Ok, so after the snow melt, the front of my headliner is soaked.

I figured its most likely the windshield which would cost around 250 to replace. I called a glass shop and they said that its most likely the 3rd brake light gasket causing the issue.

Have any of you heard of this? Its kind of simple to check I hope (since the canopy is there). I know the cab has 2 sheets of metal (inner/outer), do you think if I sprayed a soapy water mix on the windshield molding and remove the visors and spray compressed air in the void it would reveal the leak? The trim pieces fit flush as well.

Advise?

 

3rd brake light was/is a common water leak on Rangers, glass guy is correct, but.......................usually soaked the carpet, never read about headliner but I guess thats possible

It would be odd for windshield to leak to headliner
There is a ridge that runs around the windshield and around that ridge is a valley, trough
The windshield glass is "glued" to the ridge and the trim molding is in the valley
Any water on the windshield will go into the valley and run down around the ridge to the bottom of windshield, the valley can rust at the bottom and water leaks inside cab from there, not at the top, so wet carpet

But your best guess would be better than mine since you are there, lol

 

I had dry rotted seals on the front and back windshield. I sealed them with black permatex gasket maker. Make sure you clean the area with rubbing alcohol. I just put a bead on the seam between the seal and body, then smeared it flat with a gloved finger. Its not the prettiest finish but its been dry for a year now. Takes about 2 tubes per window, get 5 just in case.
Your experience may vary, I'll put some photos up of how it looks a year into it. I was very pleased to not have to pull the windshield and regasket it. If it leaks in the future I've already lined up a glass shop to replace the whole windshield since its got so many chips and scratches.

 

Thank you for the replies and suggestions. I will look into it this weekend and let you know what I find. I haven't checked the carpet yet since I have heavy duty floor mats.

 

Just FYI when working near TEMPERED GLASS, i.e. any vehicle windows

Its very strong on the flat surface, but if you touch the edge with a metal tool it will SHATTER, so be careful working around the edge of the windshield or you will be buying a new windshield, lol

 

On trucks with drip rails like yours, it is common for the caulking in the drip rails to harden and shrink, which allows water to get past the caulking and underneath into the drip rails. This can cause the inner roof panels to rust from the inside out, and if there's been a small leak for years, you may have a rust hole in the inner roof panel and that's where your water is coming from. As Ron said, with the way your truck is designed, water from windshield leaks won't usually touch the headliner because it doesn't come close to the windshield edge. If I were you, I would pull the headliner out so you can get a good view of any possible rust holes, or at the least see where the water is coming from.

 

Thank you for the key points. The carpet is SOAKED. So this weekend I'm pulling the interior which will include the headliner now. I'm hoping I'm not regretting my too good to be true on this truck. 30 yo with 110k on the clock.

Thank you again all for your wisdom.

 

Ok, pulled the interior, started drying out the headliner and carpet...



both sides were wet, pass. side soaked.

A lot of condensation on the roof interior...







Floor boards... no rust thankfully. 2 screws for each side door sills I needed to drill out to get the sill plates off.



Both seatbelt bolts on the floor are corroded and wouldn't come out. They are soaking in penetrant right now.









Someone has been here before. Missing body mount bolt cover...



Sprayed water on the 3rd brake light.... It leaked on the left side dripping on the cable run.



Sprayed the windshield, leaked at the top corner on both sites. Pictures didn't focus though. Put sealer around the edge of the windshield on the outside on the sides and top and re-installed the trim. 3rd brake light I'll need to find a assembly or make a gasket.

 

Glad to see you found the culprits. A new third brake light can be bought from dorman. I'm running a replacement from them in both of my trucks right now

 

I'm trying to find a Dorman assembly, with no luck. I have only found a Keystone assembly for 100.00.

Do you have a Dorman part # by chance?

 

He's mistaken, third brake lights weren't mandated until 1994 or 1995, so your truck shouldn't have one. What you have is a cargo light. And unfortunately, nobody makes just the gasket. However, you can buy a brand new cargo light, with the gasket, for around $50.

Part number 47-4175 from LMC Truck.

 

My bad, I for some reason thought this thing wasn't the square body. Even though i saw the pics. Thanks for the assist Shaun. Somebody's gotta keep me straight

 

So after raining/drizzling all night, I went and looked that the cab and checked for leaks. Apparently, the rear is still leaking. I'm going to have to remove the shell to get access to the cargo light to see if its cracked or something. I'll keep you updated as info comes.

 

OK, so I found the culprit...



Hole large enough so the screw would not grab. PO obviously tried to seal it with some kind of sealant and failed IMO. I cleaned up the little rust spot and treated it. Cleaned up the gasket and light assembly and resealed them together. Then used some clips I had so the screws would grab and tighten the light assembly to the cab of the truck.

PO attempt to seal the screws.


I used 2 of these clips (one for each screw). The gasket is plenty thick to cover the whole clip.



Before removal...



Now we will see if there are any leaks tomorrow or later today as the rain has started up again.

 

That's actually the factory sealant that comes on the cargo light screws. Every truck I've pulled that style of cargo light from had the same sealant.

 

Factory sealant?! So Ford knew they had a problem from the getgo. lol. Well I'm hoping this is the problem. My son noticed water drops on the rear window weather strip. So I guess we will see.

2 things I hate troubleshooting, only because they are time consuming, Water leaks and Wind noise.

 

If that's the original window seal, I wouldn't be surprised if it has some leaks. That style isn't fun to put in either, I tried to do the one in my F350 by myself, but had to have the neighbor come and help because it's a two man job if you don't want to risk dropping the window.

 

I'm going to pop it out within the next couple of days. I've done these windows before by myself. Yes its tricky.

I figure I need to clean out the channels and see if there are any drain holes or not.

BTW, thank you for all the input.

 

So I was able to pull the slider out today. Found most of the drains were clogged as well as the frame drains were clogged too.







Ended up using window cleaner on the gasket, then cleaning out the channels with a rag and screwdriver.





Cleaned out the frame channel as well. You can see the run off channel on the bottom that goes to the drains.





Cleaned all the drain holes and the channel and ended up with this crud... there is still a lot on the rag too.



Next was the slider frame and cleaning out its drains...



popped out the seal for the slider when its closed...





Cleaned out all the crud on both sides.. and reinstalled...



Pulled the pin for the window stopper in the center and cleaned the felt off...





Reinstall the gasket...



Just make sure you install the gasket the correct way. I ended up putting the inside facing out... and sadly didn't notice until I had it completely installed. Pulled it back out and reinstall the gasket the correct way and back in the truck.



Before installing the window I check the body for any corrosion which there wasn't any. Cleaned the matting surface then installed the window.





I did run some silicon on the seams at the top corners of the cab, then ran silicon on any seams that had gaps...



While the best way to reinstall the slider is with 1/8"-3/16" cord, I could not find mine. So I had to pull the gasket back in with screwdriver. Not the ideal way but it can be done. You just need to be careful not the tear or puncture the gasket. You see here how the latch is on the outside. Oops!



And proof that I did catch it and fix it. LOL



I did a water test. Good news - slider and seal not leaking any more. Bad news - found a new drip. Same area but coming from between the 2 panels below the rear window. Its not the window or seal, its not the cargo light. So tomorrow I start using tape to find it. You can see the drip on the rib next the carpet edge. Its just enough to call it a day and attack it tomorrow.

Dave