water leak under drivera side dash?

[steelynorm]

Small puddle on weather mats this am, pulled lower dash and Feel wetness on wires under steering wheel?
I looked under Faq, couple of people posted problem never saw resolution
Sunroof drains clear, front drain by driver side wiper clear.

[the imitator]

Need more information, is it dripping from the left or right side of the drivers side dash, if its towards the door, you may have rust somewhere, if the leak smells like coolant or happens on dry days as well. Most likely your heatercore is leaking.

More people will chime in here soon I'm sure.

[steelynorm]

water drivers side

Left side part on the drivers side dripping down part of wiring above hood latch.
There is a black type of formed insulated foam tar paper that is damp as well.
Not sure how far to tear into dash to find leak. I am getting a little concerned about going further. Right now I have two boxes pulled out and concerned I may mess something else up

[the imitator]

weird thats kinda of where mine is actually, havent found it exactly yet, but being in the NW I should probably find it huh.. lol no carpet or anything in it righr now luckily..

[aaronmclaren]

Around windscreen check that as all mine was rusted through

[audiquattrot]

there is a grommet that surrounds the steering column going thru the fire wall. see if its there or missing

[steelynorm]

seal around steering column is good

Any other ideas?

[audiquattrot]

how does the seal around the windshield look? particularly the bottom of the windshield. Maybe take a hose to the windshield w/ the lower dash removed and go from there. Maybe spray against the firewall too w/ the hood open. Then at least u can narrow down the area

[steelynorm]

i will try that again with more of the dash removed... fun fun fun...

[Old city bimmer]

^+1 on the grommet.

[steelynorm]

12/31/22 Rainy Day in Norcal with no end in sight.

Happy New Year fellow R3vsters..
i was the OP on this thread, that is crazy.
i am running to the exact same problem as before...on a different E30.
HAVING A MATRIX MOMENT...

Cowling is clear and I dont see any build of water on either side of the car, dumped a few cupfuls of water and it quickly drains out to through the elephant trunk.
sunroof drains run through easily.
window seals look intact?? I think.

water is dripping from some of the wiring by the hood latch.
window seal looks good, maybe i am not looking at the right place?
My car is pretty rust free.

what grommet is Old City Bimmer referring too?

Any other ideas???

[moatilliatta]

There is a wiring grommet, clutch master grommet, grommet for heater core hoses, Hood latch grommet. All which I have found before wicking in water. But if you're still scratching your head, the windshield frame can rot out close to a drain hole.

Sometimes the gaskets will cover it up.

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2238969-Windshield-Rust