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The Joy of water leaks

TommyD11730

TommyD11730

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I'm starting a new thread as I'm no longer chasing a wate leak at the windshield.
It appears to me when the water is dumped out of the cowl it does so behind the kick pannels. So I sealed anything that threaded into both kick pannels. Rained last night and you guessed it, leaked.
On the drivers side under the dash this support attaches the dash as a support brace to the kick pannel. Will try to attach pics as this brace is leaking where it's attached to the kick pannel.

https://goo.gl/photos/K4yZU9wBLrnBdcoEA
https://goo.gl/photos/YWwRqukCPGjtKJCv7

https://goo.gl/photos/5vik2DWkQbVRqXGf7

https://goo.gl/photos/qxzkhMYF2VdnGsGVA

Would love to hear from others who have chased water leaks.
 
https://goo.gl/photos/Fpg3jcCoMWUdnyATA

Checked my cowl vent drains exits to see if they might be plugged. Nope some debris but not too bad. So I sealed up around the dash to cowl support. We shall see what the next rain storm brings.
Why do I think I'll be pulling my dash pad!
 
Yeah... well we got some rain in NY today vs snow. Few drops of water on my hood release cable, but above the cable the insulation under the dash pad/driver side kick panel was pretty wet.
Pulling the dash pad and instrument cluster tomorrow... needed an excuse to try and lube/free up the trip reset. (not)
 
Watching for your results, I'm sure mine is doing the same thing, would prefer to learn from your research rather than doing it all over again myself. :)
 
Keep exploring....I'm about where you are at. I've removed the cowl and cleaned up all the leaves/debris. I've used silicone on the screws and used all holes that I can see.

Still leaking here too. :(
 
Pad and cluster are out, that was the easy part. Will water leak tonight with a friend.
 
On a happy note a few drops of aerokrull got my trip odometer working again. Did see the pinion is worn something awful on it.
 
TommyD11730 said:
On a happy note a few drops of aerokrull got my trip odometer working again. Did see the pinion is worn something awful on it.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing the trips don't get much use, and when they do, since the design is kind of crummy, they tend to get torn up. Mine was stuck as well, 3in1 finally freed it up.
 
Ok the long and the short of it my new windshield gasket is leaking at the top left and bottom left corners. I didn't install the glass so I have no idea if the gasket is "junk" or if the installer was a dope.
To me the gasket just does not seem to be long enough in the corners. Rather the radius is too short in those corners.
I'll take pics and try to show where the water flows into the cab from those 2 leaks.
Best I could do tonight was prying the gasket back in the corner and applying 2 tube of "b" sealent.
We're expecting snow tonight so the glass is covered by a 8x6 tarp. Will it still leak? Probably.
 
This is that aftermarket gasket, no? :whistle: Just kidding, kind of.

The way these windshields "seal" isn't that good anyway, but they seem pretty darn basic, not sure how an installer could do it wrong, that you couldn't see after installation.

Don't know as there would be any way to resolve the issue, other than using some butyl(?) or somesuch along the pinch weld, and perhaps even on the edge of the glass itself too. But that would have to be done with the windshield out.

Anything attempted with the window in place (like gluing the gasket in place along the body on the exterior side) IMO would be a lucky fix. The way those windshield openings are designed, and the gasket, water has a very, very large area to potentially seep through, preventing that by sealing the window in place would be pretty difficult without massive amounts of sealant and a fair bit of luck.
 
I'll get some pics up after the snow melts. In each corner there is a body seam. IF that gasket reseed. .. shrinks or whatever that seam will be exposed. In so much as water puddles in the bottom corners...
Yes it was aftermarket. I weighed a USA made gasked for 1/3 the cost a NOS one. I also had resivations about using a ac gasket that is what... 10-15 years old.
Like I said once our latest snow storm melts I'll post photos. It should help other follow the path of how water travels once inside the cab.
 
I was just inquiring about a new windshield for my blazer a few weeks ago. I asked if it included a new gasket and they said no. The said it's preferable to keep the original one in there if it's in good shape because the aftermarket ones don't tend to seal as well.

That may be my next step is get a new windshield....only about $220 installed.

The main time I notice is in the car wash where there is a lot of water getting blasted from outside. After this big snow, I'll see if any leaked in once it melts. Sunny today so should get some results.
 
I'll throw my 2 cents in on this subject. I have been dealing with this since I bought my Suburban a year ago. I removed all kick panels, dashpad, and cluster. I found several spots leaking in through screw holes that you posted (kick panel screws and hood release). I have sealed those up and it has fixed that from leaking.

I also get a steady drip at bottom corners of the windshield gasket. I've had the dash pad off for about 2 months trying to figure it out. I just keep small towels in the corners of the windshield when it rains until I can figure it out.

I have a pretty good feeling that just about every one of our trucks leaks in these spots, hence the rusted floorpans in most trucks. If you never feel under the carpet, you would never know that water is leaking in. All of my sheet metal is rust free, and I"m trying to keep it this way.

I would think the only way to stop the windshield leak, would be to use some form of sealant while installing the windshield
 
I seemed to have success (temporarily) by putting vaseline on the outside of the window on either lower corner, as I noticed it puddled up there when the truck sat level.

I don't even have a dash pad in the truck, and it rains here 24/7 this time of year, I should really head out there and just look to see where it is coming from. :)
 
Ok so here is whats new with my K5.
I was steered to the direction of another glass installer. He was a older guy who seemed to know his way around these CK/K5 windshields. He also knew the fellow who did my glass the first time. He wanted to check the Blazer for himself but it was his opinion I still had a leak as a direct result of mis installation.
When he arrived and started digging around he spotted my sealer. He hates silicone and told me the acid in it in the long run would eat the paint and start the rust process in the frame. So being a decent guy (and another storm on the way) he said lets tear this thing down and see whats going on. He found a few things.
Even though I told him the truck was from CA and rust free he doubted the frame would be rust free. It was!
No seam sealer in the top corners of the frame from the factory. He took care of that with the beutal rubber sealer.
The Steel Rubber brand gasket vs Precision brand is softer. Further the gap where it goes around the pinch weld is wider. It MUST be stretched just like a OEM or a Precision brand. He reused my gasket after cleaning it thoroughly and giving it a good stretch.
The gasket MUST be sealed to the pinch weld. However you must take care NOT to accidently seal the drain hole in the corner of the frame.
The glass MUST be sealed to the gasket. When the lock strip goes in any extra will be forced out.
So lets see what happened. He seemed to know his stuff. More weather coming Monday through Wednesday. He said he wanted a phone call ether way to know how it turned out. He seemed pretty confident it would not leak. Me... Im not putting my dash pad back in just yet. =)
 
TommyD11730 said:
Correct, the stuff we can't spell. :)
Click to expand...

Now that I think about it, unless a PO did it in my rig, appears that GM used butyl around the door jambs as well. Hadn't thought of that, but essentially the same sort of seal with the pinch weld and all.
 
Hmm my 91 had no sealent of any type on the body/door seal that I recall. I only changed them a few months ago, can't believe I can't remember for certain!
 
TommyD11730 said:
Hmm my 91 had no sealent of any type on the body/door seal that I recall. I only changed them a few months ago, can't believe I can't remember for certain!
Click to expand...

I don't even want to touch mine, as it's got sticky black garbage all around the top of it. IIRC it came out of a truck with interior trim, which is odd, since the trim seems to hold the gaskets in place. I could see it being more necessary on trucks that used no trim.
 
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