02 double cab wet carpet

martytoma · 10-31-2012, 09:08 AM

Hello everyone,

I have an '02 4WD V6 double cab that I bought used a couple months ago. So far I love the truck. To my recent disappointment, however, I discovered the carpet was damp after recent rains, particularly in the driver side (front and rear). It is definitely water and not antifreeze or anything else. I did some reading on the forums to find threads with similar issues to see if there was anything common I should be looking for. I figured I'd start my own thread as I work through my diagnosis.

I pulled the door sill trim and front kick panels to investigate further. Under the driver's feet the padding is soaked through which is why it is starting to come up through the carpet there and in the back. The passenger side front floor is completely dry, and I have not verified the rear passenger side yet. The floor pan on the driver's side is best described as looking like it has condensation on it, and there is water in the track where the wiring bundle runs to the rear. After my research in the forums (as well as the TSB BO026), since it is still raining today I looked at the usual suspects:

- I checked the interior firewall for any signs of water entry especially near the fender/wheel-well welds, and around all grommets that I could see. There is no trace whatsoever of any water entering at the firewall and dripping to the floor, it's all dry with a coating of accumulated dust.

- I ran the A/C on my way to work and then checked the condensation drip line in the engine bay to make sure water is dripping OUT and not IN somewhere, and this looks fine - water was coming out at the exterior firewall.

- I checked the engine bay area along the cowl pinch weld and around the wheel wells and grommets that I could see. Everything looks dry, with the minor exception of the passenger side wheel well, a bit of water pooled on top there but because there's no corresponding interior leak I do not think this is a problem.

- Recently I'd bought a plastic trim tool kit at Harbor Freight and this was the perfect first time to use it. I gently pried open the interior trim on the driver's side (front and rear) doors at the bottom to see if any water was coming through the plastic moisture barrier somewhere. The only thing of note so far is a small (maybe the size of a nickel) separation or "bubble" in the moisture barrier on the driver door toward the back.

I will need to check on that moisture barrier separation and repair it and see if any other areas are coming apart. There was definitely a lot of water drops on the inside of the moisture barrier (inside the door toward the exterior). I'm skeptical though that if this is the only hole I've found that all of the water I saw could possibly be coming from there alone. The rear driver's side door does not appear to have any problems so far.

I'm hoping to nail this down because the truck already has a stink to it from the moisture and I can't really air it out yet as the weather is not cooperating. I would consider changing out the carpet but obviously I need to make sure I kill the source of the leak (or leaks) first.

garetcurry · 10-31-2012, 10:23 AM

I have the same issue sometimes and I'm currently suffering from a mildew smell because of it. However, I'm experiencing this dampness on the passenger side. The carpet matting underneath is pretty thick, so it takes a while to dry out.

Particularily, my carpet was the most wet when it was in Maryland from January to August of this year. Usually it gets hot enough in Texas for my carpet to dry out, should humidity or whatver cause this dampness.

Not sure what the remedy is, will probably address it one of these days.. maybe if I ever apply some sound deadening.

Enola Gaia · 10-31-2012, 10:50 AM

It sounds like you've checked most of the 'usual suspect' areas ...

Is the front floorboard more 'wet' than the rear, or vice versa? Or are they equally 'wet'?

Check the passenger side rear floorboard.

Did you check the rear heater vents for signs of water coming through them?

When you get a chance, get underneath the cab and inspect the floor pan for any open bolt holes or missing plugs. I'm not sure about '01 - '04 DC's, but some pre-2005 Tacos had unused holes in the floor that were plugged.

The fact you reported moisture between the driver side front door moisture barrier and the exterior skin makes me suspicious your driver side front window may be the leak point.

Did you check the driver side door drain holes to see if they were clogged?

martytoma · 10-31-2012, 02:49 PM

Thanks Enola. I had a few minutes and did some further research -

The front driver's side is definitely the worst, followed by the rear driver's side which is almost as bad. The front passenger side is totally dry, but the rear passenger side is just a little bit wet. Drain holes are clear.

I have not checked the heater vents for issues at this point.

A cursory look underneath did not reveal anything of note that is open or missing. But, I need to check more thoroughly another day.

Do you suppose I have 3 leaky doors (windows)? I'm thinking the next stop is the hose test this weekend.

tacomaman · 10-31-2012, 03:59 PM

All i can think of is maybe that seal is damaged on the firewall that the steering linkage passes through?

Enola Gaia · 10-31-2012, 04:51 PM

Rear passenger side is wet, too. Damn ... Now I'm starting to wonder if it's leaking from the rear forward.

Check the rear window, rear interior wall, and behind / under the rear seat for signs of leakage / wetness.

You have a cab vent in the rear cabin corners on both sides, and at least one grommeted opening in the driver side rear wall.

Has this truck ever been wrecked?

Did you examine the floor pan seam (it's a 2-piece floor pan).

Now here's the fine-grained trivia angle ... This is a 2002 - the year they offered the factory roof mounted rack / rails. Are there any signs this '02 DC has had a rack / rails installed on the roof?

NVTACO · 10-31-2012, 05:23 PM

does this truck have a moon roof?

glassdoc · 10-31-2012, 06:20 PM

Look between the bed and the cab for missing rubber plugs. (2) of them I think, (1) on each side towards bottom.

Enola Gaia · 10-31-2012, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NVTACO

does this truck have a moon roof?

Good point! The factory moon roof was an option on Double Cabs, and they were still offering it in the 2002 model year.

martytoma · 10-31-2012, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enola Gaia

Rear passenger side is wet, too. Damn ... Now I'm starting to wonder if it's leaking from the rear forward.

Check the rear window, rear interior wall, and behind / under the rear seat for signs of leakage / wetness.

You have a cab vent in the rear cabin corners on both sides, and at least one grommeted opening in the driver side rear wall.

Has this truck ever been wrecked?

Did you examine the floor pan seam (it's a 2-piece floor pan).

Now here's the fine-grained trivia angle ... This is a 2002 - the year they offered the factory roof mounted rack / rails. Are there any signs this '02 DC has had a rack / rails installed on the roof?

1) No moon roof or roof racks.

2) There was an accident reported in 2004 on the CarFax as an event but no details.

3) Where do I find the floor pan seam?

4) Further inspection of the rear areas and behind/under the seats, cab vents and grommets will have to wait until I have more time (hopefully this weekend).

Thanks in advance for all the helpful tips ...