Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and mazdab40004x4
Well-Known Member
Thought I'd post this in case it helps anyone else out. Sorry for the length.
I noticed what I thought was a small leak in the rear of my cab a few weeks ago. At first I thought it was the third brake light. This has happened to me before, and the headliner was wet in the same spot -- top middle. Last weekend, during a day or two of steady rain, I checked it out again and found it was more than just a small leak. I had a river of water flowing down the back wall, soaking the carpet and the headliner.
So I just started taking apart the interior to see if I could figure out exactly where it was coming from. Ultimately, everything came out -- seats, carpet, headliner, all plastics, etc. Problem got even worse at this point because mold had started to grow in the carpet padding. Now I'm getting new carpet and a whole host of 'you might as wells'.
I got a few days of dry weather so I took off the third brake light and sealed the crap out of it with clear RTV just to be safe. Next day it rained again and I found that the light was sealed and dry, but the river was coming from the top of my sliding rear window -- apparently a common problem with the bolt-in sliders, but I didn't know that at the time.
After researching the issue, I went down to Advance, and picked up this butyl tape from 3M:
3M Window-Weld 3/8" x 15'
Got the window out today. Remove 8 bolts, push, and it's out -- too easy. In the first pic below, you can easily see where the factory tape failed at the top in two places. Yellow arrow is where the tape came away from the cab. Red arrow is where the tape came away from the window. In the second pic, you can see the stain on the window where the water was coming through the sealer.
Clean the window frame and the cab frame really well --I used a plastic putty knife to scrape most of the old seal away, and then a vinegar-based cleaner, and then straight-up rubbing alcohol. I also removed the cheesy purple tint that some genius put on years ago.
Roll the butyl tape out onto the window (or the cab if you choose) leaving no gaps. Lift window back into place and press it in all around the outside of the frame. Go back in the cab and bolt it back in. I tried to tighten the bolts using a star pattern, a little at a time.
Now get your hose and spray the heck out of the window making sure it doesn't leak. Mine didn't. Clean up, your done.
So I'll probably wait until the next rain to start putting things back together inside just be be safe. In the meantime, I'm collecting all the parts for those 'you might as wells' -- LED interior lighting, new speakers, new floor mats, new carpet, recovered headliner, a seat belt that works, and steam cleaned seats. My 18 year old B-series may look old on the outside, but inside she'll be (almost) good as new!
I noticed what I thought was a small leak in the rear of my cab a few weeks ago. At first I thought it was the third brake light. This has happened to me before, and the headliner was wet in the same spot -- top middle. Last weekend, during a day or two of steady rain, I checked it out again and found it was more than just a small leak. I had a river of water flowing down the back wall, soaking the carpet and the headliner.
So I just started taking apart the interior to see if I could figure out exactly where it was coming from. Ultimately, everything came out -- seats, carpet, headliner, all plastics, etc. Problem got even worse at this point because mold had started to grow in the carpet padding. Now I'm getting new carpet and a whole host of 'you might as wells'.
I got a few days of dry weather so I took off the third brake light and sealed the crap out of it with clear RTV just to be safe. Next day it rained again and I found that the light was sealed and dry, but the river was coming from the top of my sliding rear window -- apparently a common problem with the bolt-in sliders, but I didn't know that at the time.
After researching the issue, I went down to Advance, and picked up this butyl tape from 3M:
3M Window-Weld 3/8" x 15'
Got the window out today. Remove 8 bolts, push, and it's out -- too easy. In the first pic below, you can easily see where the factory tape failed at the top in two places. Yellow arrow is where the tape came away from the cab. Red arrow is where the tape came away from the window. In the second pic, you can see the stain on the window where the water was coming through the sealer.
Clean the window frame and the cab frame really well --I used a plastic putty knife to scrape most of the old seal away, and then a vinegar-based cleaner, and then straight-up rubbing alcohol. I also removed the cheesy purple tint that some genius put on years ago.
Roll the butyl tape out onto the window (or the cab if you choose) leaving no gaps. Lift window back into place and press it in all around the outside of the frame. Go back in the cab and bolt it back in. I tried to tighten the bolts using a star pattern, a little at a time.
Now get your hose and spray the heck out of the window making sure it doesn't leak. Mine didn't. Clean up, your done.
So I'll probably wait until the next rain to start putting things back together inside just be be safe. In the meantime, I'm collecting all the parts for those 'you might as wells' -- LED interior lighting, new speakers, new floor mats, new carpet, recovered headliner, a seat belt that works, and steam cleaned seats. My 18 year old B-series may look old on the outside, but inside she'll be (almost) good as new!
