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leaking tonneau cover

There are many reasons and causes for water leaks, if you can't find any obvious leaks then the best way to fully understand, maintain and how to repair the water management system on these trucks get this GM Training video..

They are typically under $20.00, money well spent.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-GM-Service-Know-How-Avalanche-Escalade-EXT-Water-Management-Service-/170554940467?pt=Motors_Manuals_Literature&hash=item27b5dddc33&vxp=mtr
 
Actually you can use silicone bathtub chalk to seal it, I would use clear chalk. Scape the old stuff off real good. And yes WD40 will help clean it off LOL, but that is about all WD40 is good for. >:D

If you use the weatherstrip glue it will stick but it won't stop the leaks
 
Thanks B.  That's what I was wondering.  I'll get some caulk and give it a go.

Thanks for the link Randy.  I may check that out.
 
So I'm finally working on my leak issues.  I adjusted the back panel and of course that led a need to adjust the middle panel which of course, yeah you guessed it, led to a need to adjust the front panel.  After I adjusted the front panel I could see daylight between the front panel and the mid gate so now repeat the process back to front.  :E:  :E: I think I have it to where I don't see daylight between the panels.  I do have major daylight on the sides at the tailgate.  I'll try to post this picture from inside the bed.  Granted the rear drain cups aren't installed but I put them up and it was nowhere near the daylight.  I can see lots of yellow and the taillights from inside with the tailgate closed.  While the Water Management Service Procedures manual doesn't suggest adjusting the strikers, I may go that route at this point.  The first picture is the side that's facing the sun.

IMG_20141019_163631559.jpg


IMG_20141019_163647254.jpg


On second thought, I may try adjusting the latches a little forward first to see if that closes the gap on the side a little and try fine tweaking before I hit the striker.  Once I get the alignment sorted out I still need to remove, clean, reattach and caulk the weatherstripping.  Man, is this ever a pain in the tush.  (n)
 
UGH!  After all that, it was the blasted strikers causing the issues.  I took the panel off, closed the tailgate and noticed it still had a bunch of play.  After closing it would "kick back" about 1/4 inch.  Pop off the taillights, adjust the strikers a bit, close the tailgate and it stays tight.  So that part is taken car of.  I ran out of daylight and need to figure out what the heck I did on panel number one.  It has daylight between the panel and the corners of of the midgate.  I don't know if I need to adjust the panel anymore or if it's the weather stripping.  I guess I know what I'm going to be doing next weekend.  :beating:

At least I finished the "duct tape fix" on the gutters.
 
So I spent all afternoon and much of the evening last Sunday removing the weather stripping, cleaning it and the panels the caulking the heck out of it.  Fast forward to today when we have a meaningful rain.  On the bright side, it is no longer leaking at the tailgate.   (y)  On the downside, it is still leaking through the weather stripping on the number two panel.   :E: :E: :E: :E: :E: :E:  Looks like I'm going to have to remove the weather stripping on the number two panel - again, clean it - again and the re-caulk the heck out it and hope it doesn't leak.  I really don't want to spend $90 for a piece of rubber.   :needhug:
 
Frito, it sounds like you are making some progress.
 
I've made some.  I have wasted so much time trying to resolve it.  I spent many hours adjusting the clamp positioning for nothing.  The back panel isn't leaking after adjusting the strikers and resealing its weatherstripping.  That panel looks horrible though because the caulk is oozing out of the seal.  I need to find the balance between putting enough in to stop leaking but not so much it's visible.
 
Well. it looks like I'm back to the drawing board.  We had 3" - 4" of rain this past week.  The Bumblebee is leaking like a sieve.  :E:  Here's a video of everywhere it's leaking.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06QBN4kf_cU&feature=youtu.be

I think I used too much caulk when I re-did the seals so i need to redo those.  It's looks like it's leaking between the gutters and the bed side.  I guess I didn't seal them up when I removed them clean and duct tape.  At least the duct tape is holding.  :rolleyes:  It's still leaking between the seals and the panels to which they are attached and the alignment between the panels looks to be hosed from when I tried adjusting that.  I should started with the strikers, then to the duct tape then to the weatherstripping.  Oh well, another series of items on the "too do list".   

I see the people with carpet in the back of their trucks so I know it is possible to keep the water confined to the drainage system an below the bed mat.  I need to keep it dry back there so we aren't putting on wet hockey gear in cold rinks.  :needhug:
 
frito, you might be better off buying some large plastic totes with lids to store the hockey gear.
At least for now until you can get the leaks fixed.

The drips around the perimeter (down the walls, midgate and tailgate) are not unusual.
But yours seems to be more than usual.  :mad:
 
GoldBowTie said:
frito, you might be better off buying some large plastic totes with lids to store the hockey gear.
At least for now until you can get the leaks fixed.

The drips around the perimeter (down the walls, midgate and tailgate) are not unusual.
But yours seems to be more than usual.  :mad:
Click to expand...
Have you seen the size of hockey bags?  I've never seen a tote large enough to hold a full hockey bag.  This is not an exaggeration - Josie's bag is so big I could literally crawl inside it and be zipped in.  :laugh: 

It was actually better before I started dorking around with it.  The only places it was leaking initially was at the tailgate, which was rectified by adjusting the strikers, and a little between the weatherstripping at the front of panel #2. :E:  I never should have started with adjusting the locations of the panels themselves as it just began to snowball from there.    :beating:  I'm really starting to feel like Charlie Brown when it comes to these leaks.  :sigh:
 
Looking at your pictures frito and I remember that my right side tailgate latch does not actually lock any more.
Only the left side is holding the tailgate in place.
I now realize I need to go out there and try to close it with the number 3 bed panel off and see if it latches.
If so then I need to adjust the panels as well.
And yes I have a water leak as well and it is worse when snow stays on top of the bed panels and melt.
 
