1984 leaks rainwater into floorboard

[ecampvet]

Hello everyone,Anyone know of a way to fix this problem?  I can't figure out where the water is coming in.  It's a real nuisance because of the water getting under the vinyl floor and everything has to be removed to properly dry out the truck.  Thank you!

[captain720]

Check the windshield gasket. This winter the snow would melt when I started driving and it dumps onto the floorboards and fuse block (yeah things got weird) so I just smeared the gasket with silicone instead of actually fixing anything.

 

You will need to find the actually water source before you can fix it. Also check for weird accessories screwed into the roof and body panels. Unless you have a rusted out completely floorboards or drive through the deep puddles chances are it is coming in somewhere else and leaking into the floor.

 

When you think you may have found a leak just tape paper to the area on the inside and spray the outside with a hose and see if the paper is wet. If the paper is wet you found the leak.

[datzenmike]

If on the passenger side check the drains on either side of the plenum. This is the area behind the hood and where the wiper linkages are. Pine needles and maple keys fall through the louvers and migrate to the sides where there are drain holes that drain behind the front wheel under the fender. The passenger side can back the water up and have it slosh into the heater blower motor fresh air duct.

 

Take the wipers off their pivots then unscrew the louver panel and lift off. Use a flashlight to see in there.

[nissan720]

if its not the windshield ,check the seam sealer.i almost took my truck apart before i found out that that 30+ year seam sealer had failed. So i replaced most of the seam sealer.inside and out.strip truck down,fenders ,dash,hood.complete interior it was worth it,also removed the windshield and replaced the gasket used urethane sealer around windshield .no leak's now.

[ecampvet]

Thank you everyone!!!!

[720inOlyWa]

I had the same problem- leaking on the passenger side. I normally get a brad new windshield for any rehab project and when the guys came to install it, they removed the cowling to discover that someone had taken a Sawsall and cut a hatch to change out a leaking heater core. They patched it all back together okay, but it still leaked a little. I wonder if maybe you have the same issue.

[datzenmike]

When you get the cowl off take a flash light and check the drains. One on each far outside. If blocked water will be slow to drain and can back up and over top the air intake to the blower. You'll see what I mean once you look. 

[85 720 king cab 4x2]

Where exactly are the drains for it under the cowl??It’s hard to see there because it doesn’t come off. Just that little plastic piece comes off tilts the water down in there. I see the upper little pieces of plastic that also drain water down, but it leaks completely into my blower motor comes pouring out the blower motor every time it rains. I live in the Pacific Northwest in another month or so it’s gonna rain for six months straight. I’m tired and water is the only way you can get it. Does it take off the fender?

Edited August 17 by 85 720 king cab 4x2
Misspelled a word.

[datzenmike]

On 6/7/2017 at 12:14 PM, datzenmike said:

When you get the cowl off take a flash light and check the drains. One on each far outside. If blocked water will be slow to drain and can back up and over top the air intake to the blower. You'll see what I mean once you look. 

 

The top of the cowl does come off. The fasteners are along the front edge where the back of the closes against it.

 

The sloped plastic pieces under the louvers should drain rain and road spray towards each other or the center of the cowl. Remove them and the drains are on the far right and left. Water drains out behind the front wheels hidden by the fenders. They tend to collect pine needles and maple keys and plug up. The right side will form a pond and over top into the fan duct.

[ElliotV]

On 6/7/2017 at 2:14 PM, datzenmike said:

When you get the cowl off take a flash light and check the drains. One on each far outside. If blocked water will be slow to drain and can back up and over top the air intake to the blower. You'll see what I mean once you look. 

Is there a write-up anywhere on removing the cowl. I may just not know what I am doing but neither me nor my dad could figure out how it comes off when we did my door hinges so we were unable to remove the fender all the way. (At least I think that is why we needed to remove it)

[datzenmike]

Yes, in the post above yours...

 

23 hours ago, datzenmike said:

 

The top of the cowl does come off. The fasteners are along the front edge where the back of the closes against it.

 

The sloped plastic pieces under the louvers should drain rain and road spray towards each other or the center of the cowl. Remove them and the drains are on the far right and left. Water drains out behind the front wheels hidden by the fenders. They tend to collect pine needles and maple keys and plug up. The right side will form a pond and over top into the fan duct.

 

The wiper arms have to come off first

[ElliotV]

39 minutes ago, datzenmike said:

Yes, in the post above yours...

 

 

The wiper arms have to come off first

Ok I will have to look at it next time I get the chance to mess with it. I remember taking the wiper arms off but I feel like there was something else catching before

[datzenmike]

The hood is in the way, you can work around it but...

[ElliotV]

18 minutes ago, datzenmike said:

The hood is in the way, you can work around it but...

Maybe that's what it was. Was almost a year ago and I can't remember that kind of stuff lol

[bottomwatcher]

You get to the screws holding it in with the hood open. Once you remove the screws under the hood the back of the cowl is held in place by metal tabs. Just lift the front of the cowl and pull it forward.