[Bluemill]

Just off 2 weeks vacation during which I gutted the interior of my 2007 RTL -sunroof truck. I laid out the rug, bottom side up, for three days in the hot summer sun. Then I Febreezed the hell out of the known stinky areas of jute under the left side of the carpet, both front and back. This truck had been in before for leaks, as I saw several different colors of seam sealer all over. Hosed the outside vigorously, all over, and under, got up on the bed and hosed down the sunroof to track down the leak source. I used high pressure on the water, at point blank range. No leaks shown. Took a half day to put it all back together.

It was dry all week, and no smell in the rig of mildew at all. I thought after about 40 hours of work, I'd finally fixed the problem.

Then on day 7 it rained, and I drove another vehicle to work. The next day I took the truck. Open the door, and the stink was back. It's damp on the whole left side of the floor.

I pulled the panels on the driver side, and the rug is damp in front, wetter in the rear. From the way the dampness is spreading, I'd say the leak is coming in via the left B Pillar.

It leaked like a screen door without being driven, just rain from above, all drains are clear and working, bed, cowl, and all 4 in the sun roof.

It has to be the roof seams- where the roof racks would be mounted. I know the window door drains are clear, I did that about 20 hours into the fix.

Any body been in those roof chanells? Next chance I get I'll take those off and try some silicone sealer on possible leak candidates.

I will fix this issue. Any body else try this idea?

Best always,

Bluemill

 

[Heli ATP]

That sucks! Hope this helps?...

http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=108841

 

[Bluemill]

Re: The A pillar, B pillar roof leak source? LEAK FOUND

I went after the roof channel, left side. The trim popped off easily. There was a ton of partially decayed vegetation, so cleaned that up. Then used about 1/2 a tube of silicone sealer in every possible leak crack, pin hole, etc.

The next day it rained it was damp on the left side again, and the dampness was worst at about the base of the B pillar.

I pulled all the plastic interior trim pieces, left side and then took out the trim for the rear seat struts. The only thing I didn't do is pull the seats again. I wedged the the door sill trim underneath the carpet in the rear to keep it dry and get a better idea of the route of the water.

The next rainy day the truck was parked slightly up hill- no leaks. I remembered the last time it leaked it was parked, and slightly down hill. So it's got to be coming from the rear of the cab or rear roof. The next rain, parked downhill, there was a small puddle of water 3-4 oz. under the LR door sill floor area.

Next week end pulled the top plastic rear cab roof trim, including the inside of the roof sails where the top bed lights are. Now we are getting warm, as there was a $6600 collision in April 2014, during which the LR quarter was removed and banged out. The panel was welded all the way up to the top of the left sail, and there were several good candidates where the parts were joined but not very well seam sealed- so I used a lot of silicone on every crack that looked suspect. Also, there were two missing trim buttons missing inside the left sail that got duct taped, moved buttons around, etc.
Finally, the attaching plastic buttons for the 6 x 40" palstic roof trim at the top of the cab were missing about half of the rubber seals. These were at the bottom of a trough in the sheet metal, so water could pool there and get in. Hit the [email protected] out of them with silicone, and put it all together, liberally squirting the rest of the silicone at every possible leak route.

The roof rear trim panel and the seam sealer gaps inside the left sail are the most likely candidates.

It's been 2 weeks and a couple of good hard rains, and no more leaks! Without exaggeration, I estimate I put about 35 hours into this fix. The body work should have been checked earlier, but it was 9 months after that work that I noticed any mildew smell, so I didn't make the connection.

BTW, the double strength Febreeze does do good job of knocking down mildew smell. There is just a tiny trace when you first open the door, but that's expected. i'll have to wait until next summer to pull the rug and cook it in the sun again.

Best,
Bluemill

 

[Carsmak]

Wow Bluemill, quite the commitment, but sometimes the only person who will care about our stuff is us. One of the reasons I do absolutely as much of the work as I can on my vehicles as possible.

Nice work

 

[Bluemill]

Re: The A pillar, B pillar roof leak source- It's Leaking Again!

The last bit of Typhoon Patricia came through New England Wednesday, bringing with it heavy rain. The truck leaked again. Wet rug behind driver's seat. This happened while parked, a bit down hill. The only thing I have not checked is the right roof rack channel. It's the opposite side of where the water ends up, but our driveway sort of slopes to that opposite side.

I'm running out of ideas on this damn leak. If I don't plug it soon, I'm really thinking of trading the truck.

 

[Bluemill]

Re: The A pillar, B pillar roof leak source- It's Leaking Again!

The last bit of Typhoon Patricia came through New England Wednesday, bringing with it heavy rain. The truck leaked again. Wet rug behind driver's seat. This happened while parked, a bit down hill. The only thing I have not checked is the right roof rack channel. It's the opposite side of where the water ends up, but our driveway sort of slopes to that opposite side.

I'm running out of ideas on this damn leak. If I don't plug it soon, I'm really thinking of trading the truck.

