I've searched this topic a few times on the forum, and I still have some of the ideas to put to test, but I thought I'd start a newer thread to track my progress to a solution.

Mine is a 1996 ClubCab 4x4 5.2L (63k original miles) with the sliding rear window. After a heavy rain, the passenger footwell carpet will be soaked with water. I have to remove the threshold trim, and then the water drains through the trim fastening screw holes. Then I lift the carpet and dry it out with a small hairdryer on low. Not something I want to do after every rainstorm...

I've already removed the cowl cover and gotten rid of any leaves and dirt that may have clogged up in there over the years. That area has no draining issues.

So, I've read that the 3rd brake light seal may be bad, but also that the sliding window track drains could be an issue. Also, the seal at the top of the rear window may need to be re-sealed with silicone sealant. Those are the next things I plan to look at.

It's only the area in-front and below the front seat (and off to the door opening) that is soaked. I can't see a wet path in the carpeting to trace to the source.

 

I know old Mopars had an issues with wiper pivot seals
unsure about our trucks..


sorry I don't have a repair manual to check yet, BUT
let me ask is the wiper mechanical hardware located
under the dash the 2nd gen?


if so the pivot seals are another possibility

 

The best way to find your leak is to strip out most of the interior, then sit in there, and have someone apply some artificial rain. (garden hose works great.) Should be able to see exactly where the water is coming in from then. Granted, it's a lotta work to pull out the interior......... (just the seats/headliner/trim, leave the dash, and anything really complicated. )

 

Most likely the seal for the third brake light and the marker lights on the roof. The gaskets the factory used suck. You don't need to remove all the interior just lift up the carpet away from the foot well and along the door. You will see the water stream. Ask me how i know this. LOL

 

i had to remove the carpet on the passenger side floor because i could never trace the leak and eventually the carpet molded. i did replace the seal on the 3rd brake light though.

 

I pulled the 3rd brake light housing this evening and cleaned the seal and the sealing surface for the brake light seal on the body. I re-installed the CHMSL (there's an acronym from 1986 ) with a light coat of black silicone sealant.

Then I had a look at where the roof seam trim meats the upper corners of the window gasket. There seemed to be too much gap there (after almost 20years, the rubber would shrink some), so I also mooshed some sealant in there and smoothed it over.

Next I took a compressed air nozzle and blew out the drain holes at the bottom of the sliding rear window glass tracks. These didn't look to be dirty to begin with, but it couldn't hurt to shoot some air through there.

But, the last, and maybe most telling, thing that I did was to also take the compressed air nozzle and get it under the window gasket at the sides of the window opening. I started from the top corner of the window gasket and then went down towards the top of the bed. Noticeably on the passenger side, as I got within a couple inches of the bottom of the window and gasket, water pushed out of the bottom of the gasket. I think that the drain path at the bottom of the gasket (at the back of the cab) was clogged with dirt. I didn't notice the same "clog" on the driver's side...that side seemed OK, still. And the water accumulating on the floor has only been on the passenger side.

We're expecting more rain tomorrow night, so I'll keep an eye out to see if this has resolved the issue.

 

We had a little rain last night, but I don't know that it would have been strong enough to trigger the leak. I'll have to test the "fixes" with a garden hose over the weekend, instead.

 

Ok I feel your pain I had the same thing seal 3rd brake and go all the way around the rear window where the rubber seals at the body with ultra black silicone once I did mine the leak stopped and my 2000 dakota did the same thing I fixed it just the same been dry for year

 

Thanks for the feedback! Yeah, I've been thinking I at least need to go back at the top of the window seal all the way across with the black silicone sealant.

 

You might also want to check that the drainage holes on your doors are not clogged. I had a vehicle that had leaves and dirt clogging the drainage, causing it to divert water inside.