Water sloshing sound in cab. Not 3rd brake light!

[Dylan1992]

2020 Ram 1500 Classic Quad Cab V6

So a couple weeks ago there was heavy rainfall that caused water to come up right below my doors. I was able to open the doors and there was no water in the cab and everything seemed fine. Ever since then I can hear a large amount of water that sounds like it’s coming from the middle rear of the cab. The sound is most prominently heard when accelerating and braking and has gotten really annoying. I’ve checked the door drains and under rear seats and everything is dry and I can’t imagine it’s in the frame because of all the holes in it and would’ve dried up by now. I pulled all (6) drain plugs under the cab and they are dry as a bone. Is there any place in the cab/bed/frame that can hold this amount of water to the point where I can hear it when driving????

 

[Flip-er]

Following this one

 

[RamInfo]

Did you pull the rear floor mats and check the in-floor storage cubbies?

Best,
RI

 

[Dylan1992]

Did you pull the rear floor mats and check the in-floor storage cubbies?

Best,
RI

No, my trim configuration does not have the floor storage cubbies.

 

[GTyankee]

Only the Crew Cab has the Floor Cubbies.

I don't know about the MEGA cabs

On the bottom of the doors, there is a Door Seal
Hidden under the Door Seal, there are small holes, sometimes the seal keeps those holes closed.


DOOR SEALs & others

 

[Jeepwalker]

I would try driving up a steep incline, weather it's in your driveway/property, or some lot where you can get the front wheels up fairly high. Then put it in park, get out and see if you can see it draining out somewhere (corner of the doors, back of cab etc).

If nothing there, try the reverse with the rear wheels up on the higher end of the incline, and again, give it a bit & see if you notice water dripping/draining out of some area.

You're sure it's not a plugged HVAC drain??

 

[RodeoRam]

You said you didn't think it could be in the frame with all the drain holes, but here's a thought. When I installed my nerf bars and removed the front body-mount bolt under the front of the cab, a lot of black water poured out of the frame. I hadn't been driving in deep water so it was probably just rain water that had no way to drain out of that part of the frame. You said that the water was up to the bottom of the cab. The frame might have been in the water.

 

[ffeschjeff]

pull the trim panels along you're floor board i bet the water is in those and probably sloshing up to the front. they are easy to remove just yank on them.

 

[Dylan1992]

pull the trim panels along you're floor board i bet the water is in those and probably sloshing up to the front. they are easy to remove just yank on them.

This seems like the most likely scenario since that’s exactly where the water level got to. I’m gonna remove those panels this weekend and investigate and keep ya posted. Thanks

 

[Dylan1992]

You said you didn't think it could be in the frame with all the drain holes, but here's a thought. When I installed my nerf bars and removed the front body-mount bolt under the front of the cab, a lot of black water poured out of the frame. I hadn't been driving in deep water so it was probably just rain water that had no way to drain out of that part of the frame. You said that the water was up to the bottom of the cab. The frame might have been in the water.

Yes the farm was definitely in the water and no higher the bottom of the cab. I’ll look more closely at the front of the frame and see if there’s any spots that could be the culprit holding in the water. Good call

 

[Dylan1992]

Only the Crew Cab has the Floor Cubbies.

I don't know about the MEGA cabs

On the bottom of the doors, there is a Door Seal
Hidden under the Door Seal, there are small holes, sometimes the seal keeps those holes closed.

View attachment 546583
DOOR SEALs & others

View attachment 546584

I don’t hear any water in the doors when I shake then but went ahead and removed the seals to double check and there’s no water in the doors. Idk!

 

[Dodge 1500 4X4]

Take a look at the hood by the 1500 emblem, water has been known to collect there, there is supposed to be drains in that area.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Rockers?
I believe there are removable plugs on the inside under the cab. Worth a look.

 

[DRam2019]

Open your hood. The hood on my 19 2500 gets a ton of water in it, guessing it enters around the emblems that are built into the hood.

 

[RWlRAM]

Do you have the plastic junk tray behind the seats?
My '04 has it and it got water in it and sounded just as you described.
Water was leaking in around the rear window.
When I looked at the rear window seal I could see that it didn't quite follow the contours of the body which allowed water to get inside.
Black silicone closed the gaps nicely.

 

[Scott1960]

I just had the same issue. Heavy rain and heard sloshing during stopping and starring. I found it inside the rocker panel on the drivers side. I don't know how it gets in there but I found a seams underneath that has small tgun slat openings between two pieces of the rocker panel. I stuck my knife in the thin openings and slid it front to back. I assume these openings are drain holes, but they were plugged up with junk. The knife cleaned the junk out and water came pouring out. Problem solved. I found these at the bottom edge of the outer rocker panel... hope this fixes the problem for you too...

 

[Sur5er]

Look behind the rear seats at the vents. When they leak, water can fill the areas under the seats. Simple and inexpensive to replace.

 

[Marshall]

Sounds like rocker panels to me, and Is there not a bunch of wiring and plugs in the front drivers side that needs to stay dry?
I could be thinking off brand?

 

[Dusty]

Sounds like rocker panels to me, and Is there not a bunch of wiring and plugs in the front drivers side that needs to stay dry?
I could be thinking off brand?

There are electrical harnesses that are fed along the top of the rocker panel area on the drivers side on the inside of the cab.

Is this a vehicle that goes through a car wash regularly?

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33-gallon fuel tank, 18” wheels. Build Date: 3 June 2018. Now at 115871 miles.

 

[Jeepwalker]

I would want to pop off the sill plates (F & R) and put your hand under there to feel if the padding under the carpet (or mat) is wet. If it's dry, then you're good. If you feel it's wet under there, I would buy a bundle of wood lathe, and put some short slats of wood under the carpet pad to allow airflow under the carpet pad so it can dry out. Otherwise it can take FOREVER for it to dry out. The lathe won't affect anything as you drive. It could take several days, depending on the humidity and temps. And plus it'll help avoid mold growth (and a musty smell inside the vehicle) ...if it's wet under there.

There are ground wires you definitely don't want to let corrode. I've had floor grounds which have corroded on other vehicles and it caused wonky behavior with the door/window module nearby. On one SUV I took the carpet out of there were scores of ground wires screwed to the floor. They're really critical on cars/tks these days.