Leaky front doors...solution? - Pictures

I think I may have found the issue that is causing the weeping into the space under the front steps. I believe it is the design of the steps themselves causing the issue. In the short time I have had my sprinter I have experienced the puddling problem during 2 heavy rains.

I have removed the plastic steps to clean out the wells and have left them out for about a month now. We have had multiple hard rains and not 1 drop of water has made its way to the interior since the removal.

This is an educated guess based on one vehicle. The outermost bottom edge of the step hits both of my doors when closing, thus the marks on the doors from grinding against the step. This protrusion seems to be pushing the doors on the bottom ever so slightly away from the seal...at least enough to get the water to seep through.

I plan on doing some cutting/grinding of the steps to hopefully alleviate this. Not to sure what to do to the underside to keep them from grinding into the wells...another project.

I'll try and post photos and update when I get around to this "custom alteration." Hopefully it works!

Re: Leaky front doors...solution?

What year is your Sprinter?

Ours is a 2003, and we discovered our leaky door gaskets by accident, when we removed the step plate while running wires for a roof vent. After sanding the rust and painting the under-step area with POR 15, we tried installing new door gaskets. Water still collected under the step plate. Tried removing the plates (as you did), but we still had leakage. Finally put Gorilla tape around the entire perimeter of the gasket (1" tape covering the outer seam of the gasket ). This kept the water out, so we assume the gasket actually wicks water along its inner channel and it ends up in the step-well. We are storing the vehicle until 2016, so we resorted to this drastic measure, and will pick up the "investigation" when we return. Please let us know if you learn more about this manufacturing defect!! Love our Sprinter in all other respects....

Re: Leaky front doors...solution?

2003 2500 High Ceiling, 140 WB

Wonder how many of the T1N Sprinters have had the sheet metal under the step plate collapse due to rust. Step plates are not normally removed, so the water problem goes unnoticed. I have posted this before, but the drain hole is not at the lowest point, so water collects and does its damage.

Re: Leaky front doors...solution?

So here is the process.

I basically ran a straight edge along the edge of the step and made about 10 light passes with a sharp blade. Let she blade do the work!

You should have a deep enough channel at this point to do away with the ruler. Make more passes with moderate pressure and you will make your way through the plastic in no time.

Flip the step over and cut through the support material on the underside.

Re: Leaky front doors...solution?

Here is the difference, about 1/4 inch removal of material from the leading edge of the step.

I sanded the edge smooth and got rid of some stringy burrs.

No rain yet, Ill let you all know as soon as it does! I guess i could just hose down the doors as well.

Interesting. Thanks for the thoughts and pictures.

Does the cutting/removal of that lip provide more air space? If yes, then adding some vent holes in the under support wall may encourage air circulation for drying. Properly placed holes won't negatively affect the strength.

This basically shows what I mean.



In my experience you'll never keep all the water out under any cover so adding ventilation usually helps. I learned to add vent holes in my full sized Dodge RamVan step covers above the water collection line. It did make a difference. The same could be done with the Sprinter covers, but I haven't done so yet. After your comments I believe that I will add some vent holes to my step wells.

vic

Im sure it wouldn't hurt to place some holes to assist in evaporation. Im trying to just prevent the water from ever getting there in the first place. I am still brainstorming how to approach keeping the wells from getting chewed up by the steps themselves. Horrid designing…effective but not a long term solution by any means.

My best idea to combat this is to put sound deadening material on the step, adhesive side up attached to the circular supports, aluminum facing the well.

I cut small diamond shapes out of chair seat webbing, stretchy elastic with small channels running through it, and attached to each cylindrical support on the bottom of the step. It has kept from crushing fine grit and the cylinders into the well paint.

Well I have had the steps back in for a few weeks now and have had no water issues.

Does this work 100% on every vehicle, who knows, but it is making feel a bit better knowing that I won't step through the metal one day, and the change to the step cost nothing.

Re: Leaky front doors...solution?

indigoE said:

What year is your Sprinter?

