Water on floor

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

da_raabi

Trailer Park Supervisor
Joined
Aug 7, 2013
Posts
1,403
Reaction score
901
Location
FloriDUH
First Name
Adam
Truck Year
1986
Truck Model
c30
Engine Size
454
I know others have asked this before, but I'd like to ask again.

I'm having issues with water on the floor in the area pointed to by the pen:

You must be registered for see images attach


Things I have done so far:

Sealed a/m sunroof
Sealed vent window with silicone
Sealed cab clearance lights
Replaced windshield and gasket (LMC gasket, installer used gasket glue too)

Where else could water be coming from? It only appears in this one spot, in a pool. I cannot find any other wet spots anywhere. I want to get this fixed so it does not screw up my brand new insulation and carpet!!!
 

Jarhead79

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2015
Posts
585
Reaction score
9
Location
Mt Vernon il
First Name
Michael
Truck Year
79
Truck Model
1500
Engine Size
350
Take the kick panel off and look behind, these trucks live to rust out there and the other side. Water drains out of the cowl down that are so it may be rusted and or full of debut. And letting water in.
 

da_raabi

Trailer Park Supervisor
Joined
Aug 7, 2013
Posts
1,403
Reaction score
901
Location
FloriDUH
First Name
Adam
Truck Year
1986
Truck Model
c30
Engine Size
454
Take the kick panel off and look behind, these trucks live to rust out there and the other side. Water drains out of the cowl down that are so it may be rusted and or full of debut. And letting water in.

There is nothing behind the kick panel except a clean piece of metal. Zero rust and brand-new looking paint. You could use it as a paint match sample. Could the water be weeping through the kick panel screw holes?
 

Georgeb

Full Access Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2015
Posts
3,259
Reaction score
214
Location
Wisconsin
First Name
George
Truck Year
2003
Truck Model
K10 Burb Z71
Engine Size
5.3
Mine would drip down from the windshield gasket and plop right there.
 

chengny

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2012
Posts
4,086
Reaction score
1,023
Location
NH
First Name
Jerry
Truck Year
1986
Truck Model
K3500
Engine Size
350/5.7
Water - from various sources - is expected to enter the fresh air inlet plenum along with the fresh air. After passing through the wiper cowling and leaf screen, the water is then shed to the left and right within the plenum:

You must be registered for see images attach



When it reaches the outer ends of the cross ducting, it flows into the down flow trunks on either side of the cab:

You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach


The air is allowed to enter the cab through the vents in the kick plates and the ventilation fan suction. But the entrained water can't make that turn, so it just continues straight down to the bottom of the plenum. At the bottom of the trunks, there are openings to allow the water to drain out on to the ground:

You must be registered for see images attach



But that is only always the case in a perfect world. In reality, things are different. After 30 years of debris being sucked in (and mice living in the duct work, rust flakes falling down the plenum, etc), those drain openings can become obstructed.

If it gets bad enough, the water can't flow out as fast as it comes in. Eventually a level of water develops in the lower section of the down trunk. If it gets high enough, it will begin to flow out over the lower lip of the intake vent. From there it seeps down behind the kick plate panels and puddles up on the floor pans:

You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach


The scenario described above is the most common cause of standing water in the cab. As long as you don't have any huge gaping rust holes in the cross plenum, roof or any other horizontal surface - it is most likely why you are getting water in the cab.

To find out for sure if that is how the water is getting in, do a wet test. On the windshield, set up a garden hose - running full blast. Direct the water so that it can enter through the wiper cowling and down into the cross plenum. Even at full flow, the drain openings are big enough to handle the quantity of water coming out from a hose (if they are clear).

Then, with the water from the hose flowing into the fresh air intake system, walk around and look up between the fenders and doors. You should see plenty of water gushing out on to the ground. But even if that is the case, don't trust that the drains are fully clear. Continue to run the hose to see if a level is forming and slowly rising. After the water has been running for a while, open the fresh air inlet vent doors and see if any water is coming in. The volume of the down trunks is pretty big so it could take a while for the level to rise high enough to spill into the cab. I'm sure you'll figure it out.
 
Last edited:

da_raabi

Trailer Park Supervisor
Joined
Aug 7, 2013
Posts
1,403
Reaction score
901
Location
FloriDUH
First Name
Adam
Truck Year
1986
Truck Model
c30
Engine Size
454
chengny - as always you are a wealth of information! How did you come to know so damn much about these trucks?

Now as far as the water issue. I'll run the hose test this evening and see what happens. The only thing is that my driver's kick panel seems different to the ones in your pictures.

My passenger kick panel seems normal:

You must be registered for see images attach


But the driver's does not seem to have the fresh air duct you mentioned:

You must be registered for see images attach


You must be registered for see images attach


You must be registered for see images attach


Could the water still be getting through somehow? It seems like this is definitely the most plausible point of entry (especially since it was POURING last night).

Last question: If this is the issue, how do I clean out these vents? Do I need to pull the fenders or something?
 

