Strong Mildew Smell After Rain. Two Dealers Can't Find Source/Leak

[FoD]

...

So back to the dealership it goes and this time they better be able to locate it cause I'm gonna pour 20+ gallons across the windshield seal and make sure it's good and ripe in there before I take it in... ?

Make sure you got a hazmat helmet with air supply or a hose going outside...so you can get to dealer without losing the aroma

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[Muscleford]

I had a water leak on my 2011. The carpet was soaked. They tried to blame it on the cab lights I installed. I said if it was leaking that bad why isn't the head liner wet. Next try no sucess either. Next time I told them it was coming from they firewall/cowel area. The said it was the driver side weather strip on the drivers door, replaced thar still lsaking. Finally fixed.....coming from cowl/firewall.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

I hope it's just the windshield and not the cowl/firewall. As it is they will probably have to all but strip the truck interior out in order to repair the water damage. They can't just shampoo this out with the rubber liner under the carpet. I don't even want to think about how bad it'll be to fix a leak in the firewall/cowl...

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Update - They still cannot find the leak...

The service writer, tech and shop foreman all confirmed they can smell the mildew in the truck but have no explanation on the source. They want to go over what all they allegedly checked when I pick it up later today. I even suggested they go check any of the Rangers on the lot and see if they have the same issue. No clue if they are going to do this or not unless I drag the Service Manager out there and have him take a whiff. I'm probably going to also contact Ford corporate on this as well.

Needless to say I am not pleased..

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Well I called Ford corporate and they spoke with the service department who confirmed that there is a leak due to the mildew smell but cannot locate it. Ford has escalated the issue and are assigning a S.M.E. (subject matter expert) and field engineer to it the case to find and repair the leak. Unfortunately they do not have an estimate on time to repair given the nature of the issue. So who knows how long I will be without the truck, but at least something is being done to fix it...

I hope...

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Well I called Ford corporate and they spoke with the service department who confirmed that there is a leak due to the mildew smell but cannot locate it. Ford has escalated the issue and are assigning a S.M.E. (subject matter expert) and field engineer to it the case to find and repair the leak. Unfortunately they do not have an estimate on time to repair given the nature of the issue. So who knows how long I will be without the truck, but at least something is being done to fix it...

I hope...

Hi Bret,

You are on the right track....Hopefully it is straight forward to resolve but it may be complicated by having to dismantle your truck... if this is the case...campaign for a buy back and give you another Ranger. I had to do this, maybe six times in 30 years, but we needed to tear down the vehicle to the point where we threw the parts in the dumpster... Believe me...thowing a vehicle away is not all that expensive vs trying find and fix. Give the customer another Truck and get the problem figured out. Field Service Engineers are good folks that take so much crap from irate customers.... I raise my glass of Scotch to them... Not all are good but I found most driven to please the customer under very hostile situations.

In many cases where I was in the field trying to understand and resolve an NVH issue the FSE ran interference with the customer....

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co.

 

[Fomocodt]

Well I called Ford corporate and they spoke with the service department who confirmed that there is a leak due to the mildew smell but cannot locate it. Ford has escalated the issue and are assigning a S.M.E. (subject matter expert) and field engineer to it the case to find and repair the leak. Unfortunately they do not have an estimate on time to repair given the nature of the issue. So who knows how long I will be without the truck, but at least something is being done to fix it...

I hope...

You said you are in the Houston area, our local FSE (field service engineer) is top notch and will be able to help locate the problem.

Stupid question, but has your dealership used a smoke machine to try and find the source of the water intrusion? I rarely do water leaks, but when we get difficult ones it usually goes to me, filling the cab up with smoke and leaving the blower on low speed, record, and taping the rear vents closed will build up enough pressure in the cab to force the smoke out.

Pain in the ass to set up and since warranty pays absolute crap they may not want to go through the hassle to set it up, however it is a tried and true method of finding hard to find leaks

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Hi Bret,

You are on the right track....Hopefully it is straight forward to resolve but it may be complicated by having to dismantle your truck... if this is the case...campaign for a buy back and give you another Ranger. I had to do this, maybe six times in 30 years, but we needed to tear down the vehicle to the point where we threw the parts in the dumpster... Believe me...thowing a vehicle away is not all that expensive vs trying find and fix. Give the customer another Truck and get the problem figured out. Field Service Engineers are good folks that take so much crap from irate customers.... I raise my glass of Scotch to them... Not all are good but I found most driven to please the customer under very hostile situations.

In many cases where I was in the field trying to understand and resolve an NVH issue the FSE ran interference with the customer....

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co.

Hi Phil,

Sadly the field engineers do take a lot of crap from customers and it's unfortunate too. One can see why this is though, since the majority of the time the customers have been going back and forth with the service department on an unresolved issue and are fed up with it by the time the field techs are called in. While firm in my handlings with the service team I have always remained calm and courteous with them. Most of the time they are good folks that put up with a lot of crap, and didn't do anything to deserve being raked over the coals like they often do.
Hopefully they will be able to get it sorted out and it won't come to having to push for a buy back. I have an odd attachment to that truck, it was built on my birthday, so not really wanting to go that route, but if push comes to shove I will. My only concern is that who knows how long it'd be before they can get me into another Ranger. The lots in just about every Ford dealer in Houston are practically empty. So Fingers crossed, and if the FSE is able to fix it quickly I'll offer to buy him a cold one or three.

