Water leak on both sides

Hello all,

I had noticed that the carpets on both sides of my truck would get soaked after periods of heavy rain, so I removed the kick panels, pulled up the carpets, and sprayed the truck with the hose to try and track down where the water was coming from. After doing this, I found that water was dripping down behind the kick panels from up inside the dash somewhere. I have included some pictures to show where it’s coming down. On the driver’s side, you can see that the water has left a stain on the metal bracket that I believe the panel mounts to. I tried looking up with a flashlight to locate the leak, but I can’t seem to find anything. Any ideas about what might be causing this?

 

Did you ever have your windshield replaced?

 

I haven’t had it replaced, but I’ve only owned it for a year and a half, and I don’t know if the previous owners had it done.

 

See if it's labeled as a Toyota windshield or aftermarket. Most insurance companies use aftermarket when replacing them.

 

@tom6060

This TSB is for a 2005, but many 2006's have also had seam leakers. It may help you locate the leak and fix it yourself.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/passenger-side-water-leak.681099/#post-24000462

Here is the TSB for the seam leaks on the 2005 Tacoma. It has helped many repair their leaks on their Tacomas.

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

 

@Too Stroked

I just took a look and I think it's aftermarket. I don't see any Toyota markings on it, just a logo for the brand "FY" and some other information.

 

@Jimmyh

Thanks for sharing the TSB. I'll give it a try and see what happens.

 

Ok, that may point us in a direction. (And don't forget to look into what @Jimmyh has pointed to. That very well could be another cause.)

As for the windshield, the reason I asked is that improperly installed / sealed windshields can leak down the A Pillars and cause all sorts of issues. We just had a 2018 Tacoma in the Service Department with all sorts of perplexing electrical problems. Our best Tech traced it down to a horribly warped / poorly installed - and thus leaking - aftermarket windshield. It allowed water to leak down the driver side A Pillar and corrode a whole bunch of electrical connections behind the kick panel. The insurance company that replaced the windshield was forced to fork out thousands of dollars for a bunch of main electrical harnesses and 13 hours of labor to install them. They also replaced the windshield again. Oddly enough, they went with the same aftermarket crap - which was about as badly warped as the one that came out. Words fail me. The way our Tech verified the cause was to have another guy hose the windshield down while carefully looking up under the dash. He also wisely stuffed some new paper towels in places he couldn't easily see. When they came out soaked, he had a winner. Worth a check.

 

@Too Stroked

Thanks, I’ll definitely look into that if I can’t find any leaks through the methods shown in the TSB or otherwise.

 

So, after many hours of trying different tests, I think I’ve found something. I decided to pull the plastic trim off of the passenger side A pillar and discovered that the inside of it was wet. When I sprayed water into the top corner of the windshield where it meets the roof molding, I could see water dripping inside the cab. I dumped soapy water on that area and turned on the fan, and bubbles appeared in that seam (I have included a picture below). I wasn’t able to see any water coming in on the driver’s side, but I did see some bubbles when I used the soapy water. Regardless, I am going to try and seal the gaps with silicone and see what happens.

 

Ok, good news and bad news here. The good news is that it sounds like you've found the source of your leak(s). The bad news is that you're going to have to deal with some collateral damage based on what I see in your pics. The most obvious damage is the corrosion (rust). And what you can actually see is generally only the tip of the iceberg. If there's that much rust visible, you can pretty much count on there being even more just out of sight. What this can lead to is the windshield frame slowly rotting out. It will take a while, but the end result will be ugly and expensive. So you can seal up the leak with some silicone sealant / RTV and stop any more water from getting in. But the only way to fix the rust is to pull the windshield. Blame the idiots who installed the aftermarket windshield incorrectly.

The other damage you may have to deal with is corroded electrical connections at the base of the A Pillar and behind the Kick Panel. This is the mess I mentioned in an earlier post that cost one of our customers (actually his insurance company) thousands of dollars to fix properly. Don't panic yet, but I'd be taking a serious look at the insides of any electrical connections down there. Good luck!

 

@Too Stroked
Thanks for the info. I’ll make sure to seal the area good to hopefully prevent more water from coming in and causing more rust. As far as I know, all my electronics work fine, but I will give the connections a check to see how they look.

 

Here's a thought to possibly slow down the corrosion. Before you seal the windshield up, spray some Marine Fogging Oil down the area. (I'd recommend Fluid Film, but it doesn't flow into hidden / tight areas like Fogging Oil does.) Let the Fogging Oil (which contains corrosion inhibitors) flow into the hidden spaces, then wipe the excess off with dry paper towels or rags so the sealer will bond to the surface. Now seal the area up. It can't hurt.

 

Sun roofs/windshields always eventually leak. Way more susceptible to standing water than doors which only have to shed water and they can leak too. Sealant won’t seal rust or wet surfaces. The gaskets need to be removed so you can strip, prep, repaint, before applying new sealant and reinstalling gaskets.

 

Not good at all.

I'm in the take out the windshield and repair the rust damage. It will continue rusting unless this is done.

 

This is exactly what I would do. I'd contact my local Safelite and see if they would come remove the windshield for you. Then, I'd repair the areas, repaint the spots and have them come back and reinstall or install a new one. Everything else will just be a 'band aid' and will likely leak again. Personally, I wouldn't spray any oil type substance in there if this is the route you're going to go. You'll have adhesion problems with the repair products.

Keep us posted!

 

Just to clarify, my comments on Fogging Oil and sealant are strictly intended for somebody who does not want to / cannot afford to remove the windshield and repair the rust properly. The method I suggested is clearly not the preferred way to fix this problem.