where is it leaking water this time....... (1 Viewer)

[concretejungle]

This has got to be my biggest disappointment with this truck. It leaks everywhere! I know the weather stripping and seals are getting old, but damn!

We have had some heavy rain the past couple of days. I put a cover over the sunroof since the truck is sitting in the driveway waiting for me to put the power steering pump back in in anticipation of some rain.

Went out this morning before work since it's supposed to be nice and sunny to open the doors and let it air out. The driver's side floor had water standing in it. It was moldy and stunk! It sure didn't leak from the sunroof as it was completely covered! This is just getting ridiculous. My carpet is pretty much ruined. The floor is going to begin rusting.....

Where in the heck can this leak be coming from? I don't have water coming from my windshield as far as i can tell.

My rear hatch glass leaks, my rear sliding glass leaks, my rear doors leak around the speakers, and this leak has plagued my truck since i have owned it. This is getting really old....

 

[Ebag333]

The driver's side floor had water standing in it.

My guess is the windshield. Get a new OEM gasket and glue both sides.

My carpet is pretty much ruined. The floor is going to begin rusting.....

I would pull the carpet and bed line it.

Where in the heck can this leak be coming from? I don't have water coming from my windshield as far as i can tell.

They often leak in the lower corners. Almost impossible to see the leak as it is mostly behind the dash.

My rear hatch glass leaks

Has the hatch glass been replaced?

my rear sliding glass leaks

Common leak. Search around and you'll find several different methods of dealing with it. Both my trucks leak, though only a little bit.

my rear doors leak around the speakers

The doors are not water tight. Make sure that the drains on the bottom of the doors are clear, the only way I can see the doors leaking around the speakers is if those are plugged up and water is filling them.

 

[concretejungle]

I'm not really into pulling the windshield out and replacing it without knowing if it's leaking or not.

The rear hatch glass has not been replaced.

Yes, the sliding glass is a common leak. Pretty ridiculous on a $45,000 new vehicle IMHO.

The rear doors are not plugged at the drains. I have checked that. I even thought the vapor barrier was torn, so i ordered a new one from Cdan. Come to find out it's just fine. There is a huge hole in the vapor barrier where the speaker is (factory). So any rain leaking down from around the glass seal just leaks in through the speaker. Stupid!

As for bedlining the interior.... don't want to do that. I would like to replace the carpet with new, but i don't want to do that with this fawking leak problem.

 

[dgangle]

B4U can fix it, U gotta find it. Get inside the truck with a flashlight on a rainy day and look around...everywhere. Or have someone douse the outside with a hose while you are inside....

If you can't or don't want to there are companies that can do it 4U. Ask around at you local car lots of who to call. I had a leak on the rear window of a domestic sedan I once owned and this is what the dealer did....it was covered under warranty & I think they charged something like $50 to locate it, fixed under warranty.

 

[SiRaDuDe]

I'm not really into pulling the windshield out and replacing it without knowing if it's leaking or not.

How about using plastic and tape to seal all the way around the front glass... leave out in rain or hose it heavily and see if the leak persists.

 

[firetruck41]

Look at the interior bottom corners of your windshield, if there is any moisture on the seal there, you have a leaky windshield. It can let quite a bit of water in over time. I have an easy fix for it. Will post more later.

 

[lndcruz]

Yes, the sliding glass is a common leak. Pretty ridiculous on a $45,000 new vehicle IMHO.

You've got to realize that the vehicle is almost 15 years old. Rubber gets hard and leaks happen. Go buy some spray silicone and lube up all of the rubber and gaskets. I do this monthly and it has really helped breath life back into the old weatherstripping. Also make sure the little flap drain things on the sliding windows are free and allow water to drain.

 

[greentruck]

If the carpet is toast, well, moldy toast, go ahead and pull it. Then you'll be able to spot the leaks better.

I think I've found and fixed the leaks that came with my used 80. At least for now.

