Taking apart my factory roof rack to put together a stronger rack and platform. Immediately had one of those "Um, duh." moments when i took out the first screw at the front of the rack. It clearly had some kind of water sealant on the bottom of the screw where it attached to the body. This is the screw that holds the plastic molding and steel rail down at the front.

I'm imagining that at the time of install someone placed a tiny ball of silicone at the top of the hole and then threaded the screw down to push the sealant down with it. The old sealant was hard, but this could be because the vehicle is 17 years old.

Right now I am just taking off the factory cross bars so only working with the 4 corners, but will eventually take the whole thing off, as it is nasty under there and making it impossible to keep mildew off the roof.

Any tips are appreciated.


edit: that's my old truck in my avatar pic. Current ride is a '97 SR5 4Runner.

 

DOW CORNING® 995 SILICONE STRUCTURAL SEALANT. That's what I used to fill gap between edge of my windshield glass and body (deleted chrome trim, aka rust maker) after proper install by Safelite.

 

That stuff should work great. Pretty much any high silicone content sealant should work - 100% silicone caulking or rtv silicone.

 

thanks, i did just that.

after paying a little closer attention, it looks like there was a small bead placed at the bottom of the hole, and then after the torx bolt was started, more sealant was applied under the head of the bolt.

I just put the silicone on the top, because this will be coming apart again soon for some more upgrades. Loving the mod so far, might have to start a picture thread about it.

 

For temporary install, just the top like many people do with kitchen, sink, fixtures.
For robust, professional, clean & permanent install, have silicone IN the interface.

 

For temporary sealant, Silly Putty works great. I recommend everyone keeps an egg of this stuff in their glovebox. It comes in handy.