Jarhead79

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2015
Posts
585
Reaction score
9
Location
Mt Vernon il
First Name
Michael
Truck Year
79
Truck Model
1500
Engine Size
350
Might try putting the hose in the cowl in front of the window on each side and remove both kick panels and check for seapage, the seam sealer could be hiding a gap where water is coming in. Also if you can get your dash pad out you can see if water is coming in through the front window seal.
 

da_raabi

Trailer Park Supervisor
Joined
Aug 7, 2013
Posts
1,403
Reaction score
901
Location
FloriDUH
First Name
Adam
Truck Year
1986
Truck Model
c30
Engine Size
454
Well, I did the spray test last night and got some interesting results. Apparently I have no drain clogging issues at all. The water level did not rise and no water came in that way.

What I did discover was that water was coming in around the bolts that hold the parking brake lever to the firewall. Water was also coming out of the seam (inside the engine bay) where the metal for the cowl meets the metal for the firewall, just above those bolts. This leads me to believe that the seam sealer at the bottom of the cowl has failed, allowing water to get between the metal pieces. It was a fairly steady stream too.

It looks like I may need to pull apart the cowl and seal it up as best I can with new seam sealer.

I did also discover that the passenger vent window leaks like crazy, as does the handle on the driver's vent window. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me!
 

chengny

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2012
Posts
4,086
Reaction score
1,023
Location
NH
First Name
Jerry
Truck Year
1986
Truck Model
K3500
Engine Size
350/5.7
The only thing is that my driver's kick panel seems different to the ones in your pictures.

My passenger kick panel seems normal: But the driver's does not seem to have the fresh air duct you mentioned:


That is because you have a cab that originally came with factory A/C.

The cab bodies/interior trim used with A/C equipped trucks have a few subtle differences compared to heat-only trucks.

One difference is; heat-only cabs, in addition to the opening (through the RH sidewall) heat-only cabs have an extra one in the LH side as well.

The kick panels are different too. While a heat only truck gets an opening in the LH steel sidewall (and a manual vent in the kick panel), an A/C truck doesn't have either.

And as far as the RH side kick panels, even those are not the same. Due to different air flow and damper mounting requirements for each type of system, the size/configuration of the panel's opening must be matched to the application.

In addition to the sidewalls, there are differences in the location/shape/size of the openings in the firewall - mainly to accommodate for the different designs of the air-handling components. And, because of those variations, the penetrations for the heater hose are different.
 
Last edited:

xthoms

Junior Member
Joined
May 22, 2016
Posts
1
Reaction score
0
Location
Richmond, VA
First Name
Thomas
Truck Year
79
Truck Model
k10
Engine Size
350
Good to hear it seems like you at least found out where the water came from. Let us know if you fix the problem.
 

HotRodPC

Administrator
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Aug 29, 2010
Posts
47,128
Reaction score
9,299
Location
OKC, OK
First Name
HotRod
Truck Year
85 K20 LWB
Truck Model
Silverado
Engine Size
454 - Turbo 400 - 3.73
chengny - as always you are a wealth of information! How did you come to know so damn much about these trucks?

Now as far as the water issue. I'll run the hose test this evening and see what happens. The only thing is that my driver's kick panel seems different to the ones in your pictures.

My passenger kick panel seems normal:

You must be registered for see images attach


But the driver's does not seem to have the fresh air duct you mentioned:

You must be registered for see images attach


You must be registered for see images attach


You must be registered for see images attach


Could the water still be getting through somehow? It seems like this is definitely the most plausible point of entry (especially since it was POURING last night).

Last question: If this is the issue, how do I clean out these vents? Do I need to pull the fenders or something?

Damn, that's sure a nice clean interior. Those kick panels look brand new.
 

da_raabi

Trailer Park Supervisor
Joined
Aug 7, 2013
Posts
1,403
Reaction score
901
Location
FloriDUH
First Name
Adam
Truck Year
1986
Truck Model
c30
Engine Size
454
Thank you! I was fortunate enough to have pretty good condition plastics throughout. The carpet is brandy-new, the old one was traaaashed.
 

da_raabi

Trailer Park Supervisor
Joined
Aug 7, 2013
Posts
1,403
Reaction score
901
Location
FloriDUH
First Name
Adam
Truck Year
1986
Truck Model
c30
Engine Size
454
I forgot to mention that I pulled the hood and cowl cover off over the weekend. There was very little junk, but the seam sealer along the bottom was looking iffy. My Dad and I were able re-seal the seam with SEM seam sealer. I'll be doing another water test this afternoon.
 

da_raabi

Trailer Park Supervisor
Joined
Aug 7, 2013
Posts
1,403
Reaction score
901
Location
FloriDUH
First Name
Adam
Truck Year
1986
Truck Model
c30
Engine Size
454
Water test successful! Water is no longer weeping in around the e-brake bolts etc and the cab stayed bone dry even with my Dad soaking the living crap out of it. The drains appear to be running very clear as well so no concerns there. Gotta love it!
 

1986ChrisK10

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2016
Posts
73
Reaction score
1
Location
Mississippi
First Name
Chris
Truck Year
1986
Truck Model
K10
Engine Size
350
Glad to hear and thanks for giving the report of it being fixed.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
44,175
Posts
950,931
Members
36,300
Latest member
BigMike88
Top