I know posts like this are worthless without pics but the repairs have already been done so I'm writing this while I wait for paint to dry and the rain to stop.
the short version,
sources for my wet interior:
body plugs in the floor
grommet for heater core
deformed door seal
plastic rivet in the firewall that holds dashboard insulation in place?
read on if you are as bored as i am...
here's the story. after hard rains my car always felt nasty and smelled even worse. i checked the forums and checked all the possible water leak spots. rocker drains, elephant trunk and they were all clogged. that helped but i was still taking in water. after a hard rain from the tell end of cindy my drivers front carpet was just swamped.
so, i did what any not so normal person would do and gutted the car. the carpet padding looked as though this leak has been going on for years. (i haven't had the car very long, purchased November of last year) good thing as there was a ton of surface rust that needed addressed. there was also a fair amount of rust under the sound proofing. found some obvious sources for water intrusion. the metal body plugs were popped out. a simple wire brush, sanding, silicone and paint and fixed. since i was at the dash came out, that turned out to be a good thing. the grommet for the heater core was out of place. thankfully someone in this cars 27yr existence had the carpet out and did it the easy way and cut it around the hvac components.
once the car was emptied it was time to start tracking down the leak(s). unfortunately my garden hose don't reach where i parked my car so i started dumping buckets on the car systematically. i began at the drivers door rain gutter and just below the gutter on the top of the door. leak number one presented itself. it was the door seal at the lower forward corner. close inspection showed that it was deformed just enough to let water pass. the fix? i fed 5/32" fuel line through the little holes in the seal from the manufacturing process to give it some shape and done. dumped some water and rechecked. all was good. or so i thought.
its been raining like everyday here in east Tennessee. after a good hard rain i go out to my car and found the floor board full of water again. i got most of the water up and followed the stream. i looked like it was coming from the mater cylinder. it was late so i figured i would start on that when i get home from work the next day. before i left for work i went out and checked the car again. there has been no rain but my floor board had even more water in it? when i got home from work i started yet another investigation. the water was being retained by the sound proofing/insulation behind the dash. i located the source to be the drivers side plastic body rivet holding that stuff on. i confirmed this by temporary covering the hole with tape and let the car get rained on and inspecting during storms.
sorry for the long windedness. the rain is done for now. time to get back to work!
the short version,
sources for my wet interior:
body plugs in the floor
grommet for heater core
deformed door seal
plastic rivet in the firewall that holds dashboard insulation in place?
read on if you are as bored as i am...
here's the story. after hard rains my car always felt nasty and smelled even worse. i checked the forums and checked all the possible water leak spots. rocker drains, elephant trunk and they were all clogged. that helped but i was still taking in water. after a hard rain from the tell end of cindy my drivers front carpet was just swamped.
so, i did what any not so normal person would do and gutted the car. the carpet padding looked as though this leak has been going on for years. (i haven't had the car very long, purchased November of last year) good thing as there was a ton of surface rust that needed addressed. there was also a fair amount of rust under the sound proofing. found some obvious sources for water intrusion. the metal body plugs were popped out. a simple wire brush, sanding, silicone and paint and fixed. since i was at the dash came out, that turned out to be a good thing. the grommet for the heater core was out of place. thankfully someone in this cars 27yr existence had the carpet out and did it the easy way and cut it around the hvac components.
once the car was emptied it was time to start tracking down the leak(s). unfortunately my garden hose don't reach where i parked my car so i started dumping buckets on the car systematically. i began at the drivers door rain gutter and just below the gutter on the top of the door. leak number one presented itself. it was the door seal at the lower forward corner. close inspection showed that it was deformed just enough to let water pass. the fix? i fed 5/32" fuel line through the little holes in the seal from the manufacturing process to give it some shape and done. dumped some water and rechecked. all was good. or so i thought.
its been raining like everyday here in east Tennessee. after a good hard rain i go out to my car and found the floor board full of water again. i got most of the water up and followed the stream. i looked like it was coming from the mater cylinder. it was late so i figured i would start on that when i get home from work the next day. before i left for work i went out and checked the car again. there has been no rain but my floor board had even more water in it? when i got home from work i started yet another investigation. the water was being retained by the sound proofing/insulation behind the dash. i located the source to be the drivers side plastic body rivet holding that stuff on. i confirmed this by temporary covering the hole with tape and let the car get rained on and inspecting during storms.
sorry for the long windedness. the rain is done for now. time to get back to work!
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