RETRAX Drainage design

I am having problems with the drainage design. I inserted the drain tubes into the plugs as designed, but I am finding that the small drains in the bed (under the plugs) are simply not robust enough to carry the water away fast enough. and they also seem to plug up easily. Does anyone have any ideas for a better drainage spot in the bed??

I never did hookup the drain hoses to the bed plugs as I found that as long as the Retrax stayed in the closed position, there was no need for drainage.
If anything, the hoses prevent you from sliding longer pieces of lumber or sheeting to the end of the bed past the drain holes.

After every healthy rain I probably have well over a gallon of water in the RETRAX roller housing. I assume it comes in from the front "seal" that isn't really designed to be waterproof. Perhaps mine isn't sealing as well as it should. Are you saying that after a heavy rain, your bed is totally dry? I always have wet areas in the front of the bed - not standing water because the bed itself drains properly, but areas where the water overflowed at the bottom of the tubing because the small drainage holes wouldn't drain fast enough, if at all.

If you park outdoors with the nose down, back into the space next time and I bet your problem will disappear. The rain that hits the Retrax will run over the end of the tailgate instead of into the canister.

Like I said. As long as the cover stays closed, the gap between the folding part of the cover itself and the stationary flat front piece (covered with a felt gasket) stays closed and prevents water from entering. There may be a few drops but no standing water at all.

In addition, the gasket that runs on the perimeter of the Retrax should be pushed manually to sit tight against the bed liner. The front gasket should and will seal well against water and snow. You should have noticed a resistance when installing the rear stainless-steel bolts/washers as some pushing is required to compress the front gasket in order to line up the rear bolts.

Torrential rains today in Montreal today. Ridgeline was parked on level street and Retrax was closed. After a half hour of pounding rain, Sun peeked out so I squeeged the standing water on top of my freshly waxed Retrax cover, slid open the cover and...voila....abosultely no water inside bed!

Since I did buy the tailgate gasket but never installed it, I do find the odd few drops at the back of the bed after a drive thru rainy streets.

I live in the Adirondacks and finding level parking spaces is pretty impractical. But obviously RETRAX realized water would get past the seal or they wouldn't have installed drainage tubes. My question was, is there a better place to drain the water to than the bed plug?

Boreal, I think you missed the point. Whether you park your car on a level or inclined surface makes no difference on the Retrax cover's ability to seal out the elements. The cover, when in the closed position will easily seal out any water or snow. When you open the Retrax, any standing water ontop of the cover gets carried into the lexan serpentine case where it accumulates and then gets drained out thru the two drain holes at the bottom of the casing.
Unless you're looking for a completely waterproof bed and short of drilling thru the side of the truck to run your drain pipes, you really have no other choice but to use the floor bed plugs....or....you leave it just the way it is.

Well, apparently I got a bad one, because I get a LOT of water that backs up into the reservoir because it DOESN'T drain out through the drain plugs. There is only a small 1/8" notch for the water to drain out of in the plug drain, and it evidently clogs easily, causing the water to back up. I couldn't find a better place to drain it, so I posted my question to the group for any ideas. Apparently no one has any advice, so I am currently running the drain tubes onto the bed surface so that the water doesn't back up into the case, which I am afraid may have a detrimental effect on the cover, especially when the temps begin to drop below freezing.

I would love to help find the answer for you. I don't understand how so much water is getting into the canister to cause the problems that you are having. I just don't have problems like that. Could you take a picture of the top of the canister, with the cover fully closed? Also, are you sure that the water is coming from the drain tubes and that it is not getting past the seal between the bed and the canister? If the drain holes in the bed are clogged I would expect to see water backed up in the drain tubes. If you take a garden hose and a flashlight out to your truck it shouldn't be too difficult to determine exactly where the water is getting in. You could also lay down in the bed with your head under that canister looking up and have a trusted friend:rolleyes: close the Retrax cover. Look for where daylight shines through.

Here's a long shot. If you pull your bed plugs with the drain tubes in them and look at the underside, does the clear drain tube stick through the black plug by more than 1/4 inch" ? If it does, maybe the tube is bottoming out on the bed bolt head and preventing the water from draining out of the tube itself.

To answer your original question, no, I don't know of any other means of draining the water other than the one that everyone else uses that does not involve drilling holes in the bed or bed-walls. I guess that you could fabricate a drain system that would allow the water to run down the bed-walls and out of the tailgate. I don't think that it should be necessary once you locate the cause of the problem and correct it. It does seem that yours is different than everyone else's so we need to isolate that difference.

