Ford Repair: water intrusion in cab of 1997 ford ranger, saint cloud florida, plenum chamber

Question
first let start by saying that I replaced the following parts out of frustration:
1. front windshield and rear window
2. weather stripping that seals the top of door and pillar (not the stripping that goes all around door opening)

we just went through tropical storm faye with not 1 water leak with over 12 inches of rain. today we get a down pour and i get a river under the dash on both the driver and passengers side floor. from the door sills to the middle of floor it is soaked. almost like i have a water fall coming from under the dash. firewall is dry. water is entering with truck sitting in the rain, sometimes.

I have done the following:

replaced front windshield,rear window and weather stripping that seals the top of door and pillar. I removed all interior plastic,peeled back carpet, removed passenger airbag plastic dash cover (great view of inside of dash), radio and dash cover (another great view of inside of dash) and knee plate cover under steering wheel. with all these items removed and garden hoses pouring water all over every inch of this truck, no water leak can be found. i suspected the windshield cowl, so i poured water for a very long time. no water leak. it seems as though it has to rain a certain way for water to get in and when it does, its bad. high pressure water from car wash and or pressure washer, no leaks. I am lost and need help. I do not know what else to replace and or fix

thank you,
mark

Saint Cloud, Florida

Answer
Things that can leak on a 1997 ford ranger:

1) Air intake tower inside sheet metal cowl section. Water could either be entering the tower or around the tower seal. This would be behind the glove box area. If water is entering the tower it is possible that the cowl drain flaps are blocked or stuck shut. These flaps are under the inside front wheel well covers and allow the plenum chamber to drain itself of rain water. You would have to remove the front wheel wells to see the flaps. This repair you could do yourself. If water is entering the air intake tower seal it must be resealed to repair. This repair would require a trained technician.
2) Sealer split or sealer missing due to age at high cowl to lower 'a' post seam. This seam is under the area where your fender and cowl screen meet. The fender would have to be removed in order to access the seam. This repair would require a trained technician.

I assume you do not have rust through or body damage as this would change the attempted repair diagnosis.

Drew Young