Ours is a 2003, and we discovered our leaky door gaskets by accident, when we removed the step plate while running wires for a roof vent. After sanding the rust and painting the under-step area with POR 15, we tried installing new door gaskets. Water still collected under the step plate. Tried removing the plates (as you did), but we still had leakage. Finally put Gorilla tape around the entire perimeter of the gasket (1" tape covering the outer seam of the gasket ). This kept the water out, so we assume the gasket actually wicks water along its inner channel and it ends up in the step-well. We are storing the vehicle until 2016, so we resorted to this drastic measure, and will pick up the "investigation" when we return. Please let us know if you learn more about this manufacturing defect!! Love our Sprinter in all other respects....

Click to expand...

Hello indigoE : do you have any news on the gorilla tape investigation / fix? I too have the rusty foot wells!

Rusty footwells have been around for a long time. Years ago, when this issue first came up, I checked mine, and all seemed OK - so I didn't check again. Wow, what a mistake...

While I was installing my new muffler, I noticed rust from under the footwell -



Taking off the thresholds, right and left sides



Preliminary cleaning showed that the rubberized undercoating was intact - and probably aided the rust by capturing the water.



But not all the rust was attributable to the footwell as a basin. I also found this rust on the left side under the sound-deading covering. I have no idea what the penetration point is at this level. There is not a comparable item on the right side.

I know it's not relevant to the swing doors. One item on the A&B service is to make certain drain holes are unplugged for the sliding door.

Left and right after wire brushing off the rust and priming with Rustoleum





I also painted with glossy black Rustoleum to get a harder surface. I had some body panel metal from my old Ford van, so I cut it into strips to vaguely fit over the missing material. I do not know how to weld. But I figured using Liquid Nails and gravity should be enough to keep things in place. I had never noticed any movement in the thresholds before, so I figured they were strong enough even if the new metal provides minimal support. The white spots are from a flowering shrub that was filling the air with tiny petals.



Before I put the thresholds back in, I noticed that the rust had created lots of sharp edges on the leading edge. I sanded those down to smooth it out.



Putting the thresholds back in, I was surprised to find that the plugs were handed. What a needless set of extra parts for Daimler to stock!!

HKPierce: I also found this rust on the left side under the sound-deading covering.

I think this particular rust spot relates to the leak that drips down the inside of the A pillar from the junction in the roof above the top corner of the windshield where I and others have had a hole develop.
You can see the water trail in the photos.
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50793

pearloidroy said:

I think I may have found the issue that is causing the weeping into the space under the front steps. I believe it is the design of the steps themselves causing the issue. In the short time I have had my sprinter I have experienced the puddling problem during 2 heavy rains.

I have removed the plastic steps to clean out the wells and have left them out for about a month now. We have had multiple hard rains and not 1 drop of water has made its way to the interior since the removal.

This is an educated guess based on one vehicle. The outermost bottom edge of the step hits both of my doors when closing, thus the marks on the doors from grinding against the step. This protrusion seems to be pushing the doors on the bottom ever so slightly away from the seal...at least enough to get the water to seep through.

I plan on doing some cutting/grinding of the steps to hopefully alleviate this. Not to sure what to do to the underside to keep them from grinding into the wells...another project.

I'll try and post photos and update when I get around to this "custom alteration." Hopefully it works!

Click to expand...

To stop the plastic bins from grinding into the foot wells I simply cut up an old floor mat and put that between the floor and bin. Even without the fixing screws the bins stay put. I'm still investigating the puddles in the bins in mine but I'm 90% certain its coming from the top corner windscreen seam 'hole' mentioned in another thread. https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50793

During this past week of heavy rains with the door closed and plastic step removed I was able to see water ending up in the foot wells, puddling, depending on how it is parked. It starts at the top gap with the door closed. It rolls into the gasket at some point and flows on the bottom of the channel inside the gasket. It flows down the gasket, parallel the windshield, toward the angle by the side mirror, to the corner above the wheel. At the floor curve above the wheel the channel is inverted, the water drops to top of the metal rib that it is covering, flows to three reinforcement protrusions and plastic wall on the cab side. Some water goes down the gasket to joint at step center. And some goes into the cab at the protrusions and plastic wall, down the floor board along the rib under the rubber mat and into the foot well. On mine the same water flow happens on the passenger side but to a much, much less amount. The passenger door is not used anywhere near as often.

A new gasket might be a solution but since this has been going on from early days , I'm guessing the door squeezes the gasket enough to provide water entry high up. Water also enters through the hole at outside windshield top corner.

I am trying a piece of rubber perpendicular to flow before the protrusions to see if this will keep water out of cab.