Leaking Cap or Tailgate

We had some ongoing rain here in SoCal. A lot for us here. When I opened the SnugTop and tailgate I had water in the front left (driver) side corner of the bed. Could have come from anywhere as my driveway is sloped a bit back to front and a little right to left.

As I was exploring possible water entry points I noticed that there was an opening between the top of my tailgate and the truck bed. It’s pretty significant. 1/2” or more at the top and then tapers until the tailgate and the back of the bed meet. That’s around the where the catch sticks out from the bed for the tailgate to lock.

I can shine a flashlight and clearly see the light and my fingers from the back when the tailgate is closed. Through the gap between the tailgate and the rear brake lights.

It’s the same both sides.

Is this common? Seems like the tailgate should seal all the way to the top against the bed.

 

Mine has a good gap there!

 

The tailgate is to keep stuff from falling out. It’s not sealed like an interior door. It’s not weather proof. You can add some weatherstripping and a tailgate gap cover to help Seal it up better.

 

Totally normal.

In my 20 years of owning trucks with caps I have tried all kinds of different ways of sealing it. In my experience, the combo of a floor gap cover and a surround cover gets as close as possible to a full seal.

I use this and it works: https://www.rokblock.com/

 

GREAT idea for a fix on that rear bed seal issue. May have to try this one out on my truck. Although I have a tonneau cover and not a cap but do experience water in small amounts in the forward area of my bed. Weather seal has helped mitigate some earlier water spotting, however, I don't live in CA and have not had to deal with the deluge that the OP has. Talk about the ultimate water sealant test...

 

I will check it out. Thanks for the advice.

Thanks to all the others for your comments! Love this site.

 

I have been distracted by the poor quality of my latest ARE cap, but here is an article about Tailgate Sealing. Hope it helps! Tailgate Seals & Other Mythical Creatures