2013 1500 Leaky A-Piller : No sunroof

[hanadarko]

I have a 2013 1500, no sunroof. The RAM is parked facing downhill slightly in my driveway.

The last 2 times it rained, I have noticed a small amount of water on the passenger rubber raised floor mat and the carpet slightly wet.

Today I noticed the pass grab handle (A-Piller) bottom screw cover was dripping water down onto the AC vent and then eventually to the passenger floor. It does not happen when the vehicle is FLAT nor driving in monsoon style rain. Only when it sits at a down hill angle.

Most of the threads online indicate issues with sunroofs but I dont have any.

I only know the following:

1. Vehicle must be facing downhill slightly
2. Rain must be substantial but not gusty or directional
3. Water leaks out the bottom grab-handle screw cover (pass side)
4. No issues on driver side at all

...Most of the RAM dealers here are utter idiots and I'd like to see if anyone has had this and what it likely could be before I go rounds with these dam dealers...

 

[Rlaf75]

Do you have the roof mounted satellite antenna or cab lights? Those along with third brake light have been known to leak into the cab

 

[hanadarko]

Do you have the roof mounted satellite antenna or cab lights? Those along with third brake light have been known to leak into the cab

I do have a shark fin SAT antenna but no lights nor sunroof.

The SAT antenna is on the opposite side of the passenger though. I mean anything is possible and water WILL travel but all things considered, Id think it would leak out the driver side. Same side as the SAT fin antenna.

 

[Rlaf75]

Try spraying with a hose in one area at a time.

 

[Tach_tech]

Likely the windshield leaking or 3rd brake light.

 

[R.L.K.]

My 14 had a windshield leak , the dealer fixed it like a year ago hasn't leaked since .

 

[GoldDot]

Pull the sat antenna and silicone it. Pull the rear brake light and reseal it with some automotive weather stripping from lowes.

If it was leaking from any of those locations it will be obvious.

 

[hanadarko]

Pull the sat antenna and silicone it. Pull the rear brake light and reseal it with some automotive weather stripping from lowes.

If it was leaking from any of those locations it will be obvious.

How do you remove the A-Piller and how do you remove the SAT antenna?

Out of curiosity how does water from either of those locations end up at the front passenger door A piller? - and not the driver one or both?

Are there any drains I could check? - The RAM only has 13,000 miles on it and its a 2013 but has a full warranty still and I did get a ****-Care policy too since I tend to keep trucks well beyond 100k miles.

If I opt to let the dealer mess with this - anything I can refer them to? I didn't see any recent TSB on this....

 

[GzNutz]

Since its under warranty I'd let the dealership tinker with it. Check out Wilde in Waukesha, I've only delt with them once for warranty work but would not hesitate to let them work on the RAM again.

 

[hanadarko]

Since its under warranty I'd let the dealership tinker with it. Check out Wilde in Waukesha, I've only delt with them once for warranty work but would not hesitate to let them work on the RAM again.

-My OEM dealer (Griffen in MKE) scratched/dented my RAM when they worked on it at only 600 miles. Never took responsibility. I invoked Chrysler and as usual that did zip.

-Ewald did the Radio upgrade and air bag recall and left the radio DEAD and the steering column not put back together correctly. I fixed both but ******* in the morning to the Service Manager. I just had new LT tires put on the RAM and opted to have Ewald do it (Price was right) and they did do that correctly.

The best RAM dealer I have ever found is in IL. Its a good 2hr drive on these back roads but its "Bemis Auto World". From the service manager to the tech to the waiting area, you feel important for once at a dealer. But its a long 4+hr round trip and not quite worthy of the drive.

The problem wth warranty work (and I get this being a past Lincoln/Merc tech) is they get paid chicken pi$$ for labor. But thats not really my problem. They gouge the rest of the motoring public...

I could consider Wilde in Waukesha. I think Monday I will call a few dealers and see if anyone has had this specific problem reported and if so, if they fixed it. Sometimes I've got lucky and they say BRING IT RIGHT IN - we know what to do.

Thats what Bemis did for me. But I really grilled him before I drove the 4hr round trip. If they were closer, they would be my dealer of choice.

I think today, I will take the hose and flood 3 different parts of the roof area and see (one at a time) if and when I get some seepage. I can't see this being the 3rd brake light since there is NO water anywhere else...I mean NOWHERE.

But much like electricity water will always take the short cuts, so who knows. I can't rule anything out.

Sad we all have had some sort of issue like this and yet most of the time the dam companies don't take responsibility for faulty engineering or assembly. Thats why I wrote off anything from GM forever.....

