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UPDATED: FINALLY found the rain leak!!!!!! Now what to do?
I've had a problem with rain leaking in for a long time now. Spent a lot of time scratching my head, poking around with a flashlight and replacing a few things. All to no avail.
Finally, on a particularly rainy day I poked around again with a flashlight and lo-and-behold, way up under the dash there was a crack in the sealant covering a seam, which had failed. It is happening on both sides.
My first instinct is to scrape out the old sealant, prep it real well, then reseal with something flexible and permanent. But if it's something more complicated, I don't want to just bury the problem under more sealant.
Anyone have this particular leak before? Any suggestions?
Here is a wide shot (note the fuse panel on the lower right to orient yourself)
Here is a closer shot of the crack
And a short video in case it's not clear where this location is (sorry, didn't know how to embed this site's video) https://˟˟˟˟˟˟˟/H7Av
Last edited by natty; 11-29-2015 at 05:26 AM.
Reason: Updated
Clear silicone caulking and I are best friends it get used for quite a few things.
To be getting water in there it must be getting thrown up by the front wheels.
Or your driving through hurricanes!!
Actually, it comes in when it rains and the truck is stationary.
I read something about it leaking where the water drains out of the fresh air intake below the windshield. There are little drain holes there which rust out.
Thing is, I don't live in a rainy or snowy climate so I don't think it's rust (plus, the drip line isn't rusty). I guess the sealant just failed. The truck IS 20+ years old. Maybe it's a body flex point or something. It had been off road a lot in its younger years.
I guess I'll go ahead and just clean it up then seal the hell out of it.
The cowl, just in front of the windshield does hold a lot of debris and can cause body rot to start. Where else has the truck spent it life at? It is possible the sealant just stopped sealing but I would see if there is any damage in the cowl area.
Another issue is the metal trim around windshields cause rust and leak. Is leaking from the windshield and working its way down?
The cowl, just in front of the windshield does hold a lot of debris and can cause body rot to start. Where else has the truck spent it life at? It is possible the sealant just stopped sealing but I would see if there is any damage in the cowl area.
Yep, looks like rain pooling in the cowl area and seeping into the seam.
If you can get hold of urethane adhesive like they use to install windshield that would work better than silicone. Harder to use and more messy, however.
Another issue is the metal trim around windshields cause rust and leak.
Concur. I replaced my chrome trim with rubber and trimmed the rubber trim to expose gap (here) so I can easily rinse and inspect it. No more trapping dirt and moisture.
The cowl, just in front of the windshield does hold a lot of debris and can cause body rot to start. Where else has the truck spent it life at? It is possible the sealant just stopped sealing but I would see if there is any damage in the cowl area.
Another issue is the metal trim around windshields cause rust and leak. Is leaking from the windshield and working its way down?
I'd like to inspect under the windshield trim but I'm afraid I'll break some clips or whatever and never get it back on. I'm sort of a 'stock look' freak so I like the chrome trim and would like to keep it.
I'm thinking cowl because there is a little dirt mixed with the water in the drip line. Thankfully, there is no rust in the drip mark -- and I think that would definitely be present if it was coming from a rusty area.
It looks like the sealant had a mechanical failure because moisture shouldn't have that effect on that stuff.
The truck has been in central Cal (not the coast) and Texas (not the coast) its whole life. Both just normal seasonal rain (last few years, much less than normal, ha).
Originally Posted by RAD4Runner
Yep, looks like rain pooling in the cowl area and seeping into the seam.
If you can get hold of urethane adhesive like they use to install windshield that would work better than silicone. Harder to use and more messy, however.
Concur. I replaced my chrome trim with rubber and trimmed the rubber trim to expose gap (here) so I can easily rinse and inspect it. No more trapping dirt and moisture.
Interesting mod. I probably would have left the rubber flap because you can always lift it to rinse out junk and seems like it would finish off that transition real nicely.
I'm going to start by looking for info on inspecting and cleaning out that cowl area and making sure it drains properly (any write-ups?).
Next I'll prep the seam and re-seal it. I was looking for body sealant online but it only comes in larger sizes. This is the smallest I could find.
Problem with these it that any bare metal must be primed -- another step, in a tiny space, requiring supplies I don't have. That's why I am leaning towards pure silicone or a high quality, permanently flexible elastomeric caulk from the the hardware store.
