2013 Hardtop Issue

Vickyrobt

New Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2022
Messages
2
Location
Florida
My drivers side hardtop panel fills with water after it rains. When I remove the panel and hold it on end, the water will drain from the panel rear inside corner and the opening/threaded hole for the knob. Local Jeep dealer could not repair the panel and basically recommended removing the panel and draining when needed. Well I live in Florida so you can imagine how many times I have to drain the water. Anybody else ever deal with this problem?
 

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I have posted this before. All my drain plugs are pulled, and the only time it does not rain inside is when it is snowing outside. 12 yrs and counting, Dealership could not fix the issues when I was under warranty. All Good.
 
It sounds like you have a hairline crack in the panel which is allowing water to get inside. I haven't had that on any of my jeeps. You might be able to find it using a good flashlight and at an angle and just going over every inch of it. The good news is if you find it it should be pretty easy to patch and paint.

If you wanted to try something quick and dirty, you could get some of the spray on Flex Seal, tape off the seals, and coat the panel with the Flex Seal to see if it makes a difference. If it does, you know you have a crack somewhere and you can peel it off and fix it right. Or just roll with the Flex Seal
 
It sounds like you have a hairline crack in the panel which is allowing water to get inside. I haven't had that on any of my jeeps. You might be able to find it using a good flashlight and at an angle and just going over every inch of it. The good news is if you find it it should be pretty easy to patch and paint.

If you wanted to try something quick and dirty, you could get some of the spray on Flex Seal, tape off the seals, and coat the panel with the Flex Seal to see if it makes a difference. If it does, you know you have a crack somewhere and you can peel it off and fix it right. Or just roll with the Flex Seal
Thanks for the reply. I don’t think it’s exterior because it was leaking before and after a new paint job. I think water is leaking in on the bottom edge seal somewhere. I’m planning on resealing the outer edge and go from there.
 
Just a physics point.
If it is entering from the bottom, then it should leak out the same way. The next time you empty it, pay close attention to where the water comes out. Put the normal drain to the top and slowly rotate the panel. A panel filling with water should be a super easy thing to diagnose.

On a related point, do you re-install the two large screws above the drivers / passengers head? If so, don't go super tight, this can increase the tops ability to leak.