Water intrusion Freedom panel question

[Bayrat]

Oh the header seal, yes, a JK leak also.

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[JCappy]

I am closely watching. My driveway is on a slop and I always park nose-down. It makes it fun since the fuel tank always reads lower than it is and can disable my remote start when it’s too low. Other than that I haven't seen any issues. I have pulled my panels a couple of times this year and will probably do it some more as the summer goes on.

I do the same thing. We are on a hill and I park nose down and have had no issues with the hardtop or sunrider leaking. Same issue with fuel reading. I like leaving the house when the tank is getting low and watching the distance to empty increase instead of decrease.

 

[Dilly’S Willy]

My seals leaked again today in the rain.

"Jeep life"

"It's a Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand"

Okay okay, I know it's not fun. But there are solutions, albeit not always an OEM solution, or at least not cheap. That being said I'm hopefully getting mine resolved at the dealer next week.

 

[ArcticDreadnought]

My seals leaked again today in the rain.

"Jeep life"

"It's a Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand"

Okay okay, I know it's not fun. But there are solutions, albeit not always an OEM solution, or at least not cheap. That being said I'm hopefully getting mine resolved at the dealer next week.

Can you provide a pic or two of exactly where its leaking from and to?
I might be able to help diagnose.

 

[Dilly’S Willy]

Can you provide a pic or two of exactly where its leaking from and to?
I might be able to help diagnose.

I’ve posted in my thread about this. And while I appreciate the offer, the dealer I’m working with now has a pretty good idea of what’s going on.

By all means though, make your suggestion.

 

[ArcticDreadnought]

If they're taking care of the problem, then no worries. My only worry would be that the "noodle" in the corners of the doors, and on the freedom top area (especially on older models) that have a few years on them; the foam itself starts holding a memory imprint and wont expand and contract after a while.

Mine was specific to the rear corner top noodles on the front door, and the front corner noodles on the back doors, more specifically the rear right. Any time my Jeep was parked with a slight nose down profile, like me backing into my slightly angled driveway, the rain would roll forward along the top rain gutter and then instead of flowing down the seal and outward, it would come down the seal and go "backwards" over the old noodle in the door. Then it would come inside the seal, go down the B Pillar and absolutely soak my carpet. This was all due to my Jeep having sat on the lot for nearly a year, before I bought it.

Its honestly like when they tested the waterproofness of the Jeep seals, they only tested as if it were driving forwards into a shower, with air pressure pushing the rain backwards and over the seals. Any water moving forward from back to front seems to not be accounted for.

At any rate, be careful of the OEM replacement seals, as they really haven't been updated since the 22-23 model, and can have some of the same ageing problems, with lessened ability to expand back out after being compressed for a while.

 

[mkopec]

Can you provide a pic or two of exactly where its leaking from and to?
I might be able to help diagnose.

Mine leaked again the other day, right above the rearview mirror. All looks good as far as alignments and fasteners. The seals are in pristine condition. What gives?

 

[ArcticDreadnought]

Mine leaked again the other day, right above the rearview mirror. All looks good as far as alignments and fasteners. The seals are in pristine condition. What gives?

What were the circumstances of the leak? Was your truck parked at an angle?

Also, before replacing the freedom panels on the top, have you completely cleaned the rubber seals, end to end? Over time, the freedom panels will push down on those seals and they wont bounce back, due to aging. You can find several things to use after a complete cleaning (with something like Dawn Spray Powerwash, water and a couple of completely clean microfiber rags) such as 303 Seal Protectant.

Sometimes, the seal reconditioner is really all it takes to make them bounce back, but if the divots have become deep enough, and the seals aren't expanding back at all, you may need to replace them.

 

[mkopec]

What were the circumstances of the leak? Was your truck parked at an angle?

Also, before replacing the freedom panels on the top, have you completely cleaned the rubber seals, end to end? Over time, the freedom panels will push down on those seals and they wont bounce back, due to aging. You can find several things to use after a complete cleaning (with something like Dawn Spray Powerwash, water and a couple of completely clean microfiber rags) such as 303 Seal Protectant.

Sometimes, the seal reconditioner is really all it takes to make them bounce back, but if the divots have become deep enough, and the seals aren't expanding back at all, you may need to replace them.

The vehicle is always garaged when parked at home and very well taken care of. All seals are in pristine condition. I did some research before removing, cleaning, and applying this product lightly. Then just careful alignment and securing. This was on a level surface the whole day and presented after hand washing the jeep with a garden hose in the driveway.

 

[mkopec]

The vehicle is always garaged when parked at home and very well taken care of. All seals are in pristine condition. I did some research before removing, cleaning, and applying this product lightly. Then just careful alignment and securing. This was on a level surface the whole day and presented after hand washing the jeep with a garden hose in the driveway.

I would only add that the 2023 Gladiator (14k mi) and had the tops removed once when I first purchased to install an overhead molle panel right after I bought the vehicle, and now to address the water migration.

 

[mkopec]

Can you provide a pic or two of exactly where its leaking from and to?
I might be able to help diagnose.

See attached. Checking all the latches was the first thing I did when I saw it leaking to make sure they were fully locked in. It is leaking from the rearview mirror cover and onto the center console. Seals all appear in great shape, and I see evidence of uniform pressure along the seal mating surfaces. The bolt head holding the molle panel in place appears to be too low-profile to be the culprit, or interfere with sealing, and I don't see any water path across this area. Let me know if you spot anything, or need more photo angles. Thanks.

 

[mkopec]

 

[JoeJeep74]

I said this earlier in the thread, when I had water leaking through the vents in the rear view mirror cover, replacing the top of windshield gasket stopped the leak. Visually, I could not see a problem, I had cleaned and lubed gaskets, checked/adjusted latch adjustment, nothing worked. Dealer insisted that windshield gasket was the cause, they replaced that to no avail. Only at my insistence did they replace the top of windshield gasket and , problem solved.

 

[jdinny]

Good idea to remove the tops about yearly and give the seals a good coating of Vaseline. Keeps the seals supple. Not saying the amount of water mentioned above wouldn’t overwhelm the seals even after treated but it helps keep them fresh.

Great idea. I haven't had any leaks on my Gladiator yet, hard to believe, but I do this anyway although I use Sil-Glyde. Found out about this trying to stop my JK with half door leaks. I used a kit from jeepleakfix dot com and Sil-Glide, no more leaks if you can believe that.
I use your treatment usually twice a year!

 

[JCappy]

Great idea. I haven't had any leaks on my Gladiator yet, hard to believe, but I do this anyway although I use Sil-Glyde. Found out about this trying to stop my JK with half door leaks. I used a kit from jeepleakfix dot com and Sil-Glide, no more leaks if you can believe that.
I use your treatment usually twice a year!

I use Shin-Etsu silicone on mine and have never had any issues with leaks so far. I believe it's a good idea to keep these seals lubricated.

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