Joined: Nov 2018

Posts: 6

Likes: 1

From: Plumas County

Hey all, my first post here but I thought this may help someone out because I haven't found much information on this.

So we have a 96 4runner in which the sunroof does not operate. With the tilt button you can hear a click like the motor is trying to move but the sunroof won't actually move, and the slide button does nothing at all. Not too worried about this as we never used the sunroof on our 98. The only problem is that you can't get to the drain tubes which happened to clog up last week during the rainstorm, leaving the interior soaked! So here's the solution:

Step 1
Slide open the cover from the inside and remove the black trim piece from either side of the sunroof, be gentle, I broke a couple of the clips. I didn't use anything to pry it off, just grasp and wiggle it free.



Step 2
Remove the two nuts from either side that are now exposed using a 10mm socket. Once these are removed you can simply push the glass up from the underside and remove. These are pinchlock nuts and two of mine didn't want to thread back on very easily, so be careful not to crossthread.

Step 3
Clean out the drain tubes.
Our leak came from the front driver side as only that tube was plugged. Some kind of plant matter just the right size plugged up that tube and when I pulled the glass there was still standing water in that corner



I plucked that thing outta there and the water drained right out. It is a good idea to take an air hose and blow down both tubes to clear them out all the way. I believe there are two more tubes in the back corners where the sunroof would slide towards the back, probably only accessible if the headliner is removed.


The drain tubes end inside the rocker panels at the rear of the front wheel wells. There are gaps in the pinch weld where the water should drain through. If those get clogged the water has nowhere to go and will rust through which seems to have happened here with the previous owner.


Here you can see the drain tube is now clear of any debris and the water drained out. Vacuum out any other debris from the whole perimeter of the sunroof so it doesn't clog again. The sunroof doesn't really have a watertight seal so it is very important that the water can drain freely through these tubes or else the drip tray will overflow right into your interior.

Step 3
Reassemble. Drop the glass back into place and tighten down the 4 nuts, pop the trim pieces back into place and you are done!
Hope this helps anybody with a leaking sunroof.

Joined: Jan 2004

Posts: 1,755

Likes: 45

From: Ellicott City, MD

James,
Nice writeup!




Andreas

Joined: Dec 2007

Posts: 573

Likes: 19

From: PNW

Joined: Jun 2006

Posts: 69

Likes: 0