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Corey
Dodge Dakota
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10/21/2003
13:53:26
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 Subject: Passenger Side Water Leak: SOLVED
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I have read countless posts about water leaks showing up on the passenger side floor. I've seen everything from the AC Elbow being a problem to being told by dealers that they can't find it.
I think I found it.
I have had a recurring leak in heavy rain that is draining water onto the floor on the passenger side of the truck. After LOTS of hours of searching, and siliconing, I thought I had it fixed (details to be found by doing a search on this board..I posted before about it).
Anyway, after what I thought was the fix, it was still leaking like crazy. I could see it dripping down from the glove box area of the dash.
I had a friend pour water on and I saw where it was coming from. I out my hand into the bottom of the heater box where the floor vent is (large opening there) and discovered it had a small lake in it...FULL of water.
Water was dripping into the heater box, filling it up, then spilling all at once onto the floor soaking things.
Source: the cowl cover has a thin foamy gasket on it that sits on the windshield. On my truck (1998) the gasket glue had failed with age and the cowl was no longer a tight seal. Water runs under it and into the drain tray.
Removing the cowl cover reveals a plastic clip that is used to seat the lower edge of the windshield. The clip is directly above the intake for the heater assembly. I removed the clip and can see right down into the heater through the hole in the sheet metal (that wouldn't see water on a new truck with a snug cowl cover seal).
I siliconed this clip back in place to seal it up (preventing water from slipping by, and dripping into the heater.) FIXED.
After 5 days of heavy rain and some serious testing, my leak is FINALLY fixed, and the truck is bone dry.
Such a simple thing. A clip placed poorly by Dodge, right above the heater air intake, that is destined to see water volume at some point in time as the truck ages. I GUARANTEE that a lot of the other unsolved leaks I read about are the same thing.
Not bad doing it yourself. The dealer told me 2-4 hours labour at $90/.hour CAN. I fixed it with a $6 tube of silicone and some time in the garage.
Let me know if it works for you!
Cheers and I hope my giving back to the board helps someone else.
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Sesquash
Dodge Dakota
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10/21/2003
16:42:11
|  RE: Passenger Side Water Leak: SOLVED
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Great news if this fix covers all the 'other' water-on-the-floorboard complaints!
Good go, and thanks for sharing
Sesquash
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Sesquash
Dodge Dakota
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10/21/2003
17:38:39
| Probably so....
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After reading your post, I went out to my 2003 R/T and checked out the round black plastic plugs that push in to hold tight the black cowl that sits at the base of the windshield.
Lo and behold, two of them had backed out a tad and the cowl was not tight, or flush to the bottom of the windshield.
This is on a 2003!
I'll keep an eye for any water leak, and at the first (I hope NEVER..but...) sign of one, you can be sure I'll rip on down to the dealer and have them pull that cowl off and silicone/seal that heating intake area to death....
Thanks again for the head's up. Despite the very few gonads on this board, who choose to defame, curse, and demean others, 98 percent contributing here post intelligent, mature and informative content. It is that 98 percent that makes me head 'on over' to this board every day.
I thank you folks of the '98 percent 'club for it....
Cheers!
Sesquash
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Corey
Dodge Dakota
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10/21/2003
17:58:41
| RE: Passenger Side Water Leak: SOLVED
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Message:
I don't see how the cowl could form a reliable seal with it being plastic and held in place by plastic threaded clips. The sun will soften things up and it will likely deform enough to let water flow by. We just came off a record breaking hot summer and when the rain came, I got this leak for the 1st time.
Take the cowl off ant check out that little black clip on the passenger side right below the windshield (1-5mm away from it). Reach behind, and pull it out, and you can see through the sheet metal directly into the air intake for the heater! Water will get in there and you will have a wet truck.
Unless this small detail changed on the later years of the truck, I can see this being a pretty widespread issue...but thankfully an easy one to resolve (after some poor guy like me wastes 8 hours trying to find it! :) )
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Justin
Dodge Dakota
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1/03/2012
14:36:00
| RE: Passenger Side Water Leak: SOLVED
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So I had my windshield replaced and apparently they didnt put a new plastic clip back in place...must have broke off and they didn't have a new one to put in its place??
Either way, water in the passenger side floor...
So I am going to find a new plastic clip to put in its place, and seal it up, but do I need to empty the heating/intake area too? Would that be filled with water after heavy rain this past week?
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me suba
Dodge Dakota
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12/20/2018
18:24:46
| YlvDEesAukfGv
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5k9FLH This is one awesome blog post.Really thank you!
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John DerGarab
Dodge Dakota
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8/31/2021
22:34:43
| RE: Passenger Side Water Leak: SOLVED
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I know this is an old thread, but THANK YOU!. This
windshield spacer leaking on my 2003 Dakota has
plagued me for over 10 years. Only got a wet
floorboard when parked on a hill in the rain. I
had the wiper cowling off and after this post
found the leak in about 30 seconds. Thanks again.
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Dwain Young
Dodge Dakota
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2/27/2024
21:32:58
| RE: Passenger Side Water Leak: SOLVED
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Message:
I read yourre post and am going to check that out
thought it was ac drain but still getting water in
winter might very well be the problem 2003 Dakota
Thanks
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