'98 Dakota leaks in rain

[oldmaples]

'98 Dakota club cab - has serious water leak under dash on passenger side - Possibly from windshield seal? Or maybe a broken or misdirected hose . Is there any kind of a drain in that area? Any help would greatly appreciated.

[BleedDodge]

That's where your heater core is. Have it checked.

[oldmaples]

Originally Posted by oldmaples

'98 Dakota club cab - has serious water leak under dash on passenger side - Possibly from windshield seal? Or maybe a broken ar misdirected hose . Is there any kind of a drain in that area? Any help would greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the reply -- but I should have mentioned - it only leaks when it's raining.

[timbo_lan71]

There is a drain tube for the a/c evaperator that comes through the firewall above the passengers feet,check for a good seal under the hood at R/R of engine compartment water could enter there.

[bdobrie]

Originally Posted by timbo_lan71

There is a drain tube for the a/c evaperator that comes through the firewall above the passengers feet,check for a good seal under the hood at R/R of engine compartment water could enter there.

My 2002 Dakota Club Cab also did this. I live in North Florida, and after hurricane Bonnie, Charley, Frances, and a little bit of Ivan, I had quite a puddle on the floor on the passenger side. I tried forever with the hose trying to actually SEE it drip, and try to determine where it was coming from. After reading some other forums on the internet (dodgedakotas.com), a lot of people with this problem said it was actually coming in the back window, ran under the carpet, and came up by the front-passenger seat. I could not verify this.

I kinda wanted a newer truck anyway, and with all of the rebates going on right now, I got the shop vac out and got all of the water off the floor, drove down to my friendly car dealership, and get a 2004 Quad Cab with a 4.7 V* (old truck had a V6.)

I love my new truck.

Get out the hose, and watch the water as it runs down the rear, and rear-side windows.

[98R/TDailyDriver]

I had this same EXACT problem! Only when it rains and you drive it -if you don't drive it in the rain there is almost no leak. The passenger side carpet is soaked. Water an inch deep. It turned out to be an unsealed body joint. If you open the hood and look at the left (your left facing the truck) side of the firewall (the wall between the motor and cab) you will notice there are metal seems there. Well the dealer re-sealed all these seems and fixed the problem. I also told them my truck has an odor because of the leak and that I was worried about mold spores making my kids sick -they replaced all carpet and thoroughly, professionally cleaned the interioir of my truck.

[azrish]

Originally Posted by 98R/TDailyDriver

I had this same EXACT problem! Only when it rains and you drive it -if you don't drive it in the rain there is almost no leak. The passenger side carpet is soaked. Water an inch deep. It turned out to be an unsealed body joint. If you open the hood and look at the left (your left facing the truck) side of the firewall (the wall between the motor and cab) you will notice there are metal seems there. Well the dealer re-sealed all these seems and fixed the problem. I also told them my truck has an odor because of the leak and that I was worried about mold spores making my kids sick -they replaced all carpet and thoroughly, professionally cleaned the interioir of my truck.

I thought my water was coming from rain too, but it turned out to be coming from the a/c drain hose dripping onto the firewall in the engine compartment. I solved the problem by extending the drain about an inch with a piece of radiator hose which just fit inside of the the drain and carries the water away from the firewall.

[Wa jang chang]

My 97 Dakota Super Cab has the same problem. Whenever it rains, I see a pool of water on the passager side. I tried to figure out the leak but no avail. Instead I drilled a hole on the floor of the passager side to drain the water. I know it is not a fix but it is one way to cope with the problem.