 

[IanRTL]

There is an air vent on the rear cab wall. It functions like a dryer vent in that it's closed most of the time, but opens to expel any pressure created when closing the doors. It is possible that with the collision repair, water is somehow finding its way through this vent and into the driver's side rear floor of the cab. Just grasping at straws here.

 

[Bluemill]

The vent at the back of the cab maybe the leak source. Do you need to pull the bed liner to get at it? Do you think it would leak if the truck were parked slightly down hill? That's about the only thing I'm sure of- if parked down hill in a hard rain it leaks. If nose up, dry as a bone.

The body shop just got it back to me after a leak test, which showed no leaks. What a quest!

Best always,

Bluemill

 

[Heli ATP]

The vent at the back of the cab maybe the leak source. Do you need to pull the bed liner to get at it? Do you think it would leak if the truck were parked slightly down hill? That's about the only thing I'm sure of- if parked down hill in a hard rain it leaks. If nose up, dry as a bone.

The body shop just got it back to me after a leak test, which showed no leaks. What a quest!

Best always,

Bluemill

Here are some posts about bed panel removal, it's really pretty easy compared to what you have been through all ready. The vents are above the level of the bed so it doesn't seem plausible that water would flow from the bed to the vents?

http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46072

http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103569

 

[schwejo]

perhaps old news, but it not... Honda's TSB on water leaks.

Good luck!!


http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18637
http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2998

 

[schwejo]

perhaps old news, but if not... Honda's TSB on diagnosing water leaks


http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18637
http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2998

Best of luck!!

 

[Bluemill]

Wow, that thread above worked for me. Thanks much to "Club" and all of you who made suggestions for me to check. Today I looked at the TSB's on the leaks, and focussed on those of my model year, 2007. Although the repair "G" did not apply to my VIN number, it got me thinking about taking a close look at the weather stripping on the sliding rear window of the cab. There were a lot of threads on the rubber folding under upon closing, and the seal not sealing due to age etc.

I sprayed the entire seal on the rear window, and let it soak in for a while. I slid an old credit card under the folded under weather strip and straightened it out. Both corners of the sliding center pane had shrunk and puckered in the lower corners. To get more silicone in there, I opened the pane and looked down while sitting in bed. With the window open, you look inside and strait down, and you see the sheet metal of the rear of the cab.

Now it's really adding up. The truck would only leak if parked down hill, while if up hill, dry as a bone. For the last 2 months I been backing into the driveway, Things totally dry as long as I did that. Driving to work in down pours, it was till dry, the only leak issue, when parked downward. That would expose the rear window that would normally be under the shelter of the top roof trim that overhangs the glass. Then the water would slide into the 1/8" X 1" gaps in the weather stripping of the sliding glass, down the sheet metal of the back of the cab, then roll forward a bit where it would pool and wick up into the jute of the left rear passenger floor, as the pitch of the driveway is nose low and to the left, where the mildew has had a wonderful time growing, drying up and growing again.

After a half an hour, the rubber seemed better on the seal, like leather getting treated. Although, better, there were still 1/16" gaps in the corners, so I got the silicone sealer out and squeezed a ton in
to stop up the leaks.

I won't know if I'm right until the next big rain- but this time I'm parking down hill, putting some duct tape on the rear window button, and crossing my fingers!!!!

I'm guessing I put 45 hours of work into this leak fix. I even paid the body shop to do a leak test last trip in, and they couldn't figure it out.

Thanks for everyone's help. This is a great bunch of people on this site!

My 2 cents: I like the new Ridgeline, but the styling of the nose is pretty Toyota-blah, while the original truck has that big rig look which adds to the mystique. I think they'll be able to fix that with minor cosmetic chrome and trim restyling - next year, I hope!

Best always,
Bluemill

 

[Bluemill]

It still leaks!

First big rain parked it downhill, and the LR carpet was soaked at the end of the day. Parked it up hill later the same week, nose up, and the same area is dry.

Over the weekend I pulled the bed liner, all except the bottom which was just too heavy and clumsy for one guy. I did wedge wood under the bed bottom to peek at the front corners of the bed to the back of the body and saw nothing suspicious there. Also, the air vents on the back of the cab look well sealed, and not distirbed by previous body work.

i just can't figure the nose up no leak, nose down leaks badly situation. I will pull the back seats out this Saturday, then hose it down to see if I can trace the leak. All I know is that it lands in the LR carpet area, likely out of the L C pillar base, or back of the cab.

I had been parking the truck nose iup for a month, and the carpet was totally dry, and the smell was entirely gone!

Best,
Bluemill

 

[Flyboy]

Wow, what tough one. Have thought about a UV leak tracer?

Window/Door UV leak tracer

You would need a black light but they are pretty cheap.

Just a thought.

 

[IanRTL]

Did you just check the roof rack trim channels or did you actually remove them and use some silicone or other sealant? My wife's Accord was getting a wet driver's side seatbelt when it rained and I couldn't figure it out for months. Finally, I removed the trim in the channel and there were three tiny pinhole leaks that couldn't be seen with the naked eye. I used a little exterior clear silicone to run a bead along that channel, let it cure, re-installed the trim piece and it's been dry ever since. Being that it's only the rear driver's side footwell, the water is finding it's way down from the roof somewhere. I'd get out the silicone and start sealing everything you can.

