Huge Leak - Please Help!