You said you are in the Houston area, our local FSE (field service engineer) is top notch and will be able to help locate the problem.

Stupid question, but has your dealership used a smoke machine to try and find the source of the water intrusion? I rarely do water leaks, but when we get difficult ones it usually goes to me, filling the cab up with smoke and leaving the blower on low speed, record, and taping the rear vents closed will build up enough pressure in the cab to force the smoke out.

Pain in the ass to set up and since warranty pays absolute crap they may not want to go through the hassle to set it up, however it is a tried and true method of finding hard to find leaks

That's good to know the Houston FSE is really good. Gives me optimism that they'll be able to get it sorted out quickly. As to the dealership performing a smoke test. I don't know if they did that or not. When I took it back in the second time to the second dealer the service writer had me talk to the tech before he looked at it so I could give him better details on the issue. He said they would put it in their rain simulator for a couple of hours aimed at the windshield and use a bore scope to get up into the AC system as well as up under the dash to take a closer look. I'm guessing that either the leak isn't with the windshield or cowl since they couldn't find it. When they called me up to let me know they couldn't find anything, they wanted me to talk with the tech and shop foreman about it when I was to pick it up. That's when I called Ford and got corporate involved, so I do not know what all else they did.

 

[myothercarizahearse]

This started up about 2-3 months after I bought the truck. In warm/hot weather (10 months of the year in Houston) after just about every moderate to heavy rain shower. Open the truck up after and I'm greeted with a very strong mildew smell. I have checked every inch of carpet when this happens and nothing, completely dry. Turn the A/C on and nothing no smell from either fresh or on recirculate. Also there's no water spots on the headliner or any evidence of a leak. Opening the windows up and drive around for 5 or so minutes is usually all it takes to clear it out and all is good, but on some occasions the smell returns but not as strong later the same day. The A/C drain is not clogged as water freely drains off and no smell is ever detected from the system at any time. Also on days where the mildew smell is present after airing the truck out, when driving at freeway speeds I will occasionally get whiffs of the mildew smell when following behind a semi other larger vehicle, but most of the time it doesn't happen. The only thing I have seen is a very small amount of water will be on the door sills on all four doors outside the weatherstripping. I have tried drying this up and leaving it to see if there is a difference, and it doesn't change anything. I have also checked the vents and carpeting on the back wall and no sign of water or mold/mildew there either. Last time I had the carpet panel out for sound proofing I even misted the jute to see if it was coming from that. Nope..

Off to the dealer to get checked out. First dealer sent it out to a third party company had it for three days and they couldn't find anything. I took it to another dealer who has an in house leak specialist and he spent 2 days looking at it... Nothing no evidence of a leak. They even had two moderately heavy rain showers that should have led to something while the truck was in their possession and nothing.

Both my wife and kids have also smelled it so I know it's not just me.

The only other thing I think I can try doing is take the garden hose and pour water on one part of the truck at a time like say just the back window seal, give it a couple hours or so and check the truck for the smell, then wash rinse repeat until I find it.

Has anyone else had a similar issue? Or am I just lucky....

I left my sliding window open and it rained. That was the cause for me. I took out all the stuff in the back seat and let it dry out. I'd check behind the back seat and remove the plastic panel

 

[Porpoise Hork]

That was one of the first places I checked. Both after a rain storm as well as using a garden hose. Even had the back panel and trim removed to check it and totally dry.

I wonder if it could be one of the roof rail mounts leaking slightly and the water is traveling down the A or B pillar... ? This and the shark fin were the only two areas I did not specifically check, but may have gotten water in there (rails) when pouring water at the top center of the windshield.

 

[myothercarizahearse]

That was one of the first places I checked. Both after a rain storm as well as using a garden hose. Even had the back panel and trim removed to check it and totally dry.

I wonder if it could be one of the roof rail mounts leaking slightly and the water is traveling down the A or B pillar... ? This and the shark fin were the only two areas I did not specifically check, but may have gotten water in there (rails) when pouring water at the top center of the windshield.

i want to say those would leak straight onto the head liner. I'm only 80ish% sure on that. could be leaking around the windshield. I've seen that before. it takes a small bubble in the sealant for a small dribble. it might be a weekend project to pull out all the trim and headliner and douse with a hose. that's what I would do but i like taking things apart.

WARNING to the hyper sensitive:
idea to test for leaking... um toss some flour around then dive for the wet spot?

 

[Matsterious]

I read on here a member was having excessive wind noise from the rubber weather stripping on the door near the side mirrors. I'm sure that has been checked but worth mentioning it just in case. Best of luck and I'm following this for the outcome.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Got a call from the dealership. They have been in contact with the field engineers and requested all the data on what the techs have done so far to identify the source of the leak. This has been done and are waiting for the team to review it and direct the service dpt on what the next step is. The service writher said he expects to hear back from them either later today or tomorrow and would let me know what they say. No word yet on how long they plan to have the truck, but will know more once they hear from the engineering team.

 

[Trigganometry]

Just curious if anyone has checked the CHMSL assembly. When I swapped out my bulbs for LED I was surprised to see the 4 fasteners were not down snug. They were on but not in a way that would make a water barrier.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

I pulled the light off a few months back to check it when I pulled the jute card out from between the cab and bed and the screws were fairly tight. No evidence of a leak was seen, but to be sure I put a thin coat of clear silicone sealant on the foam rubber gasket when reinstalling the light housing.

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