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Excessive Leaking in Bed Panels, especially between Panel 1 & Window

triaker

Full Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2014
Messages
50
OK gang.  Been awhile since I asked a question.  Over the last couple of years, I'm noticing more and more that I am getting leaking into the rear bed.  Mainly between the first panel and the back wall of the Avalanche.  Living in the Pacific Northwest, rain is an issue (for those who don't know it, we get a lot...)  So, since my Avalanche is now nearly 17 years of age, do I need to replace all the rubber seals on the panels?  Oh, and panel 2 sometimes gets waterlogged.  Thanks for any advice or adjustments that you suggest.  I need to keep my Costco runs dry until I get them home!
 
Check rubber for damage. I have heard of people resealing the rubber to the panels because the glue eventually goes bad. I redid mine with silicone after cleaning out the crap they used before.

Another thing is to insure your panels are adjusted correctly. if they are not in place correctly they can leak.

The pieces the panels lock to are bolted down with slots and can also be adjusted if your panel to panel spacing is too much.

Another place for leakage is the drip tray. Insure the tray that follows the edges of the panels is not torn. Mine was torn and I ended up using some silicone on them to prevent them from leaking. But new rails are cheap. also insure the drip trays are actually in place and all drains are not plugged up. The drip trays will direct water into the bed area but near drains.  So it SHOULD stay dry if everything is lined up and nothing is plugged up or broken.

Rodney
 
On the #2 panel check for a hole. My #3 did this, it would weight a ton.
Found a tiny hole in the corner.  :E:
As the previous post they take some care I use a silicone base seal conditioner
twice a year. 
 
Is your midgate closed completely?
Meaning, is the cross bar, where the window sits, latched completely?
 
Thanks all.  I think a good reseal of the rubber seals are definitely in order.  I noticed they tend to move around and even can slip off.

As for the heavy middle panel, I will give it a good once over for any holes and fix.

Happy New Year!
 
I have read a lot of water leak posts here and all I can say is that I really miss my snugtop.

Unfortunately, the used 2013 Av I bought has some bad water leaks. I was able to put my finger between the midgate and bedcover #1, and when I went through the car wash it was like a waterfall of water and suds, so I adjusted the bedcover lock plates to be as close to the front window as possible...expecting potential leakage between bedcover #3 and the tailgate.

As a test, I took it to the car wash and watched the back window. It definitely seemed better...then all of a sudden the water started pouring in again. Now I have water leaking both in the front of #1 and between #3 and the tailgate. Since the truck is used and seven years old, I am wondering if the main seal around the midgate and rear window may just be wearing out.

Does anyone know what might have caused the delayed water gushing? It literally looks something like the attached pic...almost a "curtain" of water all the way across the midgate.

Tom
 

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I have read a lot of water leak posts here and all I can say is that I really miss my snugtop.

Unfortunately, the used 2013 Av I bought has some bad water leaks. I was able to put my finger between the midgate and bedcover #1, and when I went through the car wash it was like a waterfall of water and suds, so I adjusted the bedcover lock plates to be as close to the front window as possible...expecting potential leakage between bedcover #3 and the tailgate.

As a test, I took it to the car wash and watched the back window. It definitely seemed better...then all of a sudden the water started pouring in again. Now I have water leaking both in the front of #1 and between #3 and the tailgate. Since the truck is used and seven years old, I am wondering if the main seal around the midgate and rear window may just be wearing out.

Does anyone know what might have caused the delayed water gushing? It literally looks something like the attached pic...almost a "curtain" of water all the way across the midgate.

Tom

you need to remove the weather stripping, treat it and reseal it.
 
OK gang. Been awhile since I asked a question. Over the last couple of years, I'm noticing more and more that I am getting leaking into the rear bed. Mainly between the first panel and the back wall of the Avalanche. Living in the Pacific Northwest, rain is an issue (for those who don't know it, we get a lot...) So, since my Avalanche is now nearly 17 years of age, do I need to replace all the rubber seals on the panels? Oh, and panel 2 sometimes gets waterlogged. Thanks for any advice or adjustments that you suggest. I need to keep my Costco runs dry until I get them home!
Last year, I pulled all my rubber off and cleaned out the old sealant which mostly flaked off. I then applied some new Permatex weatherstrip sealant. Since then, the leaking has been reduced about 90 percent. I live in Florida were we get heavy rain storms, including Hurricane/Tropical Storm ETA this week.
 
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