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I have a 2006 Ford E350. It was purchased to be a tow vehicle so it's not driven often. The last couple of times I drove it, i noticed a musty smell inside. There is staining on the rear passenger side headliner. As I went to look closer, i noticed that the rear carpet was soaking wet. I lifted up a little and my fears were confirmed. The floor, carpet, and padding were soaked.
I just went through this on a 2004 GMC Safari. I hope the Ford isn't as far gone and I need to stop it ASAP. The Safari is a project vehicle but this Ford is my family road trip vehicle. The culprit on the Safari was leaks in the cargo rack holes, the seals on the rear Dutch door (known issue), and the slider door track which had rust issues. Putting some flex seal tape on those holes and window track has stopped my leak.
What do you think may be causing the leak on my E350. I've included some pictures for reference. I will be likely taking the headliner down to get a better look. I hope i don't have to take the carpet out and replace that. But I don't want rust issues on the floor like i found in the safari. I've already seen trouble spot in the little bit of carpet I did lift. Thanks for your help
In the 4th picture, the corner of the recessed channel in the roof looks rusted. Is that directly above the wet headliner? Have you checked that rusted area?
In the 4th picture, the corner of the recessed channel in the roof looks rusted. Is that directly above the wet headliner? Have you checked that rusted area?
Yes, that is right over the wet spot on the headliner. I went up on a ladder but didn't see any obvious things like holes. I attached some pictures below of what I had on my Safari and my (temporary) fix with Flex Seal tape. The issues are almost identical. Getting headliner down will probably make this easier and allow me to see what's on the inside. I was curious if anyone else has had the same problem amd what their fix was.
This is how it was when i got it. The inside after removing headliner
Due respect but based on those pictures, it appears that the roof leaks were there long before you bought the van.
If it were me, I'd flip that van and start anew search for a solid TV regardless of make or model. Just saying.
Due respect but based on those pictures, it appears that the roof leaks were there long before you bought the van.
If it were me, I'd flip that van and start anew search for a solid TV regardless of make or model. Just saying.
Thanks but that's unlikely. I've had it now for 3.5 years, it only has 75k miles, and it's a V10. I would prefer to try and fix the issue.
Will require striping the gutter and reapplying the sealer, may need to do some rust conversion in some areas before filling it back in.
Before you start that mess and possibly unnecessary work run a garden hose with nothing more than normal water pressure across the top of the passenger side rear window. You don't need any pressure to quickly determine if the leak is due the window bolts have loosened up over time.
While you're inside watching have a helper run a water stream over top of the window, the roof and then the tops of the rear doors. I've rarely seen a van no older than your's develop any sort of leaks from the drip edge.
I agree with JWA> Do the easiest first, Run water all over the rear area,but start LOW. If you start high,you cant tell if the leak is high or low. starting low will allow you to isolate the leak. I would suspect the window seal first.
Before you start that mess and possibly unnecessary work run a garden hose with nothing more than normal water pressure across the top of the passenger side rear window. You don't need any pressure to quickly determine if the leak is due the window bolts have loosened up over time.
While you're inside watching have a helper run a water stream over top of the window, the roof and then the tops of the rear doors. I've rarely seen a van no older than your's develop any sort of leaks from the drip edge.
Report what you find.
Originally Posted by Rick1025
I agree with JWA> Do the easiest first, Run water all over the rear area,but start LOW. If you start high,you cant tell if the leak is high or low. starting low will allow you to isolate the leak. I would suspect the window seal first.
Will do and i will definitely report back. Thanks for the help
Check the weather stripping at the top of the rear doors, that's always been a leak hazard too, Could also be as simple as the doors are not sealing tight. But with the staining on the headliner I's also say the window seal is the likely culprit.
Do vans have the same sometimes leaking top (third) brake light as trucks?
Typically they don't but in this case if that housing was leaking there'd be stains on the headliner in that area.
IF that housing does leak careful removal of the fasteners is essential as they tend to rust in place after so many years. Careful masking of the body and lamp housing and applying a high quality silicone sealant for exterior use is the best and safest way to stop leaks in that area.
Haven't been able to test with hose yet due to weather. But I did look at the window and the seal is clearly degraded in some areas. It's the same on the driver's side but I haven't seen any indication of a leak over there yet.
I also looked at the gutter again and i do see some areas where the sealant is "missing". If water gets in here would it then be able to leak inside?
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