Cab leaked when I bought it.

1.Removed cowling, cleaned out both sides,

2.Sealed with seam sealer and spray flexseal and then buttoned it up with improved 87+ cowl.

3.Installed cowl weatherstripping

Water still drizzles into the cab via the metal plates covering the cowl vents every time it rains or when I aim the garden hose into the cowl.


What's causing this? I cleaned out from 3 places: down the top, through the cowl vent access, and even underneath through the duck bill.

 

Which metal plates are leaking? The ones at the kickpanels that have vents if you do not have A/C? Do you have a picture?

 

Hard to see, but there's a stream of water drizzling from the panel bottom-right


Driver side not as bad.

 

I am not to familiar with those panels, but did they have a factory gasket?

Are you sure it's coming from the panel itself? My ranger has a leak in that area, but it leaks right at the corner between the vertical metal and the floor. I looked all over and there is no way I can get to that area on my ranger, so I just gobbed some roofing tar in the corner and it stopped. I am waiting for that to rear it's head again some day.

 

On the bottom of each front fender [near the cab], there is a rubber drain. These can get clogged with dirt and not allow the water from the cowl to drain.

 

They do have a gasket which I covered with seam sealer because it was old and crushed. I am certain it is leaking from the panel.

 

That's the duckbill shaped plug ? I already pulled those.

 

IIRC the plates are used only if the truck has AC.
I want to say the plates should have a foam seal around the edges.

Now why would they leak and the open hole (non-AC truck) not leak?
Dave ----

 

Now that is what I want to know! Maybe a seam someplace I am missing?

 

Any chance your windshield needs to be resealed? If you've fixed the cowl issues, it could be a windshield issue too.

 

Yep! Beware, those are there to prevent unwanted "critters" from visiting your interior!

 

 

Yes a windshield replace will include reseal as that is how it is held in.

The old bytel tape dries out and can cause a leak.
Now I don't know if they will use tape again or glue it like new cars are.
Dave - - - -

 

Windshield isn't Carlite and is sealed with black goop, must not be original then?

 

I was told you must use the butyl tape on these series of trucks, modern adhesive will not work in the long term. there are sheet metal seams in the channel, the butyl tape is thick and "conforms."
The modern "goo" method is too thin will not hold and is actually un-safe.

A couple of years ago after I painted my truck, I called all the commercial glass companies around here and they would not do the job, But found a local, smaller guy that was familiar, with these trucks, I mentioned adhesive, and if he could have choked me over the phone, he would have.
He also mentioned the trim actually puts constant "tension" on the glass too.....

Before he installed the butyl tape, he had a powerful cleaner, solvent and cleaned the windshield channel down to original paint, removed everything, we found some cracks and re-seam-sealed them, ...Say it aloud to your self, SEAM SEALER, not silicone!!!!!!!!
Silicon rusts sheet metal!
Silicone repels new paint!
Silicone will resist the new butyl tape!
Throw away all silicone in your garage, (unless you rebuild engines, trannys and diffs)!
No silicone on sheet metal.
No silicone on sheet metal.
No silicone on sheet metal.

Get the hint?

Also look very closely at the top corners where the trim has the 90 degree bends, ANY micro cracks from there and along the 3-seam rain gutter above your door is your leak. And YES, the duck bill plugs must be re-installed...
TEST: if you find a crack in the rain gutter, what are you going to use to seal it up?