Mysterious Water Leak

[Croatan_Kid]

I just noticed it here lately because it's been raining a bunch, but it looks as though water is somehow getting inside the truck up under the dash on the driver's side and leaking down the parking brake pedal and onto the floor. It's also starting to rust where the water drip at on the floor. I smeared some RTV anywhere that look suspicious and it appears to have slowed it down somewhat. I have also decided that it could be coming from the vents, but I don't know how it could be unless water can crawl upwards....

This whole mess has me going crazy. Anybody have any ideas?

 

[CCATLETT1984]

your windshield seal could be the cause of the leak, how does the gasket look?
as much as a pain it is, you might want to pull the dashpad to check (its not really that bad.)

 

[Somemedic]

I had my windshield replaced a little over 2 yrs ago and get a slow leak on the D side lower corner. Try this to track it down:

Remove the dash, If nothing else it gives you a chance to clean the area up and you'll probably make $12 cleaning up all the loose change behind there. Sprinkle talcum powder or baby powder all in the floor board and up the firewall as high as you can. Let it rain. You should be able to track down the area where the leak is then coming from. Blow the powder out with compressed air.

Thinking about replacing my heater core soon. Heater gets warm but not hot like it did before

 

[CCATLETT1984]

somed, you might just need to flush the core out.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Not much to add, but Ccatlett painted his dashpad when he had it out, and I tought it was a repro. It looked very good, might want to try it while its out..

 

[CCATLETT1984]

thanks for the props, and i used a airosol vinyl dye i got at the local auto parts store.
comes in a bunch of colors, I used flat black. I can get the maker when i get home, i think i still have the can.

 

[Croatan_Kid]

Good points yall made. I just had the dash pad out yesterday, it's not hard at all when your dash doesn't have any clips on it....mine are all broke and it flops around. The windsheild seal could be leaking because it has a new windsheild in it. The Army or whoever had it before me replaced it about a year and a half ago. The seal looks pretty good, there was a gap at the top but I filled it in with RTV I'll try out the powder thing, that's a pretty good idea.

 

[acetomatoco]

I have a set of dash clips for $2 ea if you need em. Can mail... rampartsllc@aol.com

 

[Croatan_Kid]

Well it has persisted to rain for almost a week straight here. We really needed it, but I don't! The rtv slowed it down, but not enough. I came home tonight and the dirver's floor was soaked and it even started to run down behind the heater core. So I reckon when I pull the whole interior apart for cleaning, that'll get fixed as well. It's also leaking around the vent seals, that's not as big a deal though.

This sucks!

 

[CCATLETT1984]

mine also leaks through the passenger side floor vent if its open while raining.

 

[Armada]

Leaks are the cucv's nemisis. You guys are right, the windshields and the kick panel vents are how the water gets into the cab. I spent a lot of time trying to eliminate where the drips were coming from.
Due to a crack, I had a new windshield (tinted), installed in my 1009. I tested the installation with a hose while the dash was removed. Still leaked. I had them come back and they popped the outer seal and added more silicone sealant and reinstalled the outer seal. Finally, no more leaks...... from the windshield.
I was still getting drips on the floor pan when tested with the hose. I pulled the vented panel off over the wiper assembly that's between the hood and the windshield, and inspected the valley. Looked good, no rust, all seams still sealed. The water seemed to be coming in via the kick panel vents. I pulled them out put a mirror in the hole to look up above them while running water on the windshield and hood. I found that a small amount of water was getting in at the rubber seal/flange that the hood hinge goes through and dripping down on to the vent and running into the cab. The seal is not designed to seal tight to the hinge, so there wasn't much I could do to prevent the water from dripping. It is supposed to run along the outside surface of the side of the firewall and onto the ground. The vents have somewhat of a flange or 'lip' that directs the water around it and onto the ground, but it is not quite wide enough to catch and redirect all of the drips of water. I made a flange extension or 'shroud' and installed it onto the top of the vent flange so that any drips will be blocked and dispersed instead of dripping into the vent and into the cab. Once the vent is reinstalled, the shroud is in the space between the outer fender and the side of the firewall/cab and cannot be seen. It totally eliminated the water leak from the vents and I have had no more wet floors since. Hope this helps.

 

[d_holden]

I put Herculiner on my floorboard. Keeps noise down inside the cab and helps with water causing rust issues.