Leaks like this need to be sealed from outside the cab. If you try sealing it from the inside it'll work for a while but water will still come in through the hole and collect between the sealer and metal accelerating rust.
You may have to pull the cowl off under the wipers and possibly the fenders to get to it.
Mine was leaking bad and it turned out to be a seam rusted out causing the sealer to let go. I found that polyurathane used for windshields worked great to seal it up
Leaks like this need to be sealed from outside the cab. If you try sealing it from the inside it'll work for a while but water will still come in through the hole and collect between the sealer and metal accelerating rust.
You may have to pull the cowl off under the wipers and possibly the fenders to get to it.
Mine was leaking bad and it turned out to be a seam rusted out causing the sealer to let go. I found that polyurathane used for windshields worked great to seal it up
I plan on pulling the cowl today. The fender, on the other hand, might be beyond my skill set. Doesn't that require cutting welds, re-welding and repainting? If that's the case, I don't think I'm up for it.
Fenders just unbolt. No cutting or welding required
Good to know.
After inspecting under the cowl, everything seems to be clean and draining fine. As you can see, after 21 years on and off road, I would consider this pretty good (driver side facing outward -- the hood hinge is top right in pic). Note that this is before I cleaned anything up and that it had been raining for a few days which is why it's wet. Also, that junk on the right side isn't debris, it's apparently some type of butyl sealant because it doesn't come off.
I think I'll pour a cup of water down there to see how fast and how well it drains. If everything looks good, and since I'm not seeing any indication of rust, I'm going to just clean up and reseal on the inside. If it fails again I'll take off the fender.
Before you re-install the cowl, I suggest installing PVC gutter screen (like this) right under that grill. (black or matching tie-wrap would work) This would keep all leaves absolutely out of the cowl.
The cowl grill is poorly designed. It allows debris to get in there only to get trapped above the drain.
Before you re-install the cowl, I suggest installing PVC gutter screen (like this) right under that grill. (black or matching tie-wrap would work) This would keep all leaves absolutely out of the cowl.
The cowl grill is poorly designed. It allows debris to get in there only to get trapped above the drain.
I was thinking about it until I saw how clean it was after 20+ years. There was zero large debris and just a thin film of dirt. If this amount doubles in the next 20 years, it will still be pretty clean.
Sounds like you found your problem but just to answer your question on the windshield trim. I would not suggest the weekend mechanic trying to pull the trim off. I have and it is difficult. The trim is held on with some plastic clips and as old as the clips are, they will break on you. There is a replacement kit for the clips that most windshield shops will order when installing a windshield. I have pulled several windshields but even now I just have my local shop to pull and install the windshields.
Finally got a few rainy days so I could test my fix. Verdict...still leaks.
Actually, the left side is good now but the right side is still getting a puddle on the floor.
Went poking around during the rain yesterday and found water coming down the back of the trim that covers the right A-pillar (where the 'oh crap' handle is attached). So I took that off and found it was dripping from behind the headliner right where it meets the A-pillar. Water was dripping pretty fast during a steady rain.
It was kind of hard to see behind there without messing up the headliner but it's pretty clear the water is coming from the top of the windshield because there are no higher penetrations in the body (except the roof-mounted brake light, but that would be a long route to travel).
So I'm one step closer to getting it fixed.
My first instinct is to just have the whole windshield redone by a company which will guarantee it for life, like Safelight, but the online quote was $300. (The quote specifically asked about the chrome trim so I assume that's included, along with the clips, but I need to ask.)
Another option would be to go with a cheaper place but I'm convinced they'll screw up the clips and trim and stuff (which I'd like to keep stock).
Third option is to try and get the trim off myself and re-seal the joint. I'm sure I'll demolish the clips and trim though and I'm not really thrilled about that prospect.
My local windshield shop charges $180 for a complete job. It isnt Safelight but they do a great job. I bet any shop will break the clips as they are brittle but new clip will fix that issue.
My local windshield shop charges $180 for a complete job. It isnt Safelight but they do a great job. I bet any shop will break the clips as they are brittle but new clip will fix that issue.
Good to know.
When I looked at the procedure for dealing with the windshield trim in the FSM my head started to spin. Top, sides and bottom are all a little different, installed in a different order, with some of it being permanent glue-on and therefore disposable. Sheesh
11-01-2015, 09:55 AM
