Archived Rain Leaking into Cab Again

[JTBMC]

Does any one else have the problem of the passesger side floor board getting wet.

I've just replaced the rubber door gasket 100 + Bucks and reinstalled my interior and the first time I drive in a rain storm the carprt is soaked with about 2 gallons of water again. The leak is from under the passenger door right at the first screw that holds down the plastic trim over the carpet and door rubber.

I've done all the other fixes, Dome light, A/C drip tube now what.

How do you fix this

This truck has never been wrecked and the door closes solid and does not drag. hinges are like new becouse it is rare that any one rides in the truck with me

Thanks, TJ

 

[Joe Mc]

If you haven't done so already, here's an idea that may help you find that leak. Remove the pass side & back seat, roll the pass carpet towards the center of the compartment and remove the door panels, open the hood. You stay inside and have a helper hose the pass side doors, windshield & fender. Remove any nozzel on the hose and start from the bottom of the truck. If your driveway is on an incline face the truck front down and start at the front bottom working towards the back. Then have your helper move the hose up one inch and start again. Make sure when the helper reaches the top of the fender he aims towards the door. Save hosing the windshield untill they are finished with the top of the doors. Continue this until you locate where the water is infiltrating the cab. The key here is have the helper go slowly (about a minute each pass) and follow his lead, you'll get a rythim after a while. Make sure you have a small bright flashlight and remove the plastic liner from the doors.



If you have already tried this I'm sorry to waste your time. Cracked windshield under the black plastic between the glass and the hood? Void in the glass to body sealant? Possible failure of a gromet in the engine compartment where A/C and heat lines or other wiring penetrates the firewall?



Good luck & let us know what you find.



Joe Mc

 

[Andy Perreault]

Check your rear window for leaks

Try searching the archives for leaks, water leaks, rain leaks, water in cab, etc. I have read on these forums that the seal around the rear window can leak, and the water runs down under the carpeting to the lowest parts of the cab, the door sill areas.

Andy

 

[Joe G.]

tjlaffite,



Believe it or not, it may be the cargo/brake light above the back window. This thing is notorious for leaking. The gasget is pretty cheap too, so it's a good idea to change it anyway. What happens is that when it leaks the water runs around the back window. The back seat is on kind of a lump in the floor so there is kind of a trough along the side of the cab inside for the water to run up front before you discover it.

 

[Phil Stuart]

I'm with Joe Mc on this one

TJ,



Do what Joe Mc says and you should find the leak.

When I had my rig in for repair to the passenger side body due to someone elses negligence. they had the door panels off and it leaked every time it rained and would be a small puddle on floorboard pass. side after I got it back from the body shop.

What I found out was that the plastic sheeting covering the door behind the panel has to be sealed really good around the entire perimeter especially at the bottom or else water will get in.

I had to take out the seats and the padding and let it air dry for a day or two otherwise it will never dry and will start rusting out the floorboard in time. Sounds like a job and it is ,but better to do it now than have a musty smelling interior and rust.

hope it helps you.



Phil

 

[Kodiak]

I had the same leak and went through the whole tap dance of replacing the door gasket, hosing the windows to no avail. I finally went to a local window service, and the guy had seen this many times. Even though I had already replaced the the cargo/brake light gasket, the guy added a little silicone sealer, and the leak never returned.



Let us know...

 

[Deezul1]

I had the same type water problem you have, passenger side so wet you could open the door and push water out with your hand. It was the cargo light gasket. I used some of the putty tape that is used in the install of windows in RVs as I had it laying aroun. Worked good. There was no wetness any where in the rear cab area either.

 

[JTBMC]

Well I'll re-do the back up light again but what I dont under stand is how come the carpet aint wet in the back seat area. Only on the passenger side floor. It is a swamp and its starting to wick up so I;'ll be pulling the interior again towmarrow.

TJ

 

[Joe G.]

TJ,



The backseat is on a raised part of the floor pan. There is space between the raised part in the back and on each side. Just like interior rain gutters. SO the water runs down the back behind the seat into the space between the floor pan and the rear of the cab. Then it runs to the side and follows that low place (the gutter) until it gets to the floor mat area in the front. In my case, it was a swamp on the driver's side. Nothing was wet at all in the back. Other places can leak, but the cargo light gasket is a very likely culpret.

