99 explorer wet headliner and carpet

[CDW6212R]

Ok, ill get it cleaned up and get more pics also how do i go about picking out the seam sealer without damaging things?

I suggested pulling off that obvious piece of seams sealer because it's not stuck to what's below, seeing if it's bad or not underneath is important for the future repair and paint.

You just want to seal up any exposed metal to slow any rust, until you can get it fixed right. I'm curious of how far under that crack it has let go, seam sealer is a poor product to put onto any bare metal. I used it over my clipped joint of my 99 body, after it was ground enough to spray with epoxy primer. There are products which are great for the treatment of bare metal prior to paint etc, the OEM doesn't use those in new production; the seam sealer goes right onto bare metal seams.

FYI, avoid silicone, that's great for making an aquarium, but it's bad for outside a car body. It interferes with paint like you here of Armor-all, creates fish eyes. Just use any RTV, which is not the same but is available in many colors besides clear, and some is cheap. Silicone gets hard and brittle fast, in sunlight maybe six months. I wouldn't use Ultra Black either, those top end products can be very tough to remove.

 

[Lee's Automotive]

I suggested pulling off that obvious piece of seams sealer because it's not stuck to what's below, seeing if it's bad or not underneath is important for the future repair and paint.

You just want to seal up any exposed metal to slow any rust, until you can get it fixed right. I'm curious of how far under that crack it has let go, seam sealer is a poor product to put onto any bare metal. I used it over my clipped joint of my 99 body, after it was ground enough to spray with epoxy primer. There are products which are great for the treatment of bare metal prior to paint etc, the OEM doesn't use those in new production; the seam sealer goes right onto bare metal seams.

FYI, avoid silicone, that's great for making an aquarium, but it's bad for outside a car body. It interferes with paint like you here of Armor-all, creates fish eyes. Just use any RTV, which is not the same but is available in many colors besides clear, and some is cheap. Silicone gets hard and brittle fast, in sunlight maybe six months. I wouldn't use Ultra Black either, those top end products can be very tough to remove.

Will do also what type of rtv should I use I have ultra black and the right stuff gray 90 minute also can I fill the gutter where the seams meet with rtv? Or is that going to cause a problem

 

[CDW6212R]

Yes, you can put it on the gutter to cover or seal if you pick off a bit of the seam sealer. I'd save the Ultra Black, I love that and use it often, but it's expensive and more permanent than other things. I'd see what Walmart might have, a caulk sized tube would be cost effective, or Lowe's, Home Depot, they would have lots of choices. They may have no RTV at all, and many types of sealant that are hard to judge. I'd look and see if anything is simple to locate, it should only cost $5-10 for a tube. The Ultra Black is around $17 for a tube from Amazon, I get that sometimes.

 

[Lee's Automotive]

Yes, you can put it on the gutter to cover or seal if you pick off a bit of the seam sealer. I'd save the Ultra Black, I love that and use it often, but it's expensive and more permanent than other things. I'd see what Walmart might have, a caulk sized tube would be cost effective, or Lowe's, Home Depot, they would have lots of choices. They may have no RTV at all, and many types of sealant that are hard to judge. I'd look and see if anything is simple to locate, it should only cost $5-10 for a tube. The Ultra Black is around $17 for a tube from Amazon, I get that sometimes.

Yep Ultra Black is amazing also would the permatex right stuff gray that I have be ok or what should I look for?

 

[Lee's Automotive]

Yes, you can put it on the gutter to cover or seal if you pick off a bit of the seam sealer. I'd save the Ultra Black, I love that and use it often, but it's expensive and more permanent than other things. I'd see what Walmart might have, a caulk sized tube would be cost effective, or Lowe's, Home Depot, they would have lots of choices. They may have no RTV at all, and many types of sealant that are hard to judge. I'd look and see if anything is simple to locate, it should only cost $5-10 for a tube. The Ultra Black is around $17 for a tube from Amazon, I get that sometimes.

https://www.autozone.com/sealants-glues-adhesives-and-tape/sealant/p/permatex-black-rtv-silicone-multi-purpose-adhesive-sealant-3-oz/526731_0_0?spps.s=4850&cmpid=LIA:US:EN:AD:NL:1000000:GEN:19502231967&&CATARGETID=120054150001286529&CADevice=m&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9MnU9qHPgwMVtAKtBh2PBARXEAQYASABEgKAp_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

what would be the best option here?

 

[tomyt48]

More pics

View attachment 448743

View attachment 448745

I had this problem temporarily on one of my previous Explorers that was in good shape, no rust Turns out there is a small diameter drain in the eve trough where the trough from the side meets the front of the windshield. Occasionally the drain can get clogged with dirt rust etc. You need to clean it by slipping a wire in the drain hole moving it up and down to clean out the drain. Sorry I don't know any more that that. The person who cleaned mine explained it too me. Good Luck!

