Help, please!!!

[sidecar53]

Sorry for the double post, but I'm desperate. I posted on the general forum and got little response. I've owned my 2004 Safari for 3 weeks now. It's been raining and snowing overnight and when I got in for work, I noticed some water on the floor and the interior side panel about a foot behind the driver's seat. Upon further investigation, the water was dripping from the headliner approximately in line with the 2nd support for the roof rack. It seems strange because it's rained before and everything stayed dry. Is this a known problem with Safaris and/or does ayone know where to start looking? Should I be looking at the rubber strips on top of the van where the sides meet the roof? Does onyone know how to remove and replace them? . Does anyone know how the headliner comes out? Any ideas what I should be looking for? I'm gonna have a look on Tuesday (my next day off). It's going to be a real problem, because I can't raise my right arm due to a couple failed shoulder surgeries. Thanks for the read and any and all advise. I'm really stuck here.

[krsowles]

Hey Sidecar, I'll post! I have a 91 that I've been chasing a slow leak on. Headliner seemed damp and sagged. Found a bunch of tiny holes drilled in roof! Somebody mounted something up there old school. I siliconed them for now as I want to cut roof out and build a pop-up this summer. I have seen vehichles leak around windshield frame and "blow back" making headliner drip. You will need to remove trim around it overhead, prying gently after removing all fasteners that you can see. All trim up high will probably need to come out to lower headliner but I've not worked on a van as new as yours. Just carefully search out any areas where something feels "stuck" and figure out what is holding it up. Sounds so simple! Any place anything (like a roof rack) is attached is also suspect. I don't know if Astros are prone to it or not but I do know that roof racks are prone to people overloading! there could be a little crease or dent there. It should be fairly easy to see with headliner out. I would try to push it back up a little and reattach that piece of rack securely with some silicone between roof and rack. If you still haven't found leak, it may be a good time to wash the van with the headliner out. Go thru car wash with some friends and whomever spots leak first gets another beer! You'll want friends around anyway if shoulder bad and you need to work up over your head all day. All being said, if you get the headliner down and out the problem should become obvious. So that is step one. If you can't see problem, try to duplicate with headliner out. That would be step two. Fix the problem, step three. It sounds so easy a caveman could do it! I'm sure I could find a way to kill a week on it! Best of luck and keep us updated. Don't be a Kelly, take pics and post! Kelly

[Kidhauler]

If you have a roof rack I would start there. Otherwise you could have a smoke test done see if that will find the leak. In order to pull the headliner you need to strip the interior panels on the top half of the truck.

[sidecar53]

Thanks, guys

[sidecar53]

Yesterday, I removed the factory roof rack and upon checking everything things looked pretty good, but I cleaned and siliconed everywhere it contacted the van as well as everywhere the bolts went through the roof. As well, I siliconed each open end of the black rubber strip where the body and roof join. Got up this morning to a spring shower and, sure enough, the headliner was dripping in exactly the same place. I can not for the life of me figure out where the leak originates!?!?!!!

[Kidhauler]

It could be the windshield and the water runs back. Have you thought about pulling the head liner and putting a sprinkler on the roof and watching to see the drip.

[doyoulikeithere]

I've had 4 vans, and I live in a rainforest. They all leaked a little bit, some worse than others. Mostly the 2 that had roofracks leaked more.
My very frist van had no roofracks, and if I parked it on an uphill in the rain my headliner would stay dry by my sunvisors, but If I parked it on a downhill, they woiuld get soaked.
My 95 had roof racks and it would run down the doorpost onto the floor where you step up into the slider door, among other places. RIP leaky old girl...

On 2 vans, I got a windshield replaced, and then noticed a wet roof by the sun-visors right away. Both vans went back to the installer who then would do a test of some some sort, and then happily report that the leak is not from the windshield. The first guy resaled it anyways, and that fixed it. Thanks GM. But, Last time, I went to Apple Auto Glass in Duncan BC. Not impressed with them at all. When they did the magic test they kinda damaged my headliner at the front edge, from pulling it back to put air or smoke or whatever. They said it's not the windshield, of course, and sent me on my way. Then I saw the bent headliner, but I'm too busy. That van has no roof racks, or holes in the steel roof at all. I know for sure because I hand sanded and painted it last summer.

Now I actually have a drip of water off the damaged bit of my headliner, and it drips onto my knee, so its pretty annoying.
Then within 2 weeks from new, a piece of sand hits the new glass along the bottom edge where it is black.
I tiny bit of sand, but it made a tiny chip, and that turned into a crack almost 4 feel tong, within a couple days.
I talked to the top brass at Apple Auto Glass in Duncan BC and he mostly just said too bad for you buddy, we use premium quality glass.
The headliner damage isnt from my team, see its drooping all around here, and gave my roof-liner a quick & dirty look... (duh, from getting wet?!)
And if a tiny piece of sand kills your glass that isnt even 30 days old, Geez, Thats too bad, have a nice day looser... Come back again soon, eh.

Long story short, I think the Cheap Apple Auto Glass leaks. Be carefull where you get it fixed, if you do.

[1Gary]

Yeah,it isn't unlikely to have to reseal the windshield.I would have that done by a glass shop.I had one put in the LT and if you start messing with that you could break it.

[astrozam]

Have you thought about pulling the head liner and putting a sprinkler on the roof and watching to see the drip.

I'd give Kevin's suggestion a try, the headliner should come down anyways until this problem gets fixed.

[sidecar53]

The headliner drips behing the driver's seat along the edge of the headliner in front of the driver's side middle window. This is when parked and the water would have to travel uphill from the windshield to there. If I was travelling, I could see it possibly working its way there. The headliner is dry everywhere else. I guess I'll have to try to pull the headliner (not an easy job for a guy that can only use 1 arm overhead). Thanks for the ideas, guys. I'll keep you posted and believe that there'll be some pics when the problem's found.

[sidecar53]

After a lot of thought and work re-caulking the roof rack with no success, I decided to apply duct tape over the black strip where the side panel and the roof connect. It rained with 80km winds last night and the headliner stayed dry!!! Seems I've found the problem, and my next plan of attack is to figure out how to remove said strip, re-caulk it and replace it. Has anyone had that strip off and what did you use to replace it with (glue, silicone, etc)? Thanks and I'll keep you posted

[CaptSquid]

Just go to a local auto glass shop. They should be able to do it right for pennies.