I feel your pain though. This is certainly one of the most frustrating problems to have, as it so often goes in cycles. Mine has been outside enough in the last few wet days, so that's why I'm feeling optimistic. If they didn't have my street all dug up, I'd park it outside, as we're due for lots more tomorrow. The driveway is too steep for a fair test, so I think I'm going to have to wait for now.

I just hope I'm not back here in a few weeks to join you in crying in the :whoops::whoops:

 

[firetruck41]

I had water leaking into the cab from the windshield. It was a replacement windshield that was in the truck when I bought it. It didn't have the sealant/adhexsive as specified in the FSM. I noticed the carpet in the driver footwell was damp in the corner, and I would actually feel a drip on my foot from under the dash on occasion. Looking at the bottom interior corners of the windshield, I could see moisture, or a tiny puddle, in the corner where the windshield met the seal.

So, the water was leaking from the outside, migrating under the seal where the windshield met the seal, then going under the seal, under the windshield itself, and then coming out between the windshield and the seal on the interior. I have not found a leak from the sheetmetal side of the seal, even though it was not sealed either.

I tried to fix this two autumns ago, by using a "windshield silicone" that you can find with all the RTV tubes at the local autoparts store. This was a "flowable" silicone, that ought to flow into the leaky areas and seal it. I used this on the exterior along the seam where the windshield met the seal. I did not lift the seal and apply under the seal. This worked for a couple days, and overall reduced the volume of the leak, but was not successful.

Recently after posting up the windshield replacement PDF for another member, I decided to try to find the correct sealant and just apply the adhesive/sealant under the seal as noted in the FSM. I could not find the correct sealant in less than a case size online, so I looked for a Polyurethane adhesive locally. What I came up with was PL Polyurethane Roof and Flashing sealant in Black, from the paint supply area of Home Depot. It looked like it would do the job. You will also need cheap caulking gun.


First, I used a razor/scraper to try to get rid of the "flowable silicone" I had used before, then I used my finger to lift the seal and cleaned the seal and the windshield mating surfaces the best I could, using a dry cloth. When it was fairly clean, I used alcohol on a cloth. It actually felt like my seal may have been the original and had some adhesive residue on it from the original factory windshield. You can only get it so clean, so it would be better to have it done correctly with the install.

Next, I took some painters masking tape and put it on the winshield where it met the seal. I let it overlap the seal and then took a razor along the edge and peeled the tape off of the seal, this left me with a tape covering the edge of the windshield, to make it easier to keep the windshield clean.

After one last wipe of the seal/window mating surface with a clean cloth, I inserted the tip of the adhesive tube in the top center of the outside windshield/seal and started squeezing, I kept the tip"deep" and let the adhesive ooze out a bit, as I ran the adhesive around the windshield. I tried to make sure that there was a good mount of adhesive and no gaps. You can always cut/clean the extra adhesive, so be generous. When I finished, I gently pressed on the seal, just enough to make sure there was enough sealant to ooze out a bit, and make sure there were no areas where the seal was lifted up due to too much sealant.

It takes 7 days to fully cure, and you will smell it for about that long, it is strong at first, but not "deadly" as far as I can tell. After about 12 hours, I removed the tape, and did nothing else, but I did drive it with no issues. It will skin over after about 24 hours, and I think you would be OK in rain at that point, as it uses moisture to cure anyway, and I think the adhesive instructions makes mention of using it in wet locations.

I did this about a month ago, and it is bone dry inside. Hopefully, it will hold up in the long term, and I think it will. We have had some serious rain in the past month and it is always parked outside, so my expectations are high.

Here is link to my post with the FSM install document: Click here

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

That rear hatch leak is easy to fix. I did it last year. Make sure you do it on a dry day so everything seals up okay.

