Some background:

I bought my car in 2000. It's been stored since then and driven a few times up to this summer. I drove it ONCE in the rain before this summer and noticed water would drip/spray on my left foot when driving.

Since then, I've torn out the entire interior while doing a restoration. When I took out the carpets (it was December) they were FROZEN SOLID behind the driver seat where all the water from the T-top leaks and the mystery leak at my foot went.

I painted the floorboards with POR-15...I'll get new T-top weatherstripping eventually...I patched a small hole in the firewall where my feet go...and I thought I had solved the problem.

A few weeks ago, I was driving in the pouring rain and felt water and noticed water puddling behind my seat again! (I still have no interior). This weekend I took a hose to the underside of the car, beside the fender, door, behind fender, wheelwell etc. Nothing! Then I sprayed the air intake thing at the base of the windshield where the HVAC system gets air from. Water started POURING into the car underneath the dash on the driver side. I have a ram air vent on that side (non A/C cars had them) and the water just drops right in.

So that's my problem. How do I fix it? It seems like such a stupid design. The ram air vent is just like a drain for all the water that rains into that air intake! Am I missing a part? If I plug up the ram air vent, water will just collect in there and I'm afraid it will eventually rust the area out! Any advice?

This must happen to other people and be the cause of many wet carpets on the driver side. Passenger side probably too!

 

When you say you were spraying water into the vent area, were you literally spraying it into the vent, or was it just running along past the vent?

That vent is supposed to have a foam gasket to seal it to the underside of the air intake cavity; if it's ever been removed and re-installed, it may have gotten torn during the process. It's a real pain to remove that vent, because of the wiring and stuff in the area. 4 10mm bolts hold it in place.

Also, check around the pivot point of the driver's side windshield wiper arm...there is supposed to be some tar-like sealer spread over top of the 3 mounting bolts to prevent water from getting through, because that pivot is directly above the vent opening; any water seeping past the pivot will run straight down into the vent and onto your feet.

Pete

 

Thanks for the response.

I ran water down the front of the windshield and it drains into the air intake place. It could be coming in the driver side wiper bolt location, but I think most of it drops in the vent opening on top of the firewall with the mesh screen when it rains.

I know what you're talking about with the foam gasket on the underside of the dash. It is actually slightly damaged. I removed and reinstalled it when I removed my dash to the firewall. But the water comes through the middle of the vent, just like air does. It's a ram air vent, so it rams in air....and water!

If the water just comes in the mesh screen below the windshield, it can flow right to that vent just like a river channel. Am I missing some sort of a water barrier that's supposed to stop it?

 

btt

 

i have this exact same problem, and i dunno how to fix it either...

 

For future reference for those with the same problem....

Pete was totally right. It was the gasket. It's just so dry, it didn't seal anymore. PLUS...two of the four bolts holding it had broken mounting points, so that side didn't seal, even if the gasket was good.

I removed the vent (it IS a huge PITA), reinforced the bolt mounts with steel washers as backing plates with epoxy, and then used liberal amounts of silicone sealant on/under/over the gasket. Then I put it back in place.

No more leaks!

 

so just to be clear here, are you referring to the air intake vent down in the cowl area below the removable screens? Just curious cuz that could be my problem too.

thanks.

 

Yes, that is what I am talking about. Only have them on NON A/C cars.

The picture shows my vent with the steel washer reinforcement I added to the mounting holes. I added a large washer to all four corners, then a smaller washer to bridge the gap to the stock bolts. In the picture, the vent is upside down.

 

hmmmmm....So only in non-AC cars?? Where is the intake on AC cars then?? (mine is AC).

 

Should be on the passenger side only, behind the blower motor. Non-A/C cars use the driver and passenger plenum for the ram air vents. A/C cars just use the passenger plenum, otherwise they wouldn't be very efficient with the A/C on and a big hole on the driver side!

I've always wondered what A/C cars have on the driver side then? If you don't have a vent there, maybe you still have a block off plate with a gasket and it leaks too? I'd love to know! What can you see by looking in the screen below the windshield?

 

interesting! I will take a peek tomorrow after work and let you know what I find. I think those screens just pop out if I remember correctly.

 

They have some screws too, and I found it very hard to pop mine out without bending the plastic badly. Just a warning to be careful.

 

well, just finally got to checking it out recently! ....never ended up getting around to it in the fall cuz we ended up storing it again .

just to let you know kanuck, there are no filler plates on the AC cars. It is solid metal. The problem turned out to be water coming in through the hood release grommet and the wire loom next to it. Glad i finally found it!