talk about this, and explain it, as well as provide illustrations to make sure this is done correctly. No sealant should be required to attain a perfect seal - none is used by Toyota, and the Gobi system uses the same washer assembly to mount their hardware.

I've installed over 50 Gobi racks, along with dozens of Garvin and ARB racks, and no leaks...You just have to read the instructions very carefully, and follow them....:cheers:
 
#11 ·
Mike -

Based on your pics, you forgot to install the metal / rubber washers that need to be removed from the OE bolts, and reinstall them on top of the metal bracket BEFORE you install the nylon spacer and the top plate. THis washer assembly is what gives the original mount it's seal against the nylon tubes extending up from inside the roof, and without them you have a gap that allows water to seep into the headliner, and leak into the vehicle.

The Gobi instructions talk about this, and explain it, as well as provide illustrations to make sure this is done correctly. No sealant should be required to attain a perfect seal - none is used by Toyota, and the Gobi system uses the same washer assembly to mount their hardware.

:
I used the original washers, as Gobi suggests. However, I also cut narrow strips of butyl rubber tape, formed the strips into an O-ring shape, and added these above and below the original seals.

The advantage gained is that the butyl rubber flows nicely and seals into the bolt threads and any gaps.
 
#12 ·
On my ARB, the mounting is simple. Using the 1/8" Butyl rubber as the gasket (the holes were punched slightly smaller that the plastic sleeves so they will be tightly wrapped with the butyl rubber), stainless washer big enough to cover the holes on the fit kit legs and the 8mmx1.25mmx35mm bolts.



Never had a leak and did not use silicone in the area or on the bolt threads.
 
#16 ·
That is a much cleaner mount than the Gobi. I wish Gobi would not have reused the OE bracket and supplied a suitable replacement instead. The reuse of the OE bracket with spacers was just a way to cut costs. A rubber gasket(like Nestor's), then a solid one-piece spacer, and then the Gobi bracket would have worked much better IMO.
 
#13 ·
One of the problems I see with the Gobi instructions is that they assume you don't have an OEM rack already installed. The metal/rubber washers you are suppose to remove and reuse from the OE bolts are no longer available. These bolts are removed and discarded and replaced with the FJ rack fit kit bolts.

I don't know what the OE metal/rubber washers look like, but if they add a little bit extra height too, that would be welcomed, as the cover plate "E" sits a bit lower than I like. It has already chipped some of my paint in one spot. It really is too big to fit in the channel, because if it shifts any, it will chip your paint. Cover plate "E" should be positioned just above the channel to prevent any possibility of paint chipping.

Does someone have a picture of the OE metal/rubber washers that are suppose to be reused? I'll see if I can order some at the dealer.
 
#14 ·
yeah I had the metal cup washers, but the rubber was crushed and they were still leaking. As for instructions, well didnt have any, Just drove up to LA and swapped it with the guy I bought it from.
Good news is this fix worked 100%. I let the hose run on top of the truck for a good 30 minutes and not a drop.

I don't know why but I know 3 others personally who have had this issue with the gobi. I know mine was fine for almost 3 years then one day it just decided to start leaking. My theory is the rubber gaskets and washers just get brittle after time, heat and vibration, but only a theory.
 
#15 ·
I recently took my stock rack off to mount aux reverse lights. I the process I had a difficult time getting the old bolts out. I began to strip out the torx heads (yes I used the right size) and I am sure that I cross threaded a couple of them upon reinstallation. I replaced 2 bolts, one I had to drill the head off to get out, but I am afraid to back out the remaining bolts and strip the heads or cross thread the inserts even more. Can I just place some caulk around the outside of the feet and on top of the bolt heads?
 
#19 ·
Sounds like the bolts were over tightened when the OEM rack was installed.

You can get a complete FJ Rack Installation Kit with new bolts and gaskets for around $30 from the dealer. Unfortunately, this won't fix any damage that might have been done to the receiving nuts under the headliner.

If you want some replacement bolts, I have a mess of new bolts from the FJ rack installation kit that you can have. I just don't have all of the replacement washers and gaskets that came in the kit any more.
 
#17 ·
When I took my stock roof rack off to wire the lights I noticed there was butyl sealing "tape" both under the bracket, around the inserts and under the very wide bolt heads.