It is actually a two part problem. Water leaks between the black gasket and the body on the top of the hatch area. Their is a low spot in there where moisture collects. It flows down via the sheet metal rain gutter that is covered with that rubber trim that holds the back part of the roof liner in place. Water then drips via gravity to the 10 & 2 o'clock positions. (Look where the interior c-pillar covers fit under the black rear hatch gasket.) Due to the increased width of the trim there, their is just enough room for water to migrate down the inside of the seal to your carpet. This over time will lead to a really foul smell after wet weather.

You will have to remove the stainless steel tail gate threshold piece, remove black seal & remove the tan or grey lip trim on the top. Clean it all up real good with some bleach water to kill any mold that you can not see both inside and outside. I had tons of mold and goop in the seal gap. Let dry. Use some rust inhibitor & let dry. Re crimp the hatch jam seal (you'll see what I am referring to when you get it out) with your hands so that it fits snuggly over the lip. Use sealant around the entire perimeter. Install everything back up & close gate/hatch let dry for a day.

I also cleaned up all of the door jams with rubbing compound and cleaner wax then used silicone lubricant on all of the door & hatch seals.

As for the rear door leaking at your speaker. The vapor barrior between the interior panel and door is not sealed up. Remove interior trim, get some butyl tape or sealant and readhere the plastic sheet to the door. Clean out those door drains too.

 

[turbocruiser]

Some great stuff here, I never would have thought of the PL sealant stuff! In this particular case I think that Ebag nailed it with the windshield, most likely middle point on the top edge and the two corners on the bottom edge. That's where they most often leak as seals age. Its a little harder to see with the top edge leak but on the bottom edge leaks there is often a "slight sedimentary layering of dust" (I'm using that technobabble cause I cant think of any other way to word it ) where the water has held the dust and dried there. If you have that there there's definitely a leak prolly between the first face of the gasket and the glass. You need a new gasket glued exactly as the FSM states, insist on if if someone else is installing the gasket. HTH.

 

[concretejungle]

I understand about weather stripping getting old at this age, i'm just frustrated with the leaks. It has leaked the entire time i have owned it. I'm also not really into just throwing new parts at it..... however, with old rubber weather stripping that may be the fix.

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

No new parts required for the rear hatch fix. Maybe just a tube of sealant if you don't have it lying around already.

Another thing to check is the sun roof corners. The foam seals in there go bad over time and it will leak. The water could be running down the a-pillar to your floor boards. This is an easy fix too. I did have to buy some adhesive back waterproof foam tape from HomeDepot for a whopping $3.00.

Simply open sunroof, look in both forward corners, remove the single phillips head screw holding the corner cover plate in, remove plate, clean of old foam seal & replace with new. Don't over tighten the screw on re-installation though. The plate will crack!

I did add some LiquidNails Clear sealant around the edges and where it contacts the track assembly. This will be obvious when you open it up.

Also, run a strip all of the way across the forward inner lip, where the sunroof rests when closed. Your guide to this will be where the factory 3 inch black foam piece is. Remove it and install a strip from the driver to passenger side. Now, I have a non leaky sunroof and it seems a bit quieter too.

Once you rule this out... you'll see if you even need to bother with your windshield!

 

[phatairman]

firetruck41-

I just wanted to confirm that you applied your sealant between the glass and the gasket. I guess I am a little confused from the link to the FSM showing adhesive being applied between the gasket and sheet metal.

I am trying to fix a leak that seems to be coming from the holes drilled into A-pillar to hold the front doors to the frame. I have watched it drip from that direction when it was raining hard. Bottom corners of the gasket were not leaking as far has I could tell with a flashlight. FYI......I have had the gasket replaced by a qualified tech whom sealed it inside and out, and also the sun roof glass (that really quieted down the wind noise). Getting a little frustrated by all the minor issues with the cruiser. I guess I should appreciate that it is a 15 year old vehicle with 275K on the clock.

 

[CycloSteve]

Also check to see that your ventilation system is not clogged. I have had several other (non LC) vehicles get clogged up ventilaton drains, thus water came in via the cowling and heating system, onto the floor, etc. Light rain, or washing the car did not leak, but heavy rain flooded the floorboards. A real PITA with one car which two soggy months to get sorted and dried. Worth checking IMHO.

