Passenger side water leak

I think I have read every post on second gen passenger leaks. My leak is not AC or vent related. My cabin filter is dry. The grommet in the side is positioned properly and not leaking.

I pulled the glove box, kick plate, passenger seat, carpet etc. and sat in the truck when it rained. The leak is coming from the seam in the corner where the cab floor and firewall meet. The seem doesn't appear compromised. I cleaned it up with alcohol and resealed it on the inside.

This might not be relevant, but a few months ago I saw a mouse duck behind the hood hinge on that side. So I am concerned there is a clogged drain or something that is not allowing the water to flow properly. Is this possible? Do I need to remove the fender?

 

Drastic problems require drastic measures. I got it stopped doing this

 

In the coming weeks little mice and rats will be preparing their winter homes. I’d get to it before they do

 

I also got a mean ass hungry Tom cat and use poison in and around the truck.

 

That is some serious sealing! Unfortunately, my cat is more afraid of the mice then they are of it

 

I had the same leak on the passenger side and did the seal job on the right side seam as in the other threads here and the TSB. After a really heavy 2" rain, I had no leak, but may have just been lucky. I had also cleaned out the entire trough running under the cowl. BIG SURPRISE THOUGH.....I found a mouse nest about the size of a cantaloupe on the driver side of the fresh air intake!!!. They can get in from the corner openings in the cowl. At least the screen kept them out. I have hardware cloth (hail screen) on the air intake like yours (did that several years ago, and also the round air intake for the filter ...original thread over on Toyota Nation forum). It may have been the nest creating a dam allowing the water to come in somewhere else, but don't know where. Picture from Gen2 Man post.

 

yes it looks like a lot. Rather than peel of factory seam sealant I went over the top. I also did the areas mentioned in service Bulletin plus whatever places looked weak. The whole mess is covered by the cowl and once in place looks good. I used something like roofing tar. Man I was just very happy to get the leaks stopped coming from both sides. Also check door seal and antennae seal. If all else fail you can install a hat over air intake. The hat will be a couple of inches above screen. I’ve seen several people here do that as well. How far are you willing to go keeping water out of the truck? I like my taco and don’t want it to smell like funk.



the hat installed. I finished by using several pieces of waterproof duct tape along where the screws are. It worked we’ve had several hard rains and I did my own water test.

 

Please correct me, but aren't the cowl sealing issue that you are showing because of the leaks through the cabin filter area? My filter is dry. The leak is on the firewall in the front right corner of the cab.

I do like the "hat" idea, that is what the factory should have done!

 

I see you have an 2008 Tacoma but this is for a 2005. It will show you basics of what you need to do to locate and seal any seam leaks.

Here is the TSB for the seam leaks: https://www.tacomaworld.com/attachments/bo00405r-05-leak-pdf.1051900/

 

No it wasn’t leaking at cabin air filter, but chasing these leaks it’s hard to tell because there can be multiple areas where the water gets in. Out of desperation I shotgunned it and did everything I could see and it seems it works. The other big problem is mice but hey while you’re doing anything in there just hit all the possibilities and be done with it. The service bulletin explains where to look but I think there may be multiple bulletins.

I can’t take credit for the hat there’s earlier threads on here dealing with it as well as the screen over air intake. I’m just glad we have a place to discuss these concerns and come up with solutions. The dealership is a dead end. Glass replacement shops don’t know or seem to care. My thanks to the folks here that have shared their knowledge and techniques to address the problems, thanks guys.

 

Gen2 Man, when you installed the sheet metal "hat" over the fresh air intake, have you noticed any rattling, particularly on any rough roads. I cut one out, drilled the holes, mounted it as high as I could and just before I finished I noticed that even the slightest bump made it rattle against the lip of the air intake. I decided against putting it on for that reason.

 

depends on thickness of material you used and maybe the radius of the bend. I used aluminum so it’s light weight and because it’s .040 doesn’t flex, we’ll see how it holds up. It wouldn’t be that difficult to install a leg or stiffener on the front to prevent flexing. I’ve not noticed a problem, thanks for heads up.

 

To follow up. We have had several heavy rain storms now and no more water leaks. Tremco - Vulkem 116 in gray appears to have solved my water leak. lol

 

hey @hd snow posting here as I"m having leaking water pooling but on the DRIVER'S side with my 2008 TRD Sport DC that ever since I got it back from the body shop ANYTIME it rains I now have Leaking and Water Pooling on the driver's side floorboard carpeting as well as this STRONG mildew like smell inside my cab that wasn't there before the accident/repairs.
I'm attaching pics of the carpet under my Husky liners on my drivers side that there is a wet floorboard on the carpet.
Just want to get to the bottom of this bc it has NEVER smelled like that before.
I took it back to the body shop that did the repair work and i'm planning on dropping it off there tomorrow morning to get it remedied b/c I can't have this and it's just not right. mold can set in as well. Im sure that carpet is ruined and prob molded already.. hope they dont just do a patch job for me. the work is guaranteed apparently and I will see if they are a man of their word. Continuing to follow as I think our issues are in the same area and will also report back ! Vehicle damage was to my front end as well as driver's side fender. pic attached as well. Not sure if your fix would apply to the driver's side as well ? or for passenger leaks only

 

I feel for you. Water leaks really suck.

You need to get that carpet and pad dried asap or the mold will destroy them.

Hopefully, the body shop solves the issue expeditiously. If not remove the drivers seat, carpet and some plastic trim. This is actually pretty easy to do. Then lay in the truck with a light while a buddy sprays water on windshield, cowling, fender seams etc. With the amount of water in your truck you will find the leak. It wouldn't surprise me if the seam on the drivers side was compromised like the seam on my passenger side. As an add, mine hasn't leaked a drop since I resealed the seam. Good luck!

 

@hd snow thank you brother! I took it to the body shop today and the receptionist just called me and told me they found the problem and said that her manager said it was significant and that they will be taking full responsibility and it will be covered under warranty on their dime. She also said they would be happy to set me up in a rental car while the repair is being done. she didn't know any of the details on what the leak was or how long it would take to fix (just a receptionist), but said that her manager just mentioned they'd be willing to pay for a rental so to take that for whatever it might imply. i'm just thankful that it's gonna be fixed because as YOU KNOW it is certainly a nuisance! it's been going on for awhile (several months) and i'm sure that carpeting is ruined and such I sure hope that they will replace all that needs to and not just do a patch up job. but seeing them make this show of good faith shows me a lot.