When I put it back together fortunately I had a roll of butyl and replaced it under the bolt heads and around the inserts.

That was almost 4 years now and I have not had any leaking issues. I'm sure your silicone job is going to do the trick but the butyl tape makes it easier to pull the bolts out if that ever become necessary.

I think the issue with any aftermarket rack is the absence of the wide headed bolts. They give that much more protection against leaks. The standard hex head doesn't cover any where near the same surface area.
 
#18 ·
When I took my stock roof rack off to wire the lights I noticed there was butyl sealing "tape" both under the bracket, around the inserts and under the very wide bolt heads.

When I put it back together fortunatly I had a roll of butyl and replaced it under the bolt heads and around the inserts.

That was almost 4 years now and I have not had any leaking issues. I'm sure your silicone job is going to do the trick but the butyl tape makes it easier to pull the bolts out if that ever become necessary.
Not sure if you were responding to my ? but I can't think of another way to do it without drilling the old bolts out and using new inserts. I haven't noticed a leak yet but...
 
#21 ·
Damn.

Nestor’s custom rubber gaskets had no effect. I have the exact same leak as before. I guess the next thing to try is to get some of the OE bolts and use the metal/rubber washers as per the Gobi instructions. If that doesn’t fix it, I’m going to have to remove the head liner to find out where the leak is coming from. I've been really trying to avoid that.

This will be the fourth time I have remove the rack to try and fix this problem. Each time, the exact same leak occurs. I can’t seem to effect it. Granted, I haven't tried the OE metal/rubber washers yet. Maybe that will fix it.

[edit]
Part #:90119-08C47 : $17.76 for 12 bolts with washers, and I'm going to throw the bolt away. :(

I suppose that isn't that much considering I have replaced all of the SS mount hard for my Gobi 4 times already! :mecry:
 
#25 ·
Just bought a used stock rack. The guy I bought it from was cool enough to deliver and install the rack :rocker:. When we were installing the rack we took the covers off and removed the bolts holding the bracket that clips in the covers. We then instaled with bracket left in place. This left a gap under each footpad of the rack. We then decided to take the brackets out too. This made all the footpads rest shug up against the roof.

Does anyone know if there is a replacement rubber for the stock footpads (part#)? Will this be enough to keep out water or should I also apply some silicon caulking around the foot pad and bolt heads?

Let me know what you guys think. I've been told to apply some silicone to the bolts and reinsert. What should the bolts be torqued to?

Thanks
 
#27 ·
FJTTSE,
I'm sorry I didn't read this thread earlier. I have the OEM bolts, brackets, and white covers. I bought my FJ without a roof rack.

If anyone wants them, just the cost of postage.....
Bob
 
#30 ·
I installed my OEM (but used) roofrack without the brackets in there. Guess I figured the brackets were only there to hold the trim covers...

After reading the pdf, it looks like I'm gonna take the roofrack off this weekend and put the brackets back on there. :)

I used plumber's paste to seal it all up, and bought new rubber washers for the mounting bolts at Lowe's.
 
#33 · (Edited)
How much time do you have to get your bolts back in before this stuff sets up?

Also if I use Nestor's idea with the butyl rubber gasket, how about teflon tape on the bolt threads...has anyone tried this??
 
#38 ·
OK, I've had the same leak on the drivers side and book marked this page when i got around to fixing it. Took the rack loose, but i've got a problem. Whatever the bolts thread into dropped down inside. I've started taking the side body panels off and next i guess i'll have to drop the liner. Any one else have this problem?
 
#39 ·
It happens sometimes. If the bolts have been over tighten and the bracket breaks, or the bracket breaks when you try to remove the bolts because of rust, or the clip holding the bracket on pops off or breaks.

This is what the bracket and clip looks like. (ignore the bolts in the pic, they are not OEM and are too long)
 
#40 ·
I pulled the panels and couldn't quite get the head liner dropped, but I could get my arm up in there and used tape to hold the bracket while I got the rack back in place the bolts threaded. Thanks for the photo. I didn't see any clip though I heard something drop down when I was putting the panels back in place. Guess if it rattles I'll have to take all of it apart again or turn up the radio.

 
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