 

[Lee's Automotive]

I had this problem temporarily on one of my previous Explorers that was in good shape, no rust Turns out there is a small diameter drain in the eve trough where the trough from the side meets the front of the windshield. Occasionally the drain can get clogged with dirt rust etc. You need to clean it by slipping a wire in the drain hole moving it up and down to clean out the drain. Sorry I don't know any more that that. The person who cleaned mine explained it too me. Good Luck!

Thanks' ill look into that

 

[410Fortune]

You can clean the area, pick out any loose debris, flush it with compressed air the. Clean with alcohol or acetone let it dry.. apply flex seal or your choice of silicon, (or rtv) clear works well here. You can fill any gaps or gutters or holes with it and it will last for years. It is actually pretty easy to stop dripping water this way!

If you think more protection is needed you can gorilla tape over the whole she bang… that stuff sticks and holds to just about anything metal or plastic and will keep water out

Clean is the key to making it stick

Any rusted areas the same applies, remove all loose metal and rust, treat the area with permatex rust converter that will turn the rusty metal into hard black metal… then you can apply the silicon as discussed before

Flex seal is a very very good silicon we use it on cars and houses to stop water leaks

 

[410Fortune]

I use silicon because this is a temporary repair and it can be peeled off later… plus I have tubes of it .
interesting to know the difference between silicon and rtv!!!

 

[CDW6212R]

https://www.autozone.com/sealants-glues-adhesives-and-tape/sealant/p/permatex-black-rtv-silicone-multi-purpose-adhesive-sealant-3-oz/526731_0_0?spps.s=4850&cmpid=LIA:US:EN:AD:NL:1000000:GEN:19502231967&&CATARGETID=120054150001286529&CADevice=m&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9MnU9qHPgwMVtAKtBh2PBARXEAQYASABEgKAp_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

View attachment 448892what would be the best option here?

That would be good for a crack in glass since it says it will wick into crevices etc. But that's expensive for a tiny amount and won't cover more than the small area of your leak. Any sealant like Right Stuff, RTV, silicone, or even caulk will do short term. But it sounds like you plan to do something sooner than years down the line, and the evident starting of rust says it will be smart to fix it before more years go by.

Cleaning it all well and sealing all the obvious problem surfaces should last for months or years, the quality of the product would make the difference of time. Really cheap stuff will degrade faster, actual clear silicone is fast to become hard and brittle in full sunshine. I consider that in indoor product only, my family used that to make a couple of aquariums. I helped a customer detail his motor home in the mid 80's, just the outside. It was faded badly, a beige color and took hours to buff it to a mediocre result. The windows and top vents, AC unit, were all caulked at the edges by clear silicone. That was a mess, it was hard and about half of it came off fast with a screw driver. The rest we spent a lot of time with cleaners, acetone was the best I recall(of what we had to use). Lots of rubbing by hand, plastic spatula etc, our fingers were very sore when we quit.

 

[410Fortune]

My whole house in Colorado was sealed with clear silicon? The metal siding was sealed at all seems. The stuff I use is made for exteriors? Maybe I’m missing something here because I know @CDW6212R knows his stuff

 

[CDW6212R]

I use silicon because this is a temporary repair and it can be peeled off later… plus I have tubes of it .
interesting to know the difference between silicon and rtv!!!

Funny, I think the bad stuff is the cheapest brands of clear silicone. I thought it was cool as a kid to see how it holds glass together and the heavy water for a fish tank. I never used it for anything after I was in my late 20's away from home. Starting as a car enthusiast then I learned from a good mechanic friend to use various car products, and the silicone became inferior for car stuff. That's about when Permatex was first popular with their RTV, and colors for various tasks. Ultra Copper was good but not good enough to seal a real flat header flange, bent from speed bumps. That took welding, MAP gas and some ugly welds, it kind of worked.

 

[CDW6212R]

My whole house in Colorado was sealed with clear silicon? The metal siding was sealed at all seems. The stuff I use is made for exteriors? Maybe I’m missing something here because I know @CDW6212R knows his stuff

You've seen the dozens of caulk tube products at hardware stores. There are countless choices, I think the pricing should determine what most people buy, the cheaper stuff won't last decades, but the high end things might.

