Water Leak Into the Cab

[Dick Altman]

When it rains, water comes into the cab. I think it is coming in under the louvered cowling just in front of the windshield. I took the cowling off and under it is a flat piece of sheet metal where leaves and dirt get trapped, stay moist and eventually the metal rusts through. I see rust on the drivers side in the corner where this piece of metal meets a vertical piece of metal (interior of the fender?). So it would appear that if I put some high quality caulk at that point it would stop the water from getting in. But, what about the water that will puddle in this area when it rains? Are there weep holes somewhere designed to carry the water away to some place other than in the cab? Thanks.

 

[rickoshay45]

I haven't looked at mine but many vehicles have a drain and hose to under the vehicle. I would bet that it is blocked.

 

[jazz]

yes,,find the drain,,its likely plugged. If you caulk anything use seam sealer. It sticks to steel,,,silicone does not

 

[Dick Altman]

Took off fenders. Big (up to 1") rust holes deep in behind other spot welded on sheet metal. Hard to get too. How in the world can this be fixed? Right now water pours into cab near electrical parts such as the ECU. Yikes. Covered vehicle with tarp and disconnected battery.

 

[MuddyTacoma]

Can you get a pic of that area and upload it here (upload a file button)?

Short term solution might be to squirt some type of silicon all over that area that you could pull off later but would keep water from going into the cab right now. and I'm thinking of something that hardens like a caulking or something and not like a simple spray.

if we're talking about an area that you can get access to, another solution might be to get some type of flat magnet, you know the kind that you might put on your refrigerator, and see if you could at least cover the holes until you can get access to it which sounds like a much bigger project. most of the craft stores even have flexible magnetic strips, even stuff that comes in 4 to 5 inch width rolls that you could maybe just try to put up and hopefully there's enough metal there for it to grab onto.

once again now, this is just me thinking about ways that you might be able to keep water from coming in even if its not a long term fix.

 

[MuddyTacoma]

yes,,find the drain,,its likely plugged. If you caulk anything use seam sealer. It sticks to steel,,,silicone does not

Good point on using the right chemical product for painted / rusted metal.

 

[toyotafan]

Spray foam might stick for a temp solution.

 

[Dick Altman]

Anybody know where the drain holes are/begin on that flat piece of sheet metal under the cowling. Don't see them? And the route of the hose?
Also, I need to remove the bed to deal with some rust. How many nuts and where located (I saw two near the rear. It started raining so I had to stop so I thought I'd ask to save some time). Thanks.

 

[Dick Altman]

Got all holes fixed using rust converter, Duraglass and seam sealer. Found that there are no hoses used. Instead, the sheet metal is shaped so as to form a channel for the water to flow between the inner sheet metal and the fender. I think I'm going to get a fiberglass cowling with no louvers to minimize debris and water being able to get into the repaired area.

 

[toyotafan]

Good deal, sounds like it's coming together.