 

[xbxjunkie]

Likely the windshield leaking or 3rd brake light.

/\ these are the most common places

 

[hanadarko]

Ok guys...I took the a-pillar off.
Flooded the back 3rd light totally. No water anywhere.
Flooded the SAT fin. No water anywhere.
Flooded the windshield. No water anywhere.

Took the hose, flooded the upper door seam and water POURED out where the headliner would've met the A-Piller if it was still installed.

Cant quite figure out what/where the problem is, but now I can duplicate it and once I dry it out, I flood the same area and water POURS inside......

Yea, now I can take it to the dealer and let them futz with it - but at least I can tell the guy to take a hose and run it at the top of where the door meets the roof and watch it pour inside....

 

[Rlaf75]

Maybe the door seal itself? At least you have it somewhat narrowed down as to where the problem is. I still would remove the satellite antenna and the third brake light to seal those because they are known problem areas.

 

[hanadarko]

Maybe the door seal itself? At least you have it somewhat narrowed down as to where the problem is. I still would remove the satellite antenna and the third brake light to seal those because they are known problem areas.

There appears to be foam under the SAT fin and it seems ok. If I could seal that w/o loosening or removing the headliner I might. Its too dam cold today to mess with this but I was determined to try a few ideas.

I left the A-Pillar out until the dealer figures out the rest.
I don't drive the truck daily...13,300 miles on it since I got it new Nov 2013.

 

[GoldDot]

Had a problem with a crown vic and what i thought was a leaking door seal that went down the a pillar. Turned out to be the windshield. Its too bad it wasn't the antenna or brake light those are quick fixes.

Most dealers it takes awhile to get in for a water leak, because they have a "guy" that does it.

I would put some damp rid in your truck in the mean time.

Hope you get it fixed, water leaks suck big time.

 

[hanadarko]

Took it to the dealer. Turns out it was a leaky windshield:

"WATER TEST AND FOUND WATER LEAK ST UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF WINDSHIELD. RESEAL RIGHT UPPER CORNER OF WINDSHIELD. REPLACED ROOF MOLDING 55372456AB AS IT WAS NOT REUSABLE AFTER REMOVAL IN ORDER TO APPLY SEALANT"

...they claim then then flooded the hell out of the area and no longer could duplicate this issue.

A few things I noticed:

1. They used clear RTV. I am glad as thats typically the most flexible but black might have at least looked better. Of course you can't see it unless you stand on the step bars and look at the seam where the root molding meets the windshield molding gutter.

2. This part they replaced runs the entire length of the cab from the edge of the windshield on both sides towards the rear of the quad cab. I noticed that the new one and the old one have a slight gap in them just about 1/2 way on the driver door to the windshield and also noticed a slight distortion about 3/4 to 7/8 of the way towards the read like its cocked in the channel, but the new and the old one have the same exact weird look.

Not sure if anyone has any comments or noticed that too.

PS. they literally just had a 2015 in for the same thing and it was the same exact issue I had with my 2013.

 

[Tach_tech]

That doesn't surprise me. There is actually a RRT out for the 2015s for a water leak from the passenger side of the windshield.

 

[hanadarko]

That doesn't surprise me. There is actually a RRT out for the 2015s for a water leak from the passenger side of the windshield.

Out of curiosity do u have a link or can you post this RRT?

Thanks-

 

[Tach_tech]

Out of curiosity do u have a link or can you post this RRT?

Thanks-

No I don't have a link, I'm a dealer tech so I have access to all the Chrysler service information etc. but don't have anyway to link to it as its a controlled access website.

I can give you the RRT number though, it's 23-050-15, and I lied it actually only applies to 2016 1500s.

 

[hanadarko]

Well it 's still leaking. I noticed when I back uphill in my drive, water will pour out the pass
side a-piller grab handle. Or if its parked and begins to rain it will pour out.
if the RAM is parked the other way, no leaks.

Took it back. Explained how to duplicate it. They called a glass shop and were told in no uncertain terms its NOT the windshield....its a body seam of some type.
So they sent it to the body shop for the dealer (FORD not RAM) and they found 2 seams that needed sealing. They then flooded it and gave it back to me AOK.

Wrong.

Still leaks. Doesn't seem as much but still leaks. I contacted them and was told they could try to fix again or I could find a ram dealer with their own body shop as they might be more aware of what could be an issue vs FORD.

This is such a pain. This will be my 3rd time trying to get this fixed....I don't know what to do next..