I'd just use an automotive RTV for outside things if possible, and if you can afford it. Ultra Black is sometimes $5-$6 on Amazon, but that is just the small 6oz tube yes? The caulk size is bigger but you don't usually need that amount. I used half of one of those on my house AC unit seven years ago to seal the gap between it and the wall. It had flashing glued to that seam before the new HVAC unit, and the prior owners used very little caulk. It might have been a simple silicone, it was hard and just some was left stuck to the house behind the flashing. I ran a bead of Ultra Black along the HVAC unit to the house, which was fitted better than the old one. That has stuck and now no more rain goes behind it which has a hole in the side of the house almost as big as the HVAC unit. I was trying to keep out as much water, bugs, and rodents etc. I used the old flashing to seal the side gaps that were bigger than the upper edge.

 

[Lee's Automotive]

You can clean the area, pick out any loose debris, flush it with compressed air the. Clean with alcohol or acetone let it dry.. apply flex seal or your choice of silicon, (or rtv) clear works well here. You can fill any gaps or gutters or holes with it and it will last for years. It is actually pretty easy to stop dripping water this way!

If you think more protection is needed you can gorilla tape over the whole she bang… that stuff sticks and holds to just about anything metal or plastic and will keep water out

Clean is the key to making it stick

Any rusted areas the same applies, remove all loose metal and rust, treat the area with permatex rust converter that will turn the rusty metal into hard black metal… then you can apply the silicon as discussed before

Flex seal is a very very good silicon we use it on cars and houses to stop water leaks

Well i had it all taped last night and it looks like water got under the tape because the headliner was wet this morning but tomorrow i will take it all apart and clean everything and seal it with the right stuff until i can afford to have it fixed the right way

 

[Lee's Automotive]

That would be good for a crack in glass since it says it will wick into crevices etc. But that's expensive for a tiny amount and won't cover more than the small area of your leak. Any sealant like Right Stuff, RTV, silicone, or even caulk will do short term. But it sounds like you plan to do something sooner than years down the line, and the evident starting of rust says it will be smart to fix it before more years go by.

Cleaning it all well and sealing all the obvious problem surfaces should last for months or years, the quality of the product would make the difference of time. Really cheap stuff will degrade faster, actual clear silicone is fast to become hard and brittle in full sunshine. I consider that in indoor product only, my family used that to make a couple of aquariums. I helped a customer detail his motor home in the mid 80's, just the outside. It was faded badly, a beige color and took hours to buff it to a mediocre result. The windows and top vents, AC unit, were all caulked at the edges by clear silicone. That was a mess, it was hard and about half of it came off fast with a screw driver. The rest we spent a lot of time with cleaners, acetone was the best I recall(of what we had to use). Lots of rubbing by hand, plastic spatula etc, our fingers were very sore when we quit.

I will get it all cleaned out as best as i can and get it fixed asap but for now im going to use the right stuff since it cures fast and it's cold here

 

[CDW6212R]

Like Jamie posted, make sure it's really clean before putting anything on. The typical grime will keep tape from sticking and water can work its way under it. As you work on it and see how tough water is to stop, I'm sure you will get it sealed up enough for now.

 

[Lee's Automotive]

Like Jamie posted, make sure it's really clean before putting anything on. The typical grime will keep tape from sticking and water can work its way under it. As you work on it and see how tough water is to stop, I'm sure you will get it sealed up enough for now.

Will do man i'm also going to get that rust converter and clean up any rust i see for the time being because i don't want to replace the roof skin should i also use the rtv on the inside?

 

[Lee's Automotive]

IS there any specifics to the rust converter and what's the exact product i need?

 

[CDW6212R]

There are plenty of various rust treatment products, and they should all be able to suppress the rust short term. The only proper way to stop it is to remove it, grinding etc, which is best to let the body shop do. That's why I was curious of what's under the seam sealer. It may be very very little rust, or it may have grown under there and out of sight. The window channel is critical, any rust under there is protected from cleaning by that rubber trim, and out of sight. Rust there will spread and get under where the glass and urethane attach, which still the glass has to come out to get at it. Yours should be fine most likely given location and it has not been out many times before. Fine as in easy to clean up etc, with the glass out, and they are also fixing the water leak hole and "gutters."

 

[Lee's Automotive]

There are plenty of various rust treatment products, and they should all be able to suppress the rust short term. The only proper way to stop it is to remove it, grinding etc, which is best to let the body shop do. That's why I was curious of what's under the seam sealer. It may be very very little rust, or it may have grown under there and out of sight. The window channel is critical, any rust under there is protected from cleaning by that rubber trim, and out of sight. Rust there will spread and get under where the glass and urethane attach, which still the glass has to come out to get at it. Yours should be fine most likely given location and it has not been out many times before. Fine as in easy to clean up etc, with the glass out, and they are also fixing the water leak hole and "gutters."

Ok so something like this is what i need? Permatex® Rust Treatment, 8 OZ – Permatex

Also when i seal this should i use any of the RTV on the inside of the windshield leak area?