Front Drivers Rocker Drain Hole (1 Viewer)

[J.A.P]

I removed the rubber plug from the rocker panel to remove the water that had accumulated in the drivers side. I believe I was able to find the drain hole in the pinch weld area on the passenger side but on the drivers side the cat shield is in that area. Is the hole behind the shield? Any help would be appreciated. I did a search on this topic but was unable to come up with a description that helped me find the drivers side drain. Thanks a lot, this forum rocks.

 

[jamot]

Small black plug in rocker panel about the size of a dime. Pull out with fingernails or gently with a screw driver. If I remember correctly they are in the same area on both sides... about midway length of the front door, right under where the rocker curves under...... A good thing to drain often in wet weather... good luck..

 

[J.A.P]

I removed the rubber plug, I'm having trouble finding the drain slot. A previous post recommended not leaving out the plug, and I don't feel like prying it out every time water hits the truck.

 

[C6H12O6]

I just did mine yesterday. I pulled the rubber plugs and a little bit of water came out, but not enough to get rid of all the sloshing. When I stuck a nylon zip tie into the rear slot, a pint or more of water poured out, even with the rubber plugs previously taken out!

I have a '95, so the exhaust runs on the PS, but the drain slots should be in the same general spot. If you look at the pinch weld area at the bottom of the rocker, you will see a countoured, almost corrugated area of metal directly above the seam.

Most of the contour lines are perfectly vertical but the drain slots run at about a 30 degree angle sloping rearward at the bottom of the seam. At the base of the slope, the metal is actually an open slit, versus the solid, pressed-together nature of all the other contours of the seam.

There were three on each side of my rig; one in the front, one in the rear, one just about centered between the others. On the side with the exhaust, at least the front one was hard to access behind the cat shield, but it was still in the same spot in relation to the seam where the two pieces of metal come together.

I read in another post to not use any sharp metal objects to stick in there, but I don't know how you could even get a screwdriver in there. The open area of the slit is about 5mm above the rolled edge of the pinch weld seam and doesn't drain strait down onto the ground. You have to kinda wiggle the zip tie in at an angle then push up into the slot.

Hope this helps. Maybe I'll post pics later, as all the old ones seem to be gone on the archived posts.

Steve

 

[J.A.P]

I found it, right behind the heat shield. Very difficult to get any cleaning tool into. I swear these trucks aren't very user friendly. Any vehicle that you have to remove more than 5 parts to change a headlight isn't very well thought out, if you ask me. Noone did so it's just my two cents. On the 3FE I dont think they could have put the dip stick in a worse spot or used a shorter tube either.

 

[attaboy]

I just did this today, glad you guys wrote about it 15 years ago haha