Cliff the Big Red Truck Springs a Leak

August 11, 2023

While we were at Hickory Grove Campground in Illinois, Cliff the Big Red Truck was parked under trees. We (Bruce) left the sunroof open at a tilt to keep the truck cooler.

The trees dumped a lot of litter onto the truck and that litter got into the sunroof.

We had several rainstorms and after one storm, we went to use the truck. I found the passenger seat was wet. We also found Nox’s towel and seat were wet.

At the time, we thought that the water came in through the tilted sunroof.

When we got the Spaulding Lake Campground in Michigan, it rained a lot. We discovered the truck was leaking. Water would run into the truck from the roof and onto the passenger seat, driver’s seat, Nox’s seat and all along the back of the rear seats depending how the truck was parked.

This is one of the times that being in a new place with a problem and potentially a serious problem as the water was soaking the electronics near the floor on the driver’s seat, is so concerning. (Run on sentence, I know.)

Can we find a good dealer? Can we get in during the time we are going to be in the area? Can they have it fixed before we need to leave? How much is it going to cost?

I looked up what the cause of leaks in RAM trucks. Sunroof drainage channels being clogged was the most common reason. The seal around the upper brake light sometimes fails and water can get in that way. Lastly, the upper cab lights can have problems and water can leak in from them.

Bruce researched dealers in the area. The RAM dealer in Goshen had great reviews. So he called the RAM dealer in Goshen, Indiana while we were in Michigan. After some conversation with the service department, the dealership told Bruce to bring the truck in as soon as he could on Thursday (August 10).

After we arrived at the Goshen 4-H Fairground for the FROG (Forest River Owners Group) Rally at 11:10 am, we got unhitched and followed our checklist for getting set up. We took Nox for a walk. Then we were ready to take the truck to the dealership.

I drove the truck and Bruce followed me on the motorcycle. I bought my motorcycle gear to the truck and tossed it into the passenger seat.

The dealership took our information and gave us an estimated cost of $115 for repairing the leak.

After finishing the paperwork, we walked back to the motorcycle and geared up. We headed back home with a stop a Gyro King for a late lunch/early dinner.

At 3:30 pm, Bruce got a phone call the truck was repaired and ready to be picked up. We geared up and rode to the dealership.

Bruce went in to pay, while I carried my gear to the truck and put it in the passenger seat.

I walked in and was pointed to the billing department. Bruce was telling them if it turned out the paperwork was wrong, and he owes them money, they could call him and take the credit card over the phone.

The dealership didn’t charge us anything to fix the leak.

It turns out the drain channels for the sunroof were clogged. The mechanic blew out each of the drain channels from the sunroof and tested it to make sure it wasn’t leaking. He also did some work to dry the headliner.

The mechanic recommended not leaving the sunroof open under trees.

Bruce geared up and took the bike back to the RV while I drove the truck back to the RV.