Mystery leak - Page 2

REF · 07-17-2015, 01:48 AM

Thanks for that tip, I'll have a look at the floor seams on the drivers side, gonna be a pita, I pulled the original carpet and soundproofed the front with lineX extreme before laying in dynamat pad and new carpet last year, might have a bit of work to get that stuff up....then on to track down the passenger side pillar leak[emoji29]

86Scotty · 07-17-2015, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UnaccomplishedAngler

No worries on hi-jacking—it's a thread about Mystery Leaks and I'm not the only one with one. So, all comments are of some value to those who may stumble upon this thread one day.

Now, can we talk about MY leak again?

I would pull the trim and carpet back and wait for a storm, or set up a sprinkler next to the van. Just get in there with a cold beverage and play the waiting game. Maybe take some thin paper or litmus paper and place it in different places to see if it gathers some moisture?

MadScience · 07-18-2015, 12:41 AM

I chased a leak in a (vintage) convertible for 4+ years until I figured out that it was between the gasket and the glass. Don't dismiss anything as obviously not the problem when trouble-shooting this.

jage · 07-19-2015, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 86Scotty

I would pull the trim and carpet back and wait for a storm, or set up a sprinkler next to the van. Just get in there with a cold beverage and play the waiting game. Maybe take some thin paper or litmus paper and place it in different places to see if it gathers some moisture?

Sometimes driving in the rain is the issue- e.g. water getting forced in where it might not go by gravity.

I also have a mystery leak in my cab that seems to be getting worse, but I'm convinced it's the fantastic fan, which is poorly sealed with roofing tar. Been on my list for a few years to tear out the whole headliner and fan and redo everything.

Another note, with leaks like this a lot of time the water sits, pools and runs so origin and timing might not be clear- applying the brakes and having some collected water spill forward sounds all too familiar though.

UnaccomplishedAngler · 07-20-2015, 03:57 PM

While I was waiting to get an appointment to have the windshield seal examined I got to thinking that another cuplrit might be the third brake light lens (the Ford issue light that is covered by the penthouse when in the lowered position).

I don't know if this was leaking previously to having the Linex applied to the roof but after the Linex was sprayed one of the 2 screws that holds that lens in place is no longer functional because the thread receiver which is welded inside the opening broke free and so the screw won't tighten. I decided to apply silicone to better seal the lens in case that's where water was getting in. Water finds its way anywhere and everywhere, right?

My thinking is that water could somehow find it's way to the third brake light lens when driving, even with the penthouse down. Then that water would get inside the roof. When braking or going down hill that water could rush forward and perhaps manifest itself where I've been noticing the drips. Anyway, that was an easy thing to seal and eliminate that as a possibility.

ANZAC · 07-24-2015, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tapatio

The last time my windshield was was replaced the technician noticed significant rust on the top section where the windshield is glued to the body. I had him take a little break while I bondo'd a few spots and applied POR15. Mine is a 2006 and I live in Southern California, dry environment. I'm betting the windshield seals are bad and you might have some rust.

Ditto, my windshield guy did his best to clean it up, paint, seal etc.

mikracer · 07-24-2015, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UnaccomplishedAngler

While I was waiting to get an appointment to have the windshield seal examined I got to thinking that another cuplrit might be the third brake light lens (the Ford issue light that is covered by the penthouse when in the lowered position).

I don't know if this was leaking previously to having the Linex applied to the roof but after the Linex was sprayed one of the 2 screws that holds that lens in place is no longer functional because the thread receiver which is welded inside the opening broke free and so the screw won't tighten. I decided to apply silicone to better seal the lens in case that's where water was getting in. Water finds its way anywhere and everywhere, right?

My thinking is that water could somehow find it's way to the third brake light lens when driving, even with the penthouse down. Then that water would get inside the roof. When braking or going down hill that water could rush forward and perhaps manifest itself where I've been noticing the drips. Anyway, that was an easy thing to seal and eliminate that as a possibility.

I recently took the third brake light off in my van to run some wiring through it for some LED lights. If water leaked in, I think the water would run down the rearmost pillars and not make its way up to the front of the van. Also, immediately underneath the light, there is a large opening exposing the headliner. If lots of water made it through the light, I would think the headliner would get wet back there.

**BroncoHauler** · 07-25-2015, 07:44 AM

I think I recall an issue where the previous owner of Jage's SMB had installed the third brake light lens upside down so the weep hole was on top. The light bucket would collect water and eventually made it's way inside.

Herb

UnaccomplishedAngler · 07-26-2015, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikracer

Quote:

Originally Posted by UnaccomplishedAngler

While I was waiting to get an appointment to have the windshield seal examined I got to thinking that another cuplrit might be the third brake light lens (the Ford issue light that is covered by the penthouse when in the lowered position).

I don't know if this was leaking previously to having the Linex applied to the roof but after the Linex was sprayed one of the 2 screws that holds that lens in place is no longer functional because the thread receiver which is welded inside the opening broke free and so the screw won't tighten. I decided to apply silicone to better seal the lens in case that's where water was getting in. Water finds its way anywhere and everywhere, right?

My thinking is that water could somehow find it's way to the third brake light lens when driving, even with the penthouse down. Then that water would get inside the roof. When braking or going down hill that water could rush forward and perhaps manifest itself where I've been noticing the drips. Anyway, that was an easy thing to seal and eliminate that as a possibility.

I recently took the third brake light off in my van to run some wiring through it for some LED lights. If water leaked in, I think the water would run down the rearmost pillars and not make its way up to the front of the van. Also, immediately underneath the light, there is a large opening exposing the headliner. If lots of water made it through the light, I would think the headliner would get wet back there.

You may be right—I didn't explore inside much to see if there was a way for water to seep forward from the 3rd brake light area. Either way, that has been sealed now.

UnaccomplishedAngler · 06-14-2016, 12:42 AM

Realizing I haven't revisited this thread in almost a year, thought I'd update.

I ended up having the windshield replaced by a local body shop that does excellent work. Unfortunately the mystery leak is still there. I've contacted SMB West a couple times via email but the tech never responded.

So, I'm currently at a loss. There are no drips anywhere else inside the van, only at the point near the headliner/A pillar. I'm not about to start tearing things apart so I guess it's just going to do its thing until someone with a similar problem/solution can enlighten me.

Hopefully someone will see this and chime in, saying that they had the same problem and they fixed it by doing ________!