charliemccraney

I have a leak over the rear seat. Water drips down near the two center screw holes for the trim panel that is just in front of the hatch. There is a strip of metal that is just about the same length as the center to center of those screw holes and it drips on either end, depending on how the car is leaning. If it is leaning left it drips on the left side and vice versa. The leak will stop if I am going down hill. It only seems to drip when I am going up hill. In either case it doesn't matter wether I'm moving or not. It is not getting on the headliner yet.
I think it is coming from the middle rear of the T-tops, where that trim strip is placed between them. That is the only cruddy looking area and it really doesn't look that bad. The rest of the t-top weather striping is in excellent condition. I have tried running water over the roof in various places and cannot find the leak. It only happens when it rains hard and/or long. I am going to apply some sealer to that area to see if that will fix it. I know without a doubt that it is not the hatch bolts.
Anyone have any ideas? I have taken pictures of the area but I can't get them small enough to post without making them too small to see.

91Zman

It may be coming from where the hatch hinges mount to the body.There are a cardboard type gasket where the 2 bolts per side goes through and a black caulking under the bolt heads.Eother one of those to sealants could be rotted and needing replacement.This is how I stopped my hatch from leaking onto my back seats.

GameRS

I just found this exact same leak in my car too. It seems the only place the water could be coming in is indeed that area at the back of the t-tops. My weatherstripping is good up there except it is pulling away at the middle corner in the back.

I know for a fact mine is also not the hatch mounting bolts.

colonboy14

iTrader: (7)

Yes, it's coming from the rear of the T top seal. I have the exact same problem.

charliemccraney

I applied some sealer to that area over the weekend. I'll see if that band-aids the problem the next time it rains.
Does that leak mean that there is some rust damage in that area? Or is the T-top weather-stripping meant to seal that? It didn't appear to be rusty after I cleaned that spot out, just before sealing it.

colonboy14

iTrader: (7)

It just means that the seal isn't working right. I was sleeping in the back of my car at Sebring, and it was pouring down rain and I felt this drip, drip, drip. I took that piece of trim off and followed the water to the T-top. I just unlatched it and moved it around, and it sealed fine.

bnoon

You may need to remove and reseal the center T-bar cover plate thingie (technical term). That was the main cause of my leaks that I only found after purchasing new t-top weather strip seals. Water came into the interior at the same place as you're describing and I had put extra sealant everywhere else I could think of.

Joehrdcor

I had the same problem. The glue that held the moldings is crap. For a quick fix, take some clear Silicone sealent/glue and make a thin bead in between the rubber and the body. Water does not flow in the drain passages because of the age of the vehicle. IF you take the plastic moldin that covers your t-top receptacles off, you will see the problem.

tagta1

I went through the exact same battle previously and came to the conclusion that the water was seeping between the tbar and the t-top seal where they meet.If you look at the shape of the t-tops they are curved and angled inwards right towards the center of the t-bar.Rain heads right for the t-bar,seeps between the tbar and the seal and gets inside the roof and heads downhill and ends up dripping right through that that trim piece over the rear seats.The way to tell for sure if that is it is to take a piece of saran wrap and lay it completely over the t-bar assy-THEN put the t-tops back on.The saran wrap will prevent the water from being able to get between the t-bar and the t-top seal.Do that and if you have no more leaks that is where the problem is.Mine did EXACTLY the same thing and It took me a good deal of time to pin it down for sure.

charliemccraney

Thanks for the tips. I'll try the saran wrap if the sealer I have already applied doesn't do the trick. It has rained the past two nights with no leak but I don't think the rain was hard enough. It (the rain) didn't last very long either.

Lo-tec

I also had the same problem. GM has a service bulletin on the correct way to reseal the center t-bar so it will no longer leak into the rear seat. Bulletin # is: 91-319-10. I would see if your local dealer could print it out for you. Resealing the t-bar will require replacing both t-top weatherstrips.