Water entry points, getting to both floorboards, already sealed windshield..

[eightynine4x4]

1989 Ranger 2.9L 4x4 Automatic

So I just finished resealing the windshield, and I also replaced all of the trim clips with new ones. Everything went smoothly, although was a bit challenging since sometimes i had to remove some old seal/gasket material in order to properly install a new clip.
But in the end, the job went well and I was very thorough about sealing all edges and inner trim areas and also fully replacing the cut away seal where some clips went.
I took care to also allow those intentional dime sized holes under the windshield to remain open. There are a handful, maybe 4 or 5. I’m not 100% certain where they drain to but clearly they are meant to lead water down and away from the windshield. I would guess they go down into a channel that redirects them to either side of the truck and down to some drain spouts.

Over a day later, so well after the seal was dried, we had a rain storm in the middle of the night. The water in my floor boards was basically unchanged from before resealing the windshield. I have brand new carpeting in there, the under-padding of which does a good job and soaking it up and slowly drying over time. But i have to correct this for sure.

I’m really not sure where the water gets in at this point. I had assumed it was the windshield trim, or at least SOME of it was from the windshield trim. But it apparently made no difference after it was fully sealed.

I’m starting to wonder if maybe i will have to open up the whole dash to figure this out. Maybe there is something relating to the air vent/heat/AC compartments that is allowing water to drip in?

It’s far worse on the passenger side. It’s also dangerously close to the computer brain. It certainly wouldn’t be good to have water zap that thing while driving in a storm !

Anybody have any similar experience to shed some light?

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

So, the rain “gutters” along the top of the doors are also suspect since the sealant dries out over time. Also, the cowl on second gen’s (89-92) is less susceptible to rot than first gen’s, but it’s still possible to get rot under it against the firewall. There’s access panels in the engine compartment on the firewall. On my first gen I coated the entire bottom of that area with roof grade urethane caulk after patching rot and also drilled larger holes behind the fender for drainage and for my access.

 

[eightynine4x4]

So, the rain “gutters” along the top of the doors are also suspect since the sealant dries out over time. Also, the cowl on second gen’s (89-92) is less susceptible to rot than first gen’s, but it’s still possible to get rot under it against the firewall. There’s access panels in the engine compartment on the firewall. On my first gen I coated the entire bottom of that area with roof grade urethane caulk after patching rot and also drilled larger holes behind the fender for drainage and for my access.

I’m planning to inspect the doors, but I put new seals in around both doors last summer so I don’t suspect it’s that. I also sealed some small pieces holes in roof. I believe all points high above are already taken care of and ruled out.
Im thinking it has to be firewall related, like you’re saying. Maybe even a fire wall leak that’s making its way along some ductwork inside dash and then dropping down onto floorboards.
If this was a small leak with just a few drops after each storm I might just ignore it. But the passenger floor board is a puddle underneath the (new) carpet.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I’m planning to inspect the doors, but I put new seals in around both doors last summer so I don’t suspect it’s that. I also sealed some small pieces holes in roof. I believe all points high above are already taken care of and ruled out.
Im thinking it has to be firewall related, like you’re saying. Maybe even a fire wall leak that’s making its way along some ductwork inside dash and then dropping down onto floorboards.
If this was a small leak with just a few drops after each storm I might just ignore it. But the passenger floor board is a puddle underneath the (new) carpet.

The gutter is on the body, above the doors.

cowl area is always suspect. I’ve found mouse nests blocking the drainage before. Also wasp nests.

 

[eightynine4x4]

It‘s raining so I went in and took some photos of the leaks in action.
There are two major leaks.
1- the entire front edge of roof fabric is soaked. i already sealed a few holes on top of roof that has been there from someone mounting a visor. So what else will cause such a major flood of water up top? Reminder I also just sealed the windshield and it’s ridge around it for any tiny rust holes. I didn’t check the gutters yet but there wasn’t anything glaring. Maybe there are enough micro holes to cause this?
2- a set of 3 wires has water dripping down from it. It’s tough to tell where these wires come from, but they connect to the chassis next to the computer. Luckily the water drops next to the computer and hits the floor. You can see a drop in the pic below. It drips every 30 seconds or so. I’m going to have to investigate later since I gotta go do other things this weekend.

 

[Ranger850]

Have you checked the 3rd break light housing. That seal goes bad

Ranger 3rd brake light leaking...how to fix?

I have a 2001 Ford Ranger xlt 3.0L v6 U with 60k on it. I have the infamous 3rd brake light leaking issue. I have read all the forum postings yet still have an issue. I removed the oem light because it leaks. The seal is bad. I have installed 3 non oem brake lights and all leak. Water works...

www.therangerstation.com

 

[SenorNoob]

I second that. Although on 1st and 2nd gen they were just cargo light.

Also there are holes in the front cab corners with sealant that dries and falls out. Pretty big ones. Like 3/4 in. Right at the front edge of the gutters. They're hard to see without the trim off around the windshield. If those are completely open you'll be able to see the back of the headliner from outside.

HERE:
1st/2nd gen Roof leak/rust prevention PSA

 

[eightynine4x4]

Great thanks fellas, I’ll take a closer look at these front corners..

 

[eightynine4x4]

I’m gonna go ahead and take a real wild guess that this spot does NOT help hahaha. This is the rear left of cab, above the bed.
I’ll seal this up as well as a few minor cracks and see if that makes a difference in the next rain.
I had the truck parked at a slight downhill the other day, so maybe this spot was enough to run water all the way to front of cab and leak down into roof fabric.

Id love to pull back all the fabric and take a look at the roof but I really worry that’ll permanently bend my front fabric which is formed with some material inside.

 

[SenorNoob]

I was able to get far enough to reach the backside of the cargo light and where the 4x4 console fit without much trouble. I did have the trim removed though.

 

[eightynine4x4]

Update:
I’ve sealed that hole in rear drivers part of roof, as well as made a thin seal in top surface of the entire inner lengths of the gutters on both side of the truck. I also gave some extra attention to the top front corners above windshield, adding a little extra seal in certain spots. Also added seal around the bed light in center rear of cab. That gasket is certainly aged but now it should be tight enough to block water.
Rained last night. Didn’t rain as hard and the truck is parked at a slightly different slope so it is difficult to measure all of this objectively, but there is still some leaking. The center of roof fabric is wet pretty well. The sides are not nearly as wet. So I can at least tell that the leak seems to be starting in the middle somehow or another. Problem is I can think of a few different ways that could happen, for example perhaps the roof is slightly concave and any water that gets into first top layer of steel would just bowl down to the middle. Or, that could be totally untrue and maybe there is some leak directly in middle front.
The truck isn’t as sloped forward now. This leads me to think the leak is truly up front.

I think it’s time I unscrew the two visors and see if I can pull back my roofing without damaging it. Need to take a real look at the problem area.

 

[dvdswan]

Here's what I found on mine...
https://www.therangerstation.com/fo...adliner-wet-across-front.191924/#post-1821930