so i bit the bullet and got a 2001 Ford explorer sport. Not as old as i wanted and has 'way more power options than i wanted but I like her.

Weird thing: around the edges of the rear wheel humps/ bed liner, there's a fair amount of moisture build up on the metal on both sides, under the carpet (pulled the corners back), enough to make the padding damp. Used car guy said was "condensation" from the freaky weather we had had over the last several weeks (granted, it was unseasonably warm/cold changes and raging wind & rain). Had a mechanic look the car over before purchase, he said everything was great shape. But he'd never heard of this type of condensation although he said it wasn't outside the realm of possibility. The back rear windows are sealed and there's no evidence of a leak but he said might need to take it to a body shop and have them silicone around the windows and/or check the door seals.

The water doesn't seem to increase with rain, no damp tracks, and doesn't gather anywhere else that I've found but doesn't seem to dry either...no condensation on the inside of the windows when the truck is closed up. Anybody know anything about this?

Thanks.

 

Are you sure it's water and not some chemical/oil of some sort?

Does your Sport have a sunroof? Typically there are drains that run down the posts behind the doors and exit through a drain in the body near the rear of the running boards/step bars. If one or both of those drains are plugged or disconnected you could get water from the sunroof collecting in the area you describe. You'd also likely notice a damp headliner as well as notice an increase in the dampness following rain or car washes.

-Rod

 

no sun roof. i thought at first it might not be water but it's not slick feeling, is colorless, and doesn't smell like anything. With the crazy rain and sleet we've had the last couple of weeks, i've tried to catch one of the back windows leaking but no dice. I reckon i'll see if the hot summer temps dry it out. I wouldn't worry about it other than I worry about the damp padding just sitting on the metal.

 

I had a similar issue with my '97 Aerostar. It was very hard to trace because the leak was very small, but over time, my carpet was soaked. It turned out that the leak was from the windows.

Ford used a butyl rubber adhesive for the windows that was really soft and over time, the windows would shift around. The window on my Aerostar also had studs around the plastic frame. Some of the studs would break off the plastic frame because the window moved too much or due to corrosion and most of the nuts on the studs would loosen up over time. Eventually, a leak would happen because the window wasn't being held against the body window frame.

Take off the interior trim and see if there are studs around the perimeter of the window. If so, try tightening the nuts, but don't overtighten and don't be surprised if the studs spin. Take a look at the adhesive. If it's black, soft and stretchy, it's probably butyl. The way to fix this problem was to remove the window, take off all the butyl adhesive and use a urethane.

You may or may not have the same problem with your Explorer. At some point in time, Ford changed adhesives. The auto glass shops will be familiar with this if it's a common problem.

 

good advice thanks very much. I'll look into it. I'd much rather take care of things as they come up instead of waiting until it becomes a noticeable problem but this was flummoxing me. thanks for giving me a place to start.