It's getting closer to "go time". I knew there were some water and rust issues inside the cab. I could feel this one through the compromised rubber mat.


I got out the garden hose and began moving up the cab looking to spot the ingress points. Both driver and passenger side leaks showed when water was flooded onto the the windshield glass and drained down behind the windshield trim.




Question: When I remove the windshield trim, am I going to find rusty holes, bad installation (I hope), or some other common, known issue?
EDIT: Ended up being cracked seam sealer in the cowl area. Also, crap needs to be cleaned out from the cavity behind the kick panels.

 

Before pulling the trim not that is bad to check and clean out junk, try running water in the cowl area.
The caulking cracks and let's water in that way.
Also you want to make sure the cowl drains are open at the bottom of each fender.

If you remove that plate on the side kick panel you can clean out the crap that gets in the cowl and plugs the drains.
Dave - - - -

 

Details here:


https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...cab-issue.html


https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...1986-f250.html

 

Good stuff! I ran right back out and flooded it again. This time I let the garden hose flow instead of using the spray nozzle. I got the trickle stream down both driver and passenger kicks when I flooded the cowls. I went to the glass and again before I got the puddle out on the mat. I now believe the mat puddle is not from the windshield area but the overflow running between the cowl and hood, then into the duct work at the firewall.

Notice the 31 yr old heater hose.



Then I opened the kick access panels.Not much in the passenger side but...



I dipped these out, vacuumed, and then sprayed them down with the garden hose to get them clean(er). In the cowl grilles I can see some caulk lifting on the driver side but the passenger side seems to be pretty much intact, though I wouldn't bet on it.





I'll leave the windshield trim in place for now and concentrate on the cowl area. I learned something about my ventilation system today as an added bonus.

 

If you truck did NOT have AC them plates would not be there and the inside panels would have slider doors to let air flow thru the cab.
Dave - - - -

 

Are the cowl drains the larger squarish plugs behind the plastic fender or the small circular ones near where the fender meets the rocker?

 

Squaring ones with a slit in the center IIRC.
Some take that rubber check off so the crap can fall out.
I left mine on as I don't plan on parking it under trees as stuff.
Guys have also changed out the cowl panel for a later one with smaller holes or put screen under the large opening cowles.
Dave - - - -

 

I tried to lay eyes on the square w/slit plugs. No luck! I was looking through cowl grilles and underneath where it seemed they might be. Do the inner fenders need to come off to spot them? The cowl?

EDIT: After carefully reading over the links above, I found them. Dave's location and appearance (duck bill) description led the way.

 

Now that is a beautiful truck!

wrong thread oops. Good information here though, I have a small leak on the driver side on my truck. Will check it out soon.

 

So others know what and where to look.
It is just in front of the lower door hinge.

Dave ----

 

I had a hard time spotting it in the photo. I had to copy the pic and blow it up.

 

You can access them by removing the first 3 screws on the plastic fender and pulling it back. It's not convenient but it is doable.

 

Yep that is it.
Some pull it off all together so anything big that makes it down there will just fall out.


I left mine on as I don't ever plan on parking it anyplace stuff will make it's way down there.
Dave ----

 

I stuck the spray nozzle in the openings in the kick panel area and sprayed the hell out of it. Was all that water and residual mud from the debris supposed to go out the duck bill "check valve"?

Also, I'm looking at a replacement floor pan at LMC. Is the panel formed in a way that would cover all that rusted out area by the gas pedal in the post above? Granted, I would only need a few dozen square inches off one corner. The rendering in the LMC online catalog doesn't represent the panel very well.

 

Yes "all that water and residual mud from the debris "is" supposed to go out the duck bill "check valve".
If it did not then you will have to remove the "duck bill" to get it all out.
That is also the reason some do not put them back on.


I cant say on LMC floor pans or other patches as I used https://tabcoparts.com/ and was vary happy with them.


Dave ----