How did this water get in?

[BillinNM]

OK, so I have noticed after a decent rain -- which has been a scarce article in West Central Texas these past several months -- that the truck cab smelled a little musty. This afternoon, I got ready to run an errand and the smell was really strong, coming from the back seat of my 2018 4X2 crew cab work truck. We have had more than 4 1/2 inches orf rain in the past 48 hours, so if I had a leak somewhere, this would be a test. Sure enough, I pulled up the lower seat bench and there was a half-inch of water in each of the wells. It had been there long enough -- or the moisture had been consistent enough that some of the stuff I kept under seat -- a Tony Hillerman novel, ball caps, etc. were mildewed. The cork handle on my collapsible hiking staff had green mold on it. I was shocked. Trying to figure how it got in, I noticed the liner was damp going up the back of the seat. When I looked at the joint between cab and bed, I noticed some leaves had collected there so I swept them out -- and found five of these little rubber coverings among the debris. Can someone tell me what is going on here?. I have 78,000 mostly highway miles on my Ram and the sweet little Pentastar Six.

 

[caulk04]

Cab vent, on the back of the cab. Pick up some new ones at the dealer and make sure they click into the body tightly.

 

[CamperMike]

As Caulk04 says it's the vents on the back of the cab. Those rubber pieces are the flaps that are supposed to be protecting your cab from rain. I replaced those vents a couple years ago on my 2018.

 

[NETim]

PN 68323649AB.

 

[jws123]

I put silicone/gasket maker on the edges of the vents where it meets the cab have yet to have a issue while your ad it re seal 3rd brake light.

 

[BillinNM]

Thanks guys. Here's a stupid question that I couldn't find an answer to in my owner's manual: How do you get the upright seat back to fold down -- and I assume this gives access to those vents?

 

[NETim]

Thanks guys. Here's a stupid question that I couldn't find an answer to in my owner's manual: How do you get the upright seat back to fold down -- and I assume this gives access to those vents?

The seat backs do not fold down unless you do the seat mod. Otherwise, you have to pull the rear seat out to gain access to the vents.

 

[Cableman]

Heres when i replaced mine

What did you do with your 4th Gen this week?

Does that stuff really work that well? My driver's side is kinda crappy looking and I'm dying to clean it off.

www.ramforum.com

 

[GTyankee]

It takes a bit of work, but you need to pull the rear seat.
Use an Impact Wrench, air or electric, to make it easier.
Any Seat Belts that you unbolt, mark where they go, maybe even take a few pictures.

Original vents





watch this video

Rear exhauster vent installation on Ram

Removal and installation of the rear exhauster vents on my Ram.

www.youtube.com

While you have the rear seat out, consider doing the
Rear Seat Modification

2016 Ram 2500 Crew Cab Rear Folding Seat Modification

What’s up everybody? This is a video on how to modify the rear seat of a Ram Crew cab to be able to fold down the seat for access behind. This is a great ...

www.youtube.com

or

Ram Back Seat Mod

Hello, this video was made to help other Ram owners modify their back seats. This modification can be done in most Ram trucks 2009-2018 and 2019 Classics. Th...

www.youtube.com

 

[caulk04]

Don't silicone the vents to the body. I didn't need to replace my vents, but they weren't sealing tight to the body. I cut a couple sections of a paint stirrer and put between the body and the retaining clips inside, forces them to seal more tightly. No more leak.

 

[T. Anders]

I would definitely replace the cab vents, as others have mentioned. The new vents are an updated design that's supposed to be improved. I would also reseal your third brake light housing. It's another area that leaks frequently. If yours isn't leaking now, it will in the future. Earlier this year I found that my rear storage area was moist also. I replaced the cab vents and resealed the brake light and its been dry since that time.

 

[BillinNM]

My local Dodge dealer said they can't get these parts right now. Does anyone know if the vents sold by Orlando, FL-based "Nismopar" on Amazon are anywhere near the same quality as Mopar parts?

 

[NETim]

I got mine from these guys:

https://store.mopar.com/oem-parts/mopar-bodyside-aperture-exhauster-68323649ab

 

[GTyankee]

this is what someone did, when the rubber gasket no longer held the vent tight against the cab wall
It looks like a Paint Stir Stick

 

[BillinNM]

Tim, thanks. They are on the way.

 

[Bearakuda]

I would check the brake light (top of the cab) . Mine leaked on my 2018.

 

[nlambert182]

3rd brake light leaks typically stain the headliner. If there's that much water in the floor under the seat it's the cab vents. I had to replace both of mine in my 1500. It takes longer to remove the seat than it does to swap them. All in, it took me about 2 hrs of time.

 

[RWlRAM]

My used '04 had a plain rear window and I'd get some water through it so I decided to get a slider installed.
It leaked so bad I had an inch of water in one of the junk trays behind the seat and the carpet was soaked.
Finally got things dried out and used some sealant around the top and sides.
No more water intrusion.
I did seal the 3rd brake light while I was in the process.

 

[Hemi395]

Its not always the third brake light or the cab vents, I had water in exactly the same spot and my cab vents/third brake light was dry

Sliding rear window leak fix

I would encourage anyone with a power sliding window to check their trucks for this. Went out to my truck the other day and found the passengers side storage bin had about 1in of water in it. So like most of us my first thought was the 3rd brake light. I had resealed it about 3 years ago as...

www.ramforum.com

 

[JoeCool]

I would check the 3rd brake light first, much easier than removing the seat and that’s what caused the same exact issue for me. The gasket around the light dries out the the water runs down the back wall of the cab. You will see water evidence behind the light.