Fixing door and leaks

Updated-
Hi TW I’ve got leaks letting rain in & my door is not sealing. The door’s misalignment is loud when driving around and probably also causing rain to come in.
I couldn’t tell the door was messed up when I bought it & I don’t know what caused the issue (warp from whatever impact caused the dent, someone who was locked out and bent the door..etc) Anyhow,

The drivers side floor boards are always soaked after a good rain. It’s damp up by the pedals, has been wet on the seat, but it’s mostly wet around the door and seat.

The windshield has been caulked at the top with silicone and I’ve noticed it drip a few times, but I think the water is entering mostly from the driver door, as it always feels a little open.

Anyone ever had a door act wonky after a slam to a nearby area of vehicle? I’m willing to try anything short of replacing the cab.

What are the possible culprits/
How can I adjust the door to seal?

Trying to do as much of the work myself as I can.

Thanks for any input

 

I'd start with replacing the door seals. You can adjust the door yourself to get it to line up better. From there you can line up the striker. You can smear some grease on the door seal to make sure it contacts the door all the way round.

 

YO
Insurance adjuster for 25yrs here
Absolutely no way cab needs to be replaced.
Now, 100% tht dent on cab can be repaired.
In layman’s terms, 1 sheet on paper is 4hrs of repair time, then figure body lines. For quality repair, your looking at 16 to 20hrs of body work
Depending on your shop and location figure $40-$60hr
Then paint costs
but
IMO, that L Xtra cab dent is not seeping water.
I agree with tacoman as far as water leaks…..door seals

 

I should get a picture of how the door seats, but it’s pouring rain right now.
It looks like it’s slightly bent out at the top of the door. I don’t think the dent itself is causing it, but maybe something got warped on impact.
I hope it’s that simple though! I will start with the weatherstripping/ door seal.

 

Beaver
Your saying driver side floor board wet
Closer to pedals (front)
Or
Under driver seat(rear)

 

@ControlCar closer to pedals, really everything upstream of the driver seat and some dampness under but I don’t think it makes as far back as the xtra cab much at all.

Also I should mention it’s not a little bit of water. Even with floor mats, I’m considering taking out the carpet until I get this fixed.

 

U mentioned windshield…..
That would be my guess
Seal I mean

The windshields on older vehicles are not crazy expensive…..
In Hou TX area….i gave my glass guys # to two members (unknown if they called)
I’m saving for my 1996 W/S …
$175 installed with molding

Also, if glass not cracked, possible that vendor could remove and re-seal the glass

I see a water hose test in your future!

 

I think W/S
If door, would be closer to center/rocker
If sealant on w/s already…….

believe me, in future, you will find all kinds of ‘band aid’ fixes prior owners have attempted
Par for the course…….with a 20+yr old vehicle

 

@ControlCar I hear ya, I used to get an occasional puddle on my seat when it would rain hard. I noticed it more often before I got leather seat covers. It probably just isn’t as noticeable now.

 

Ohhhhh
That changes my thinking
Very possible door seal!
Hopefully not both

 

Take a piece of notebook paper and stand outside the truck and close the door on the paper and pull it out, you will feel resistance, do this all along the seal and where there is little or no resistance that is where to start looking. If it is the frame that is bent from an air bag entrance bend it back.

 

Excellent Advice ^^^

it’s not rocket science to bend door frame (upper rear with window down)
Just don’t go Hulk on it

 

Not rocket surgery, but good to have specific advice to try out to keep the hulk thoughts at bay @ControlCar

 

ok let me see if i can be more specific for a door frame 'adjustment'

back in my body shop days, tech would roll down window first
then determine where the 'adjustment' needed with that sheet of paper test^^^^

-if top to front of A pillar bad gap....
tech would open door, brace with their knee on the inside upper portion of trim panel, then pull down...short hard force
then re-measure with sheet of paper test
-if top to rear of B pillar
same thing but would use knee on opposite side inside(by door lock) and pull down.....short hard force
then re-measure with sheet of paper test
-if mid side of door to B pillar.....would adjust door striker(on B pillar) more to the center of vehicle

all these adjustments move the door frame closer to the cab body....hopefully stopping seepage leak

 

@ControlCar yooo thank you for this! Would you adjust the lock striker on the door jam?

 

Open door
Look at pillar and that is striker is
‘U’ shaped with 2 large Phillips head screws (mine is silver)

loosen screws (don’t remove)
Loosen lil bit where striker still is tight
Tap striker with mallet/hammer for adjustment
Then tighten 2 screws

Tap striker to center of taco to tighten door(closer)
Tap striker to outside of taco to loosen door(further out)

then open shut door multiple times to make sure you like the feel of door shutting.

also remember to look at opo side for reference of striker position!
GL!!

 

Let everyone know what happens!!!

 

Also a 25 year insurance guy, the above is 100% spot on.

 

Will do thanks for the detailed write up! I’m actually looking forward to working on it now that I know what to try

 

Hey all-
Im finally getting back to this door/ leak after addressing bigger issues on the Taco. Theres a gap between the top right corner of the door and the cab, as if the door is bent. I adjusted the door jam striker as much as I could without needing to tap new screw holes. We have progress! But it's not perfect.

I want to get this door to sit straight....Here’s where we’re at now (there’s improvement)
I can see light coming in on that corner from the cab, and if I pull the door in from inside the cab quite a bit I can get the door to fully seal. From the outside, if I press the door corner by hand it feels like it goes into place and bounces back away when I release my hand. The bottom of the door it looks like the door sags slightly.
I loosened the door at the hinges while someone lifted the door and retightened it. The door is still slightly out at the top corner. Ive applied pressure to it, even dented it slightly in the process...

Im looking forward to hearing your thoughts and advice on what to do next!

PS yes I need to replace that bottom weatherstripping for sure.




@ControlCar

@tacoman2001$

@Glamisman