I'm at the end of my rope. Chasing a leak. It "appears" to be coming from behind the aluminum steering column/ebrake mount. I'm planning on pulling the full dash the next time it is going to rain. The catch is, I don't have a parking space and there is weekly street cleaning in my neighborhood. So I'm trying to find out, what is the absolute bare minimum I need to keep the truck operational to just move to the opposite side of the street. Below is my plan to do ahead of time (aka, not needed to simply move the truck from one side to the other. and the things that are needed to just turn over the car.... Let me know. if you have any thoughts. Truck already stripped of interior panels and carpet.

Underhood:
- Disconnect Battery
- 2x 11mm Plugs on the firewall near the brake booster
- Unplug and push the clips through the firewall

Passengers Side
- Undo 3 plugs behind kicker panel
- 1x 8mm ground wire
- Undo door sensor 14mm bolt
- Loosen dash mounting bolty 8mm don't remove

Center of Dashboard
- Remove Radio to disconnect the antenna wire
- 1 Gray plug under dash
- 1 vaccuum plug under dash
- Unplug both and disconnect from mount

Glove Box
- Remove Glove box and bulb

Top of Dashboard
- 4x 7mm mounting bolts

Drivers Side
- Pull out of the two plugs that were previously clipped to the firewall
- Unplug the eBrake light wire
- Unplug the foot brake wire
- Unplug the two plugs near the eBrake
- Remove the Parking Brake 3x 13mm bolts

Steering
- Remove U-Joint Bolt 1x 13mm
- Remove the automatic trans cable
- Undo the alumnium Brace mount 4x 15mm (3 of them)


This should be everything. I've highlighted the things that I have already disconnected. My question is, are there any more plugs that can be disconnected ahead of time (AND DON'T need immediate reconnecting, if I need to move the truck in a pinch?)
- any of the 3 plugs on the passengers side
- the vaccuum line or the 1 gray plug under the center of the dashboaard
- one or both of the two plugs near the eBrake?

Obviously, I know that the two that punch through the firewall are non-negotiables.

Finally, if you didn't notice. I'm a dud when it comes to understanding what plug does what. Are there any simple diagrams or explanations?
- what are the 3 on the passengers side (I know one is the clearance light, because that's the one everyone talks about being empty by default)
- The ones under the center of the dash
- The two near the drivers side ebrake?

 

The windshield is the most common cause of a leak in that area
Most opt to have the windshield resealed then recheck the leak

 

Yea

I completely resealed the hood cowl.
I replaced the hood cowl hood seal
I replaced the ECU gasket
I resealed completely around the windshield.

I know that it's coming in ALL the way in the back behind the aluminum steering column bracket, because in heavy rain, that's where I see it get damp. It's not a drip but a slow wetness that spreads and travels the length of the floor panel until it puddles by the transmission cable and then flows down in the floor pan.

so I'm just not messing around anymore and I'm going to pull the dashboard and let the truck sit until it rains. I just need to move it once a week. So I'm planning to leave the dashboard in the bare minimum operational state to move the far 20 feet back and forth across the road.

If I could have managed to steer it without the dashboard, trust me, I'd try,

 

Sounds like a bad seam somewhere. Have you pulled your carpet/vinyl floor recently? I, somehow, have what appears to be a puncture in my floor pan. No idea how or why or what could have caused it to be like that but its there. If you have been driving when you notice these leaks, then id say its worth checking to see if anything is working its way upward

 

So big problem guys. I pulled the dash. Apparently the rust inside the cowl was a worse than I had anticipated. Below are some pics from behind the dash. What creative ideas do you think I can use outside of welding to stop this considering the fact that this is wear is MEANT to flush off the windshield/good. I'm going to try and absolutely COVER this top and bottom with an inch of seam sealer, but wanted to know if you guys think of anything else.

 

remove bad metal. use metal panel bonding adhesive to put a new piece over it as best as you can, use at least 1 fastener if you can, and then seam seal, paint etc.

 

Do you think I should put the panel on top or on bottom?

 

i think you should weld in a fix. hire a mobile mechanic who can weld if you cant weld. I cant weld either lol but for something you cant see and keep an eye on, i wouldnt be ****ing around

 

Yea, unfortunately that's not going to happen. I have street cleaning once a week, and so the dashboard will be going back into the truck in about 4 hours

 

it can always come back out! Im not sure if you are gonna get it like I said In 4 hours lol. where you gonna buy panel bonding adhesive or give time for paint to cure?

 

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haha, very true... I actually already have panel bond and extra panels.... Paint? Who said anything about paint 🤣

 

I recently fixed some holes in my land rover disco (floors). I cut out the pieces that were hole ridden and put a new panel into place. I riveted the piece to secure it well and used
product from Eastway POR15 patch seam sealer around the edges of the metal. The stuff hardens to a rock hard finish when it sets up.

 

That would have been my guess. I had the guy that replaced my rocker panels and outer floor cut open that area on each side of the cab and make access panels. That way I could get in there to dig out and replace what was left of the seam sealer.

Until you get the rust removed and replaced with new metal you are only going to put off the inevitable. It might stop for a little while until the rust grows enough to start leaking again or the blobs of sealer fails.

 

Welp, guess who's putting off the inevitable! Just hoping that it buys me 2 years.... Cut out the rust, sanded, panel bonded in a piece of metal... And LOADED on the 3M seam sealer... If it passes the 3 day of rain test this the next few days. The dash will go back in. If not, I'm cutting a hole in the floor pan so the water goes down and drains right out.

Without further ado, I present to you, frankenseal.

 

Ok guys! It's been 48 hours of heavy rainfall and I believe I was successful at my temporary seal. Killamat or some sound deadener is coming tomorrow at 4am. So I will be applying it and booking it to get the dash back in and the truck to the other side of the road by 8am. Street cleaning at 8am-11am.

Question for ya'll... Is there a replacement gasket that I can order for the two firewall plugs? I want to replace them if possible in order to eliminate another potential entry point for water.


the white one for the plug attached and for the smaller on on the right side.