major water leak...help?

[Walmart Security]

it just rained a bunch here last week, and i was getting in my truck the other day (after the rain) and realised my carpet on the drivers side floor board was SOAKED...so i pulled the carpet back and there is standing water on the floor board and it goes all the way back to the seatbelt. im not expecting a diagnosis, but where or how can i even begin to look and try to find this leak?

 

[keith0486]

the first places id look is the door seal if not coming from there then id check the window seals.

those are the most likely places the water will be coming from.

 

[Jspafford]

The third brake light is notorious for leaking, but that normally shows through the headliner long before it puddles on the floor.

Silicone across the top of the light will fix that.

 

[rngrdngr]

check under the dashboard

 

[Southern3.0]

My '96 dose the same thing, turns out its rusting behind the kick panel where the Floor and side of the cab meet up at the seam. I started cutting the old seam sealer away with a Utility knife and its rotted out under neath it. I never finished fixing mine though.

 

[Dingbat]

My passenger floorboard gets wet when it rains. The carpet is stained on the side of the tranmission hump, but I don't know how in the world it would come in there, unless it's seeping down from above, around the shifter. As far as I can pull the carpet up without tearing things apart, nothing appears to be rusted out.

I had a Chrysler minivan that had really really wet carpets, and it turned out the water was coming in through the grille below the windshield where outside air comes in for the heater/AC. The hose that's supposed to drain it was clogged up. (what an ingenius Chrysler design) But, I ran a bunch of water in my Ranger's and nothing seemed to be a problem. However, it did seem to be draining much faster on the driver's side than the passneger's side.

 

[Mark_88]

When I bought my current 88 Ranger I noticed there was sealant all over the rain trough and around the windshield...but the windshield still leaked on the driver's side...not a very big crack, but you'd be amazed at how much water gets in that small little split...

I'd have a look at the door seal like someone suggested, and remove the molding from the windshileld if that's not the problem...you may be able to use a weather sealant around the top and sides of the windshield to stop it from leaking if necessary...

I'm going to replace the whole windshield on mine instead of trying more sealant...it didn't work properly...

Edit: Almost forgot...the molding MUST be replaced if you remove it...the glass on windshields is fragile around the edges...had one split from a stone chip once...too lazy to replace the molding and it cost me for my laziness...

 

[PaleBlue90]

check the door seals,window seals,3rd break light (if ur truck has one), and by the kick panel. a couple more places to check would be behind the dash, ive seen some RBV's rot back there. ive also heard they like to rust bhind the windsheild.

 

[86_cookiemonster]

Check that the plugs in the bottom of the floor board are properly in place. They are rubber, some are round others are oval. If they are not sitting right, they will not allow the water to drain properaly, I had a similar problem when I first got my truck

 

[craiginator]

My '01 Ranger was having a similar problem. I sealed up the 3rd brake light, no change. In desperation, I took it to a business in Seattle that specializes in interiors, and detecting and fixing leaks. They determined the rear fixed window was leaking. They removed and re-installed it with a new seal. Problem solved.

 

[My92Ranger]

Well... its on your drivers side.. that much we can determine from your post. Look for holes on your drivers side.

OK just kidding... it will take two people to diagnose this. One to open the passenger side and lay in there and one to operate the hose.
Get a high pressure garden hose sprayer and have someone run it spraying all the crevices that could leak on your truck while you are laying across the truck from the passenger side with the driver door shut tight.Have them start at the bottom and work their way up till you see water coming in. Then you have a good idea where the water is coming in.. If you cant tell for sure have them spray in the area where water first started leaking and you will find the exact spot in time (when it squirts you in the eye).. it shouldnt be all that hard to find from what you are describing.
Let us know if you have more questions

 

[Charlville]

I had a similar problem and as some of the other posts state, mine was the third brake light. It's amazing how much water can come in around that area!

Sealed it with some silicone all round the lamp and now OK.

 

[ranger rebel]

my truck does the same thing. the water comes in from the top as im driving and as the car sits in the rain. is there anything you can do to the seals to make the water stop coming in?

 

[daniel3507]

sounds like everyone has a leak problem. my headliner was getting wet so i sealed up the third brake lights and it still leaks. no though ive noticed the only part of the headliner that gets wet is right above the back window. just havent replaced it yet.

 

[Loud Ranger]

take it through a car wash, youll find out pretty quick, Thats how i found out the top of my windshield leaks on the pass side.