 

[Heli ATP]

I had wet carpet under the front passenger foot area. Thought it was from a replaced windshield that was replaced under warranty due to cracking by the windshield heating element. My 14 RL has been completely stripped inside, seats, center console, dash, carpets and padding etc. They found some seam sealant on the front firewall was not sticking. A tiny pin hole leak allowed water to drain in. I'm glad they are going all out on Honda's dime but hope I don't end up with some rattles later. They called me yesterday to ask if I was allergic to vinegar because that's what the use to wash down the interior body before replacing the rug and padding. They said it's a two week job. Has anyone been through this before who can let me know what to expect or look out for?

The pic shows the area of the leak which is behind the glove box.

 

[Heli ATP]

Had to stop be the dealer today and decided to look in on my RL. Interior is stripped because of leak. She is been completely cleaned and should be put back together in the next few days. New windshield going in tomorrow because outer black trim is buckled, after windshield was replaced under warranty 6 months ago for crack at heater element. I'm glad they are going all out and doing this right, but am nervous I may end up with creeks and rattles. Before this the RL was rattle free and only suffered some windshield noise. I feel like I should be upset but am so happy its getting fixed right...fingers crossed!

 

[Bluemill]

I can't believe the leak issues in these trucks! I am thinking I may have more than one source of water. In a torrential rain I get this very strong smell - like a disinfectant odor, not quite pine, not moth ball, butt a strong smell like that. This appears to be strongest from the front, but then I never feel any wetness up front, only in the LR footwell.

A colleague of mine at work had a similar issue with her Hummer, and after many exploratory disassemblies found it was a leaky sun roof hose in her b pillar.

Mine only leaks sitting there, or that's what it appears to be. So it's not being forced in while driving like a firewall or wheel well leak. It must be from above.

This weekend I'm pulling the headliner which doesn't look too tough, and then I've got a nice Nor'easter to test it out on Sunday night into Monday. I had poured water through all 4 corner drains of the sunroof before and thought that proved I was OK but 2 things lead me to believe there maybe an issue up there.

The LR door was definitely repainted by the prior owner, for the color is off just a bit at certain angles, and the LR quarter got hit right after I took ownership, so all that shock in that quadrant may have loosened, damaged, kinked, or done something to impair that LR sun roof drain. I have to check it all the way down.

Does anybody know for sure that the rear drain goes down the B pillar? I'm thinking I was surprised to find the water coming out behind the rear doors, prior to the R wheel wells, when I poured water in the sunroof drains. That would mean C pillar then?

Best,

Bluemill

 

[Bluemill]

New leak work.... A Pillar, B pillar etc.

I've been fighting a bronchial bacteria infection for 2 weeks, so I could not "hike" that lower truck bed out of the truck due to how heavy it is. I'm glad I didn't go to that trouble, in that the leak points look to be accessible via the wheel well housing areas.
Last Saturday I parked the rig nose down, and flooded the bed with water. The water was weeping in through rear cab bulkhead, about 6" below the level of the bed. There are 2 pieces of sheet metal squeezed together and likely spot welded- under the seam sealer on the extreme rear wall, down very low in the cab. The drain hoses for the rear sunroof drains exit the truck just below this seam, into the wheel wells. On both sides, there is a big hunk of foam rubber stuffed in there, and although there are another 5-6 hollow double walled cavities in that bulkhead, the 2 lower corner ones, both sides are the only ones that have this foam. I don't think it's a sound deadening thing, I think they are there to soak up some occasional water that may enter the truck!.. So I dried it off a bit and then squeezed out a tube of silicone sealer into both the male and female sides of the seams, wherever I could. Then I hit it with 2 cans of Rustoleum spray waterproofer, on both sides of the bulkhead and squirted it liberally where the sun don't shine.

Friday there is a big rain heading our way, so again, I wait with fingers crossed, hoping I got it this time. When in the wheel wells, I did not see an obvious entry point for water, but there were a few cracks here and there that look promising. The only other good possibility is the rear window seal, especially the middle one. The snow melting in the bed awhile back sort of negated that theory. The headliner is going back in tonight. I really think this is OK, and the drains are clear for the sunroof.

On another important note:
I disconnected my steering wheel airbag as I'm now included in the recall. I'm very disappointed with Honda on this. I drove for 2 years with a potential grenade in front of me and they didn't let me know?? They won't have parts for another 2-3 months? I'm lucky that I'm somewhat proficient with a wrench and can disconnect it, but how about the other folks out there?

Best always,
Bluemill

 

[Heli ATP]

Re: New leak work.... A Pillar, B pillar etc.

I been trying to follow all your threads on the leak as I went through something similar, luckily under warranty. Hopefully you got it this time? The airbag issue has been well documented here on the forum. You may even qualify for a free loaner from Honda until the parts come in.

See here...

http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/...s/126530-airbag-recall-2007-14-ridgeline.html
.