Dluvr22 said:
Looking at your pictures frito and I remember that my right side tailgate latch does not actually lock any more.
Only the left side is holding the tailgate in place.
I now realize I need to go out there and try to close it with the number 3 bed panel off and see if it latches.
If so then I need to adjust the panels as well.
And yes I have a water leak as well and it is worse when snow stays on top of the bed panels and melt.
Click to expand...
Are you talking about the pictures I posted back on 10/19?  If so, I hope you have better success than me.  You have to adjust, re-adjust, re-adjust and re... the eight latch points until everything seals nicely and has the proper clearances between the midgate, other panels and tailgate.  I was sealing in between panels, with the exception of weather-stripping that needed to be re-sealed, before I started messing with them.  Now I not only have weather-stripping I didn't re-seal properly but unaligned bed panels too. 

I can't remember, did I shoot you a PDF that has the gap specs between the bed panels?
 
Use both put the silicone chalk deep into weather strip channel then cement on the sides to hold it on.
 
I'd appreciate those specs Frito.
My bed is empty 95% of the time so I really haven't placed much emphasis on it except to reseal the weatherstrip with weatherstrip adhesive.
And I also try not to park it facing downhill to prevent water leaks into the cab.
Now though since I haven't done much lately, I've been revisiting all the water leaks thread including that sticky one as I am thinking of working on it.

The tailgate not latching properly however irks me much more though.
 
MS03 2500 said:
Use both put the silicone chalk deep into weather strip channel then cement on the sides to hold it on.
Click to expand...
The cement part is what I didn't do this go around - that and I think I used too much caulk to where it's oozing out.  I'll give this a shot.  Thanks B.

Dluvr22 said:
I'd appreciate those specs Frito.
My bed is empty 95% of the time so I really haven't placed much emphasis on it except to reseal the weatherstrip with weatherstrip adhesive.
And I also try not to park it facing downhill to prevent water leaks into the cab.
Now though since I haven't done much lately, I've been revisiting all the water leaks thread including that sticky one as I am thinking of working on it.

The tailgate not latching properly however irks me much more though.
Click to expand...
I have the chapters for the spacing at the mid-gate and in between the panels.  I'll shoot those off to you in a couple minutes.  I haven't scanned the chapter for the spacing between number 3 and the tailgate.  It'll probably tomorrow at the earliest I'll be able to scan that chapter.
 
frito said:
The cement part is what I didn't do this go around - that and I think I used too much caulk to where it's oozing out. I'll give this a shot. Thanks B.

I have the chapters for the spacing at the mid-gate and in between the panels. I'll shoot those off to you in a couple minutes. I haven't scanned the chapter for the spacing between number 3 and the tailgate. It'll probably tomorrow at the earliest I'll be able to scan that chapter.
Click to expand...

This has been driving me crazy for months. Just went through the carwash with my midgate dow on the 2013 an observed...like a waterfall all the way across between cover 1 and the back window...soap and all. I also learned that I could fit my finger between the panel seal and mguess I need to disassemble the water management system and try to adjust the strikers...
 
frito said:
OK, I think I need to take off and re-seal my weather stripping. I did verify there is water in the "C" channels which I assume is a good thing. Here's a couple pictures of the leaks and the weather stripping. The first picture shows drips on, well I don't really know what this piece on the panel is called but there are water droplets on it:
IMG_20141003_201506360.jpg



IMG_20141003_201537540.jpg


This is the lock down for the number two panel. The paint has come off but it does move freely after I hit it with silicon in the summer. I don't know if this could have anything to do with it.

IMG_20141003_202455548.jpg


This is the weather stripping on the panel that's giving me grief - leaking in the middle of the bed. Since it seems to pull freely and, which you can's see in the picture, there's moisture down in the weather stripping where the sealer is, I assume it needs to be removed, cleaned and re-sealed. So, going back to my earlier question, is there a reason I should use caulk instead of 3M weatherstripping cement? If so, what kind of caulk?

IMG_20141003_202650582.jpg
Click to expand...
 
I used black gasket compound, but I pulled out the trim, cleaned out the old caulking, you have to run a bead in the slot of the trim and then replace. The black gasket compound dries rubbery, It doesn't up and cracks,works great 👍.
 
Has anyone encountered water seeping into a tonneau panel? My panel #3 latches were corroding so I took them off and there was water on the inside. Literally drains out of the corner and this panel is much heavier than the other two. No visible cracks or holes in panel. I’m the only owner of this truck and have never had this problem. However, I did just move to Oregon after being in California forever and now truck is exposed to a lot more rain. i do get a little water within bed but nothing too bad. Any thoughts appreciated.
 
Yes water inside hard covers is an issue.
Tends to go in under joint seams and leak inside.

Just remove and stand on side and watch water pour out...

Does make them heavy when filled with water.

So remove front and rear seals clean up and seal with silicone or something flexible and reapply seal..

many on here posted about the this seal repair.
 
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