2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Floor Soaking wet

[RJ2]

Carpet is flooded out on passenger side from door to hump. Cannot see where it is coming from. Poured water on the third brake light and it leaks but can' see how it gets to the front of the truck. Is there somewhere else to look. I have fixed the joint on the rubber door seal already.

Thanks RJ

 

[Joe G.]

It's the third brake light. What happens is that the water flows along the top of the rear window to the side. The rear seat is on kind of a hump in the floor. There are low places on both sides and the rear that act like gutters for water. SO the first thing you know about it is that one side of the front floor gets soppy.

 

[RJ2]

Thanks, I could see when hosing the roof that the water would go into the lens. I just could not believe that quanity of water would go through there. Thanks RJ

 

[Chipstien]

I bet there are alot more people that have a leaking brake light then we think.

 

[Rams-n-Hogs]

Put a CD Changer under the seat a few years ago. When running the wiring, I noticed the carpet and insulation were soaked when I lifted them up. Figured it was because I lived in AK, with all the snow. It never dries up. Am getting ready to remove the interior and paint the floorboards with rustoleum. Now that I know where the leak comes from, I might just fix that, too.

 

[R Butts]

May not be the third brake light... . I too have experienced this problem and still have it on occasion.



Took me forever to find the problem. I finally determined that the direction I parked at work made a difference. There is a slight slope to the lot and it made a world of difference if I backed in or nosed straight in!



My leak is at the passenger side top corner of the rear glass. If you pull the black seal away on the outside of the truck, you will find that the rear window gasket is all one piece. The water comes in at the corner, runs down the side of the window, then out at the bottom gasket on the inside and goes behind the rear seat over to the corner of the cab.



I tried to silicon the corner of the window and I did manage to slow it down some. But I still don't have it fixed 100%. I noticed the other day that the pad under the carpet was wet again... . I was just too lazy to pull the passenger seat again to dry it out!

 

[RJ2]

I have no patients I ripped out the matting, was taking to long to dry. Is there an alternative to using that matting that wont suck water?

 

[Clinton]

You folks may be starting down a long frustrating road. Unfortunately, it is a road I know.



RJ2, now is a good time to do a little sound proofing if you're interested in that. GSI has several products that you could use instead of the jute. More expensive, but really quiets down the ride. I would keep whatever you use off the low channels on the sides of the cab. Don't be surprised if after you fix the 3rd brake light the water keeps coming. I think there are as many faulty rear windows (backlight) to blame as there are brake lights.



R Butts, my window is at fault too. I've tried sealing that thing every way you can imagine including having it pulled out and professionally resealed, still it leaks. I'm about to buy a new aftermarket unit only because the Mopar replacement is over $400.



There are three TSBs (that I've found so far) dealing with the backlight: 23-27-97, 23-13-98, and 23-036-02. Look on Fritz's info site for full details. A good tip I got last fall when I started down this road is to tape up your return vents for the HVAC in the door jambs, turn your vent on high, shut doors and windows, walk around cab with a spray bottle of soapy water. You'll get bubbles at your leaks. My third brake light doesn't bubble a bit, but man that backlight goes crazy. Mine is a slider and I think, at this point, it's designed to leak a little into it's drain channel. The problem is that the drain channel is channelling into the cab instead of to the outside. That's after about 6 months of fiddling with it trying to hold on to the hope that it could be fixed. I'm afraid I'll be spending this month's bomb budget on a new window, how lame! Sorry for the length, I've got some time invested in this particular problem. Good luck to all.

 

[Joe G.]

Normally, just replaceing the cheap excuse for a brake light gasket will do the job. If it does not then look for other problems. Clean the gasket area. Then VERY carefully put it back together. The problem usually is that the gasket is a little crooked and gives up after a while.

 

[djgwinn]

I have had the same problem with the floor being wet. I sealed the 3rd brake light with silicone too see if that was the problem, but the leak was still evident. I then noticed that the rear window like Clinton said was the problem. I siliconed the right upper coner of the gasket and that held for about a year, then I had to do it all over again! One of these days I will try and have the gasket replaced.

David

 

[Tom W]

RJ, check the A/C drain. That was the problem with my truck and it really soaked the passenger side. The drain sticks out of the front of the firewall only an inch or so and is horizontal. Apparently air blows the water back and overflows the drain pan. The fix is very easy, just get a 12 inch length of plastic hose and extend the drain downward.

Tom

 

[jwinnie]

I'm in the same boat as Tom W, Had the A/C drain problem also.



John

 

[John Berger]

It's most likely the 3rd brake light, but the A/C drain could also be the culprit. I noticed that the drain would dribble condensation and it ran down the firewall. I solved that problem by cutting a foot long section of hose reel connector and putting it on the A/C drain. That was just a precaution, my problem was the third brake light. My evaporator coil went bad a couple of months ago. When I had it replaced, the technician told me there was alot of junk in the coil area; leaves and stuff like that. I would also consider the Cab fresh filter setup from Geno's. That should keep the leaves and other debris out of your system and hopefully prevent an expensive repair.

 

[Chipstien]

I just noticed today that the brake light looks warped. Looks like I need to fix it.

 

[RJ2]

Made a gasket for the light and so far so good. Are there any after market lights that would be better sealing?

 

[Clinton]

RJ2, I don't know about other lights, but I believe the gasket has been improved to a better design. Seems like I recall reading that on a post when I was searching about this a while back. I bought a gasket from my dealer and it was about twice as thick and bigger altogether than the original I pulled out. I put the new one in, but have since found that's not where mine leaks. I tried making one as well from some neoprene, but the new part was only about $5 and fit much better.