 

[JTBMC]

Thanks Guys I went out and er-Siliconed the rear light and will pull the interior out of the swamp in the morning.

thanks TJ

 

[buddys06]

I have to second the plastic behind the door panel thing, a body shop friend showed me how much water comes in the vehicle when the plastic isn't sealed tight. Take a hose to the window when you have the panel off and see if it gets around the plastic. Hope this helps, James.

 

[PHaller]

If you have a Mexico built truck between 94 and 97 reseal the rear window if it came with a slider. The one piece windows from Mexico were ok. Everyone with rear sliders built in Mexico had to reseal the rear window. Mine was so bad that after a rain and I opened the door my shoes would get soaked from the water poring out. It was at times 4 inches deep inside. I knew 2 TDR members who acctually had to have their airbag module replaced from being under water. The one on the center hump rearward of the shifter.

-Paul R. Haller-

 

[Joe G.]

Paul,



Mine is Mexican built (3/14/95 build date) and the back window has never leaked. It has a slider. The only leak I've ever had was the cargo light and it poured in. There is another truck that I know of around here that had the same situation, light leaks and window doesn't. When I got my gasket for the light I asked the Dodge parts guy about it. He said a lot of the lights leak. Lousy gasket. I wonder how many people have resealed the back window when the light was leaking instead.

 

[Joe Mc]

Dry that baby out!

TJ. Here's another idea . . . try it after you have (hopefully) found the leak. While the interior is still apart get a small de-humidifer and place it inside the cab. Make sure it is a type with an auto shut off float & collection tank and just "unlatch" (don't open) one of the back door windows to ensure you don't pop any glass. A flat extension cord usually give a better seal when you close the door on it, too. Those little de-humidifiers warm up the inside pretty good. I did this with a CRX that had a bad hatch seal once, I left the de-humidifier on overnight, and man the glass was warm to the touch the next morning .



This will really "dry" out the interior. Before you put everything back in place try spritsing the carpet underside with some Febreez. I've heard of, but never seen, Febreez Auto Care. Either way it's pretty good stuff and will neutralize/de-funkerize any remaining odors.

 

[JTBMC]

Okay Guys,

Ive removed the wet carpet again seeled the back up light and pulled the passenger door panel . Tomarrow I hape to find the source of the swamp.

TJ

 

[Joe G.]

TJ,



I sure hope that did it. Joe Mc has a VERY good idea. Dry the bugger out! Otherwise it's still too wet to tell if the leak was fixed or not.

 

[DDUNN]

A common leak point for the front floorboard, is the drains for the cowl fresh air pickup vent. If a truck is parked under trees, leaves and dirt have been known to block the drain and you can guess the rest. I've had this happen to trucks in the past and cleaning the drain tube is an annual event on my Land Rover. I'm not sure where it may be on the Dodge, but probably is under the fresh air screen on the cowl or down in front of the doors on either side. Easy check is to run water on the cowl .



Good luck

 

[MidwestMotorman]

A couple more suggestions

A couple more suggestions from a pro.



Your leak may also be in a cowl pinchweld, and it can run down inside the truck.



A couple tricks to help find the leak:



1) While the interior is out, lay in there with a flashlight while someone hoses the outside of the truck and look for actual water flow. You do not want to keep this wet situation up. Your carpet and sound deadening will get mold and mildew, and you will have a big stink!!!



2) Mix up some soapy water in a spray bottle or a bucket. Turn on the ignition, turn on the fan to high (any location setting), shut the doors (pop the hood first though), and start spraying any suspect areas with the mix. Pinholes or gaps in welds, joints, seams, and seals will blow bubbles with the inside air pressure. Be sure to try the cowl area and anywhere else that sees water.



I have spent a few years at a bodyshop, and some more at a dealership shop. Water leaks can be a pain, but you just have to cover all of the bases. I have actually had to replace the whole carpeting of new trucks due to water leaks. If it stinks, you got to get rid of it.



Good luck.

 

[JTBMC]

Thanks Nathan,

I havent found the leak yet but I'm still looking and will apply your methods in the morning. I spent most of the day working on this leak and the front axel on my RamCharger

TJ

 

[R Butts]

Glad I found this thread... I have been battling this for the last month and half. I'll have to check the center brake light cover--- haven't looked there yet. I thought that on my truck it looked like it might be coming in at the top of the pop-out side window of the extended cab. The weather stripping looks very compressed there, but the brake light may be a possibility too!



People are starting to make fun of me for driving around with only one seat up front... but I decided that I'm not putting in back in until I can find the source!!!



Randy