98' Ranger water leak inside

[TOPGLOCK]

I have a 98' Ranger and when it rains or you put the garden hose directly over the cowl panel i get water running down from the ebrake area up in the corner in the cab. I found my carpet soaked! any ideas?

 

[clvanhorn]

it is most likely that the drains in your cowl are plugged causing it to overflow. use a flashlight to look down in there, can u see a bunch of leaves or dirt and stuff in there? that could be your problem

 

[TOPGLOCK]

I checked it. Water drains great from both sides. Is there any seals in the cowl area? The truck is pretty rust free so I doubt its a rust out issue.

 

[clvanhorn]

well i'm not really sure about that cuz i have a gen 1. if i find som time though during this class ill take a look on the forums and see if i come up with anything!

 

[hondaxr650]

We have a guy here at my dealership that does pretty much nothing but water leaks and he said more than likely, it is a body seam leaking in the cowl area. He said the sealer tends to crack and funnel the water into the cab in that area. He usually tears things down so he can see the seams, then sprays soapy water on them and blows air from the inside to locate the leak. It can take lots of time........

 

[TOPGLOCK]

Wow that's not good news. So is there anything I can do to fix the leak. The cowl area is sealed off

 

[strvger]

the 1st gens tend to leak here: http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=4483&d=1300143202
the fix is filling that area with a good quality adhesive sealant. good luck and...

Welcome to TRS !!!

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[hondaxr650]

Wow that's not good news. So is there anything I can do to fix the leak. The cowl area is sealed off

I feel your pain. Welding the cowl on was not one of Ford's better ideas. There is a black cover on the far left side of the firewall that can be removed to access the wiper linkage inside the cowl. You could pull that off and try to see in there. Beyond that, you might be able to get some access to that side of the body by pulling the fender off but I'm not sure how much that will gain you either.

 

[TOPGLOCK]

The cowl is one big piece. Does it unbolt so it will expose the drains to seal them back up?
What a bad design!

 

[TOPGLOCK]

I'll pop that cover off and let you know what I see.
Thanks

 

[TOPGLOCK]

Well I found the source of the leak......the calk on the body seam is split. I removed the ebrake bracket and there it is split! I also removed the small cover under the hood and I think I can put some calk on my finger and get to it. Now what's the best stuff to use to seal this up?

 

[hondaxr650]

Well I found the source of the leak......the calk on the body seam is split. I removed the ebrake bracket and there it is split! I also removed the small cover under the hood and I think I can put some calk on my finger and get to it. Now what's the best stuff to use to seal this up?

Seam sealer would be best but you may have to get it from an auto body supply place. Good silicone would work too if you can't locate seam sealer. At least you found the leak!

 

[strvger]

permatex black adhesive sealant gets my vote big time!
good luck with the fix.

 

[TOPGLOCK]

Well I bought a tube of 3m seam sealer from painter supply for $18. I got it all sealed up. The main source of the leak was right behind that little black cover under the hood driver side. Ford used some kind of black foam sealent that wasent applied very well. I'll let it dry nice and good and put the hose to it.

 

[strvger]

good luck. hope that fixes it for you.