 

[firetruck41]

firetruck41-

I just wanted to confirm that you applied your sealant between the glass and the gasket. I guess I am a little confused from the link to the FSM showing adhesive being applied between the gasket and sheet metal.

Yes, I sealed between the glass and the seal, not the sheetmetal/seal surface (though you could do it there too, I haven't had leakage on that side). In the FSM, it shows the sealant should be applied in the window channel of the seal, prior to placement of the window, but you can't do that once the windshield is in place, so my method was my next best attempt. I was going to get a new seal and have the windshield removed and reinstalled, but now I don't think I'll have to go that route.

 

[concretejungle]

Also check to see that your ventilation system is not clogged. I have had several other (non LC) vehicles get clogged up ventilaton drains, thus water came in via the cowling and heating system, onto the floor, etc. Light rain, or washing the car did not leak, but heavy rain flooded the floorboards. A real PITA with one car which two soggy months to get sorted and dried. Worth checking IMHO.

That actually was the first leak i found years ago! I actually stripped the carpet out and strapped the water hose to the roof rack letting it pour down the front windshield and sunroof. Found water dripping through one of the holes for wiring that passed through the firewall. Maybe it's that again.

I'll have to check later. Dont have the time now to deal with it.

 

[greentruck]

Just to give you hope...
I had the truck out running around town in the deluge today. A check at home showed a dry floorboard. I think I'm finally good for now

Here's one for you, hoping you get to the bottom of your problem, not just the bottom of the aquarium!

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

No new parts required for the rear hatch fix. Maybe just a tube of sealant if you don't have it lying around already.

Another thing to check is the sun roof corners. The foam seals in there go bad over time and it will leak. The water could be running down the a-pillar to your floor boards. This is an easy fix too. I did have to buy some adhesive back waterproof foam tape from HomeDepot for a whopping $3.00.

Simply open sunroof, look in both forward corners, remove the single phillips head screw holding the corner cover plate in, remove plate, clean of old foam seal & replace with new. Don't over tighten the screw on re-installation though. The plate will crack!

I did add some LiquidNails Clear sealant around the edges and where it contacts the track assembly. This will be obvious when you open it up.

Also, run a strip all of the way across the forward inner lip, where the sunroof rests when closed. Your guide to this will be where the factory 3 inch black foam piece is. Remove it and install a strip from the driver to passenger side. Now, I have a non leaky sunroof and it seems a bit quieter too.

Once you rule this out... you'll see if you even need to bother with your windshield!

So much for the non-leaky sunroof. It just took a heavy downpour for it to leak all over the passenger seat. Although it didn't leak at the same amount as before but it still leaked. Even with the addition of the OEM wind deflector.

Oh well, I guess I will have to replace the entire glass to get a new seal, huh?

 

[MrOffshore]

So much for the non-leaky sunroof. It just took a heavy downpour for it to leak all over the passenger seat. Although it didn't leak at the same amount as before but it still leaked. Even with the addition of the OEM wind deflector.

Oh well, I guess I will have to replace the entire glass to get a new seal, huh?

This was disappointing, I thought you had something there...I have this problem (and others more than likely too with water entering my LC). I think one issue might be at the front corners of the glass sunroof (I think at the bottom of the seal) toward the underside of the glass, not the top (if that makes sense) there is a small foam gasket built into the seal...mine is pulled away...this might be what keeps water from coming in and rolling back under the glass and dripping onto the wrong side of the channel, not allowing it to drain down the drain tubes.

I'll tell you what is most frustrating, it seems like a lot of people are having these issues, in my opinion, pain does not like company, I hate seeing this happen to so many people on this site...but what gets me is, you read about a fix, realize your truck mostly likely has this problem...you fix it and think..."I got it" only to have it leak again...so...what is not the fix or are you fixing a chain of issues? These posts need to be sponsored by Xanax or something.