The water is definitely coming from the canister, because it does back up into the tubes. That is how I noticed it. When I pull the filled tube out of the drain plug, about a gallon of water runs out of the canister (which actually makes it more of a reservoir!). I am nearly certain that the water is coming in at a gap in the seal between the roll top and the metal top of the canister. There is no gap on the passenger side, but there is about a 1/16-1/8 inch gap on the driver's side.

I just don't feel like dealing with a replacement - I was hoping I could just deal with the water by draining it away. There is a lot less water infiltration if I park the nose uphill, but that is obviously impractical.

It sounds like you have found the source of your problem. That gap is allowing more water into the canister than the drains can handle. The rest of us that don't have that gap don't have the problem. I would remove the bolt at the left rear pillar mounting bracket and the screw that is near the front tie-down cleat. Have someone apply forward pressure on the side rail and reinstall the bolt and screws. If that doesn't close the gap there is another problem. Then I would remove both rear bolts and both front screws and, with the help of a friend, lift the assembly out of the bed. Inspect the canister side panels for cracks and damage. If you have that big of a gap your Retrax is not installed correctly or it is damaged. Either way, it's not normal. The problem is solvable, or you could live with it and try to find a different way to drain the water. I think that designing another way to drain the water is not addressing the cause of the problem and would be a lot more difficult than fixing the problem itself. I don't think that it will be as difficult as it may appear.

I never connected the tubes ...I just get drips into the bed sometimes
(though I live where there is no rain)

Use the drain tubes in the front of the bed under the front bed panel. If you pour water along the front of the bed at the base of the front bed panel, it will drain out under the truck.

Vinnie:D

Use the drain holes at the front of the bed at the juncture of the front bed panel and the bed floor.
If you pour water at this juncture it will run out of the bed under the truck.

Vinnie:D

there are eight {8} drain holes at the font of the bed floor directly below the front bed panel.

I inspected the fit on my Retrax yesterday and found a potential reason for the water infiltration. I noticed a gouge on the plastic moulding on the top of the tailgate (passenger's side) caused by the side rail. I believe because of this fit issue, the top may not have been totally extended, which would interfere with the quality of the seal at the front of the rolltop. After a few tweaks with a big screwdriver and hammer, I created a little more clearance at the tailgate, hopefully creating a better seal at the front.

The only problem I can forsee now is with the top fully extended and locked, there is about 1/4" of play front & back on the passenger's side only. Because the locking mechanism is only on the driver's side, it appears to be normal play in the rolltop, but it could interfere with the quality of the seal at the front. I'll keep you posted.

Next issue - after I tore the Retrax apart and reinstalled it to make sure it was mounted correctly, I found these two rubber spacers (see attachment) rolling around my bed. Apparently I broke them off when I removed the unit. However, the unit seems to be mounted OK now. Is there a good reason that I should remove it again and replace the spacers?

Well I didn't get an answer to my last post, but I went ahead and replaced the rubber spacers. Everything is sittin' pretty - so I tested the seal with the hose. I no longer get infiltration into the canister, but a lot of water comes in at the front tie-down because there is no real seal there. Does anyone have a fix for this?? Short of filling the area with silicone sealant, I don't see any way to seal the area. I even installed a longer piece of foam sealer (that was included in the top) the full length of the gap, without any real effect. Ideas??

I attached a generic photo of the mounting plate in question with ReTrax's specified amount of foam attached, which leaves large gaps.

I am having problems with the drainage design. I inserted the drain tubes into the plugs as designed, but I am finding that the small drains in the bed (under the plugs) are simply not robust enough to carry the water away fast enough. and they also seem to plug up easily. Does anyone have any ideas for a better drainage spot in the bed??


:confused: I Have the same problum.Big drain tubes, small drain holes. I don't have lots of water, but I have an indoor-outdoor carpet in mine, so I've been keeping trax of the leek areas. The front seal seems fine. The side rubber seals needed to be slid to the out sides... but the tiny holes next to the front bolt is a problum. I tried the parts counter at my dealer, thinking of the exploded view of the under side of the bed, as to ream out the hole larger. BAD IDIA!!! That is where the gas tank is, and the gas lines, sending unit... But the exploded view did NOT show good detail. The parts man sent me to the body shop next. They did not have anything but estamating softwere. They sent me here.
I also tried looking up from the floor, with a flash light pointing down the hole... with no success. The water flows in and out of the frame and everything else under there.
What I did do is ream out the hole just a little with a flat screw driver. I dont know if it is working better... It's -15F and I can't even wash my beautiful new truck.:(
Let me know if you find an answer.

