Factory Tonneau leaks

[Brad McClanahan]

Help! My tonneau cover leaks near the center hinge. used to hold water perfectly and now it leaks along the outside of the truck at the seam. We loaded camping gear into the truck right up to the brim and after that the leak started so was wondering if maybe sprung the hinge a bit or something. Either way this is now a pain in the ass to have a leak ...thanks in advance for any suggestions

 

[Todd Z]

You have to drill out the rivets and replace them with bolts, There is a project on doing this I believe..



The rivets may be coming loose... You could also try crushing the rivets more..

Todd Z

 

[Richard L]

Brad,

If you have a 2001 with the original style cover you may have lost the little rubber gutters that fit under the outer edges of the hinge seam and channel any water out over the edge of the bed rails.



Also, the early covers don't use rivets, they use screws to hold the hinge and center weather strip in place.



Another possible problem may be that your tonneau cover center hold down pin is not adjusted properly. If it is too loose and you over fill the bed, the cargo can push up on the center hinge and lift the cover slightly off the bed rails and result in a leak. You can adjust the center hinge hold down pins so that the cover cannot lift up at the center hinge.



See my library for tonneau cover adjustments.



...Rich

 

[Mike Wilson]

Lay in the back of your 'Trac's bed, in the dark, and have someone shine a light

on all of the hinges/points/seals that you think may be leaking. This way, you can see

the light shining through, and might give you some insight as to where the water leaks

are coming from!

 

[Kerry Matthews]

I drilled out all the center rivets, then put silicone along both sides of the rubber center strip, then used nuts & bolts to replace the rivets. No leaks.

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[Jason McKinnon]

Also, if you filled it to the brim and then closed the lid, you may have moved the center pins a bit. In Krash's first picture, there are two Torx bolts that secure the piece that pins into the side of the bed. Pull the pin from the bed (so that the piece hangs freely, as if you were going to remove the cover) and loosen those bolts. Slide the piece as close to the hinge as you can, then retighten completely. This will shorten that peice, holding the cover against the edge of the bed. If that makes piece too short for the pin to go back into the hole in the bed, you will have to do it with the pin still in to make sure that it's adjusted correctly.

 

[Brad McClanahan]

A big Thank You to you guys. This sounds just like my problem. This is a great site. Look forward to hearing more from Sport Track junkies.



p.s. How do I get my wife to let me have the truck more????? lol.