I've been struggling with water getting inside the van. Rear, passenger side corner gets very damp when it rains. I do not drive the van much and it stays on my driveway which slopes slightly towards the back of the van.
I've stripped the top of the rain gutter, prime it, bondo it and re painted. I thought I fixed it, but I got water again.
I've build some cabinets in the back so it is hard to see from the inside. This is a 2000 E150 Chateau (passenger). I am wondering if water may be coming from the window and I was considering using the easy flowing silicone to seal the top of the window.
Any advice?, similar experiences?

Thanks

Raul

 

what about the door seal ?

 

The door seal is fine. I have curtains against the window and they get wet. I feel as it is coming form the headliner. On the picture you can see the red curtain on the back ground. Few times I've found the tool box upper compartments full of water form the drip.
I've checked the brake light and siliconed it already.

 

is it condensation or a leak?

 

I do not have condensation anywhere in the van. If I was getting that much condensation in the roof and dripping to the sides, I'll expect the windows to be fogged all the time, right?


I found some rust pin holes on the rain gutter, under the original "bondo", those were addressed and still got water.

 

My top brake light leaks... But it always shows up directly below that..

 

use a hose and look

 

In order to do that I'll have to remove all the cabinets and It will be a pain.

Before I do that, I was thinking about sealing to window form outside with high flow silicone. I guess the question should be :

Has anyone experience leaks trough the rear windows?

If nobody has, then I guess I'll have to remove things and hose out.

Thanks for all the feedback

 

Hmmm...club wagon.

Check the rear side glass (large fixed windows) near the top. I found mine was leaking there, after I ordered new rear door seals, and found the third brake light dry.


Water leaks in, then runs to the back dripping off of the headliner. I haven't fixed mine yet as it is a minor nuisance depending on how it is parked/tilted. Maybe troubleshoot with soapy water and the air compressor hose from either side?

Phooey on taking out the cabinets! (same for that dern glass seal repair if that's what it is).


Good luck anyway.

 

That is what I suspected, but I could not imagine how the water would leak through the window and come out of the headliner. I guess something on the frame of the window moves the water to the headliner.

I'll try this . If someone has a better suggestion, please let me know.

 

JWA is the on-site (glass) etc. expert here, hopefully he'll chime in. Also I think 86Scotty has dealt with this exact issue on Sportsmobile.com forum (or maybe even here?) now I can't recall...

 

Best trick is to blow Baby Power around the inside, then hit the outside with a garden hose, the baby power will show the streak where the water is coming in, and if anything, your van will smell nice when your done

 

OP post a photo of the area or items that are wet--that'd help me.

This leak occurs during any rain, not just when/if or after being driven during rain?

 

Thanks JWA for stepping in. On the picture showing the interior, the carpet under the tool box get soaked up. The red courtain on the back ground gets wet also. This is the area on the passenger side between the fender and the back of the van.

It gets more water when parked. The van is parked on my driveway with the front of the van slightly higher than the rear.

I've been checking between the rear glad and the body !from outside, and it seems that the seal may have some cracks. Do you think the silicone I posted earlier could seal those?

 

The posted photo of the outside is a bit dark but if this is the extended body Chateau with rear windows its entirely possible the glass unit has begun leaking----this wouldn't be uncommon for that type window installation.

If you're intent on fixing the leak instead of just patching it up for now you'll need clear access to the window unit, possibly removing it so it can be resealed properly. If those are built in cabinets they'll have to be removed if they're in the way of the 9mm acorn nuts holding the window to the body.

If you're not accustomed to working with automotive tempered glass I'd remove the cabinets and call in a reputable glass shop to R&I the unit.

If you're going cheap a good grade of good or better silicone adhesive/sealant Type II for exterior grade use found at Lowes, Menards, etc could be used. First hand tighten the acorn nuts just enough to be snug---no need trying to clamp the window unit enough it breaks---it can easily happen.

Using painter's (blue) tape off the body surrounding the leaking glass, fill the small gap or space between the glass and body, work or smooth the bead until its somewhat appealing to the eye. Taping the window itself or using single edge razor blades to remove sealant on the glass plus use of a spoon or similar shaped tool in the joint gives a less undesirable final appearance.

However I'll once again recommend this job be farmed out to someone who does it frequently----less costly in the end.

HTH