Wet carpet driver side (1 Viewer)

[dbfw]

Hi all, another wet carpet thread. I've searched and read through the many already posted, but would like a double check on my windshield install.

Pulled my floor mats to install a new set and noticed the driver side carpet wet in the red marked areas here:

Nothing is wet above this area under the dash. Although I see some evidence of dried moisture on the underside of the tilt/telescopic ECU. I felt all of the wiring looms and up along the inside of the firewall as far as I could reach, everything was dry.

I'm planning to snake the sunroof drains this week. There is no moisture or discoloring of any kind on the headliner or around the A pillar trim. Mine is stuck closed so I'll have to unbolt and pop the glass out to access the drain holes.

But, with all of the windshield horror stories here, I'm now worried that may be an issue. Mine is definitely aftermarket and I can feel screws under the side molding instead of the OEM rivets. Can the forum gurus take a look at my trim installation and let me know how it looks? It appears I at least have an OEM style upper trim piece rather than the wide molding, and I can't see any signs of paint bubbling anywhere around the edges. But, wondering whether I should call my insurance company and get on to a replacement before there is a larger issue.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Put something foamy around the edges, spray air from the inside along the lip.

 

[CanadianRockyCruiser]

It looks like the lip on the rubber roof seal is bent up in a few places where it shouldn't be. I'll bet that's where the water is coming in.

 

[dbfw]

It looks like the lip on the rubber roof seal is bent up in a few places where it shouldn't be. I'll bet that's where the water is coming in.

I wondered about those areas too. I'm still a bit confused on how all of the trim actually works, is this top trim actually the waterproofing on that edge. I'd assume the glass is bonded into the frame with sealant underneath?

 

[dbfw]

Following up with more info. I peeled back the side moldings around the windshield and to my surprise, it looks properly installed with rivets, not the screws I was afraid it had. Those moldings are a bit deformed, and I see they are the less expensive ones, so I might replace those just as a matter of course if nothing else. I also used a wooden chopstick to carefully fold back the windshield top trim where it was sticking up in a few places to see if there was any rust or obvious issues showing under them, and it all looked good.

Has anyone had issues with the rubber grommets in the floor pan leaking? I took off the door sill trim, peeled the wet edge of carpet up, and found that the one just behind the dead pedal was just kind of loosely sitting in there. I seated it in a bit better. We're having some rare dry weather this week, but the truck needs a wash, so I'll try soaking the windshield with the hose and looking up under the dash for any signs of leaking.

 

[hygge]

@dbfw my first course of action would actually be to take off your sunroof glass and pour some water down the drain.

If it goes out onto the ground through the drain tubes then you could mark this off your list. I had the same issue on my passenger side with a soggy carpet.

After putting 7-8 feet of plastic twine for weed whacking in there and spinning it with my drill it cleared everything out. No more problem.

 

[dbfw]

Thanks @hygge I'll give that a try. Definitely a better troubleshooting flow to knock out the easy things first!

 

[hygge]

Yeah no problem. There are four black plastic cover pieces around the sunroof that you delicately pry off. And I think just 4 screws holding the glass in place. Shouldn't take more than 20 minutes.

 

[dbfw]

Yeah no problem. There are four black plastic cover pieces around the sunroof that you delicately pry off. And I think just 4 screws holding the glass in place. Shouldn't take more than 20 minutes.

Thanks, I have interior trim removal tools that should do the trick. Do you know if those trim pieces come off laterally toward the center of the truck, or down toward the floor? Always scary to start randomly prying on old brittle plastic that's been baking under glass for 20 years.

 

[hygge]

Thanks, I have interior trim removal tools that should do the trick. Do you know if those trim pieces come off laterally toward the center of the truck, or down toward the floor? Always scary to start randomly prying on old brittle plastic that's been baking under glass for 20 years.

If I recall it was more lateral. I think you start with the left and right sides. Once these are off you can go for the front and rear facing pieces.

Good luck!

 

[dbfw]

Thanks all, and especially @hygge with the suggestions! I just had a chance to get back to this, and found the driver side front drain to be completely clogged. Water poured into the drain would just sit. I'm hoping this corresponds to my wet driver side carpet.

For those who need to clear sunroof drains, especially if your roof is stuck closed like mine is, here is the procedure.

1. Use a pry tool to pry between the glass panel and black plastic side trim on the sunroof. The trim piece pries down toward the floor of the car and pops off easily.

Here is the top side of that trim piece, you can see the location of the 3 clips you are releasing as you pry down.

2. Remove the 4 nuts that attach the glass panel to the track, 2 on each side.

3. Lift the glass panel straight up and off the truck. I was able to easily do this by myself while standing on the running board, but it would be helpful to have someone else standing by to help hand it down to you on the ground.

4. I didn't have any weed whacker line, so I ended up using a piece of 14 ga romex electrical wire as a snake, which seemed to be just the right combination of stiffness and flexibility.

I had poured some water in that corner before snaking and it was just sitting there not draining at all. I was able to see it start to drain once I was about halfway down the drain tube. Once I'd pulled it back out and poured in more water, it drained straight down behind the front tire as it should.

Fingers crossed this was the source of my carpet wetness. I'm still not sure how this being blocked would only manifest as wet carpet and not show anything on the headliner or above, but here's hoping.

 

[austinmark]

@dbfw
After putting 7-8 feet of plastic twine for weed whacking in there and spinning it with my drill it cleared everything out. No more problem.

What a clever idea! I need to do this--after finding water dripping through the garage door opener cubby--and this is a clever way to do it. Thank you for the idea.

 

[crtx]

My sunroof was also stuck in the closed position and driver side carpet would be soaked after every rain.

I removed the sunroof window as described above, and cleaned out the driver side drain which was filled with junk. I used lots of soap, water, long haired painter brush, and 12G metal wire to clear the drain hose blockage.

Turns out the driver side hose was plugged at the top which is to be expected, but I also pulled the driver side kick panel to inspect drain tube. The factory foam had been pushed down, and was soaking up the fluid that came down the drain hose. This was preventing quick draining and allowing water to pass into the carpeted section of the cab. I would add this to the list for others to check on for a "quick fix" possibility.

After pulling the window, I also cleaned the seal around the edge. There was a strange organic residue from where leafs, dust, and junk was sitting. I cleaned the vehicle cab and the window seal - and smeared a light coat of AISIN Black FIPG to promote a "better seal". I went this route, as the sunroof is stuck in the closed position, and I have no intention to get the motors and cables working properly.

Window Pulled:

Cleaning Window seal:

Factory foam piece that was causing slow drainage:

 

[Mike NXP]

I had one of the grommets under the vehicle give out which exposes a golf ball sized hole. On the other side of the hole is where your wet carpet is.

With the winter slush on the roads I found my carpet to be a bit soaked there. It wouldn't relate to a lot of wet area but worth checking. Just bend down and peek up from below