Next issue - after I tore the Retrax apart and reinstalled it to make sure it was mounted correctly, I found these two rubber spacers (see attachment) rolling around my bed. Apparently I broke them off when I removed the unit. However, the unit seems to be mounted OK now. Is there a good reason that I should remove it again and replace the spacers?

I just installed our retrax today. the canister attaches different than what you show.

Our has 2 angle brackets that bolt to the front bed panel under the window. Also there are 2 foam rubber plugs that fit in the void under the cargo tie down where the rails cross the tie down bolts.

I just installed our retrax today. the canister attaches different than what you show.

Our has 2 angle brackets that bolt to the front bed panel under the window. Also there are 2 foam rubber plugs that fit in the void under the cargo tie down where the rails cross the tie down bolts.

From what Mtnman says...it sounds like Retrax changed the way the canister/top is installed in the RL? Is this true? Can anybody else verify this (Not that I am doubting Mtnman)?

That has always been a point of contention for me. I think, for what we paid for the Retrax it should be a little more water tight. That has been the place where my cover always leaks the most...right where the cover sits on the brackets on the front tie-downs. I've tried silcone and a few other things and it still leaks. Not a lot, but enough to be concerned about when you have things in your bed that should not get wet.

Yes, I realize with the bed configuration of the RL it is probably a engineering nightmare to try and get it water tight...don't get me wrong, I really like my Retrax....but I just think a better system could have been devised.

Here's a scan of the install instructions that came with my retrax.

Here's a scan of the install instructions that came with my retrax.
That is definitely a change in the way the canister mounts. Mine was the "old way" in April of 2007, so it's a fairly recent revision.

Yes, definitely siince 4/07, date of my install. I also know the spiral mechanisms have been improved since then.

I have the RETRAX installed also for over two years. I found a way to better drain any water.
I was looking at a ROLL N LOCK installation manual on the internet, and they have a better way to install the drain tubes.
If you look at the manual at photo # 29 and follow the procedure it shows you how to connect the drain tubes to the HONDA factory drain channels behind the front of the bed.
A 1/2" hole is drilled 1 1/2" from the side of the bed & 2 1/2" up from the bed floor into the HONDA drain channel.
Insert the drain tube into the hole NO MORE THAN 2" or IT WILL BEND AND RESTRICT THE FLOW.
Very simple to do..RETRAX suggests that you use the plugs in the bed bottom, but that doesn't allow for any appreciable volume of water to be drained from the cover canister.

Vinnie...IT WORKS!!!!:D:D

woodco, we want PICTURES!

So, I installed my Retrax today. About 1.5 hrs with the help of a buddy, and that includes tooling around a bit. I was definetly impressed with the instructions and the ease of the install.

I do have a few issues though. Had my buddy lock me in and garden hose test my seals. Had some steady drips from the area in the middle of the bed where you install plastic caps to cover the holes in the bed. I expected this since the weatherstrip can't get a great fit over the edges of the caps. And as I said, dripping not a torunt. I tried adjusting the weatherstriping out as prevoiusly discussed (now included in the Retrax instructions) but I'm still getting a drip from these two points. I'll probably silicone it and it'll resolve.

My real problem is at the corners of the cab/bed. I'm getting two waterfalls, and I mean waterfalls back there. I locked myself in again and looked for some sunlight and found two small gaps at the corners where the Retrax meets the cabin back, in the area where you tack the weather stripping to the bottom of the canister with the sticky tape they have mounted. Did some more external adjustments to the weather stripping and pretty much closed off any sunlight gaps. Tried the hose test again and got two waterfalls again.

So, I've isolated the problem to the upper tiedown points at the cab side of the bed. As previously discussed, the installation procedure has changed. You now mount on two L brackets that fit to the back of the cab. You place two foam spacers in the bottom area of the top tiedowns to help seal the large hole they create where the rails (ie, weatherstripping) crosses). Well, the foam spacers just aren't cutting it and this is where my two waterfalls come from.

Any suggestions from folks out there who have the current install method above. I guess I'm going to pull it off tomorrow, work on my rear weather stripping at the cab corners and see if I can figure out a fix for the foam/tiedown areas that are my biggest problem.

Be ready, I'm going to post two more items right after this one. One will detail the alternate method of installing the drain tubes as discussed above and the other a problem I have with the clearance of the passenger side rail at the tailgate.

--Dennis

PS- I created a seperate thread titled 'Retrax leaking/ rail clearance problem/ alternate drain method'. Pics included for the alternate drain method