Johnnie Y

Wet Mazda

I need help locating leak on my 1998 Mazda (Ford Ranger) PU. The bottom of the head liner behind driver and messenger is soaked when it rains. My first thought was the cab rear taillight, but the gasket and fit appears fine. How and where did this leak come from? How can I locate/fix this leak?
Thanks in Advance,
Johnnie Y

toyotaman11769

Just because a seal appears intact doesn’t mean it’s good. The water test is the only qualifier. Could also be your rear window? Do you have a sunroof?


Water leaks are found by running a hose on the outside while looking on the inside.

Remove interior parts to gain access to locate the leak. Start the hose low and work your way up.

Johnnie Y

Wet Mazda

Thanks Larry,
No sunroof. When I found water on the rugs, I did think of the window, leaving it open or leaking. But the headliner is above the rear sliding window. To visually inspect as you mentioned, can I just pull off the headliner? Or is there a tool to do this?

toyotaman11769

The headliner can "wick" the water. Usually the headliner is attacheh behind the window rubber.

I would water test that (I assume) high mount stop light.