Air leak in door , help

[kpdalton]

So I have this completely redone truck, all new paint, rubber seals, glass, etc etc. On my drivers side door when I hit about 25mph + I get a really annoying air/wind sound near the upper hinge area. The door has brand new seals and it fits tight!

I taped up the door on the outside (about a foot of tape) in that area drove it thinking air is getting in from outside and it still occurred. So I'm wondering if anyone knows another way air could be getting in, maybe in the hinge area thru the front of the cab? My next step is to tape up the whole door on the outside and see if that helps.

I stuffed a rag in the area where the hinge does and still air coming thru. Can't feel it, only hear it. Anyone have any suggestions on how to find it or if the hinge area does have a opening that leads to the engine comp or something.

[gregw98]

Give it the 'old dollar test'. Take dollar bill and put it in the door jamb and see if it feels tight all the way around. You can also take a ride and have a bath towel to but up against the door as you are driving and see if that can help isolate the leak.

[Daze57]

this may sound strange or dumb but are the door seals installed correctly?- i mean is the correct side of the rubber facing the the door frame -----just a thought .

[Russell Ashley]

Could the sound be coming from the vent door on the kick panel? Those seals deteriorate and need to be replaced too.

[mr48chev]

Russel has a good point as I've had to put duct tape over the vents on the inside of the kick panel to keep the air leaks out in the winter before. If you just have a noise and not a draft you are doing pretty good at getting it sealed up.

You may also have a spot where the seals aren't making good contact with the area that they should come in contact with.

[mknittle]

Did you replace the windlace!

[Daze57]

if the vent door seal is the culprit and is shot - i have a good solution - if ya take it apart and try to keep the old gasket - use it as a template on an old tire innertube (if ya can find one )put it all bk together and hopefully that part is solved - works great on the 55-59 trucks also - good luck !

[dwcsr]

Originally Posted by kpdalton

So I have this completely redone truck, all new paint, rubber seals, glass, etc etc. On my drivers side door when I hit about 25mph + I get a really annoying air/wind sound near the upper hinge area. The door has brand new seals and it fits tight!

I taped up the door on the outside (about a foot of tape) in that area drove it thinking air is getting in from outside and it still occurred. So I'm wondering if anyone knows another way air could be getting in, maybe in the hinge area thru the front of the cab? My next step is to tape up the whole door on the outside and see if that helps.

I stuffed a rag in the area where the hinge does and still air coming thru. Can't feel it, only hear it. Anyone have any suggestions on how to find it or if the hinge area does have a opening that leads to the engine comp or something.

what year? it makes a difference in how air moves in the cab cowl

[kpdalton]

I guess I should've gave more details. I have 1 piece windows and no vent door. I did end up doing the dollar test in the door and found the whole area by the hinges on one door, the dollar doesn't even catch. It just slips right out. So that seal just in that one area is not pressed against the cab. What is odd is the door lines up perfectly outside. I don't think its the original door and its a 1950 truck. So I'll do a few more things to see about fixing it. Thanks for the input!

On a side note, while messing with the door my bear claw latch no longer latches. lol I can move the latch with my finger back and forth and it won't latch at all. So looking for one problem ended up with 2 problems.

[Bierkan]

Originally Posted by kpdalton

I guess I should've gave more details. I have 1 piece windows and no vent door. I did end up doing the dollar test in the door and found the whole area by the hinges on one door, the dollar doesn't even catch. It just slips right out. So that seal just in that one area is not pressed against the cab. What is odd is the door lines up perfectly outside. I don't think its the original door and its a 1950 truck. So I'll do a few more things to see about fixing it. Thanks for the input!

On a side note, while messing with the door my bear claw latch no longer latches. lol I can move the latch with my finger back and forth and it won't latch at all. So looking for one problem ended up with 2 problems.

My truck is like that! I work on one problem and find two more that need addressing.

[entourageguy]

Watch the door seal intall. Sometimes when it looks right it's on wrong!

[Hogsophist]

I have ran into the same problem. The kick panel vent is no longer. I have it covered up tight. Cannot feel any air, but the air noise is annoying. i bought some general door seal and made the door very tough to close, but still get the air noise.

Simply cannot pinpoint it at all. very frustrating. I have removed so many rattles and what not, and the air noise is the last thing i am down to.

[kpdalton]

I found my door seal ,even though brand new and installed properly, wasn't pressed against the cab in a small area. My cab is a 3" chop and doors from another truck so thats probably why. So I bought some small door seal and added it to the area I knew was the problem area and now its resolved.

The way I found it was waited until night time and put a flashlight inside the cab (door seal area) and outside I looked for light. Sure enough, light came thru on just one spot but nowhere else.

Now that my air noise is fixed I have other rattles that annoy me but I'm working on those one by one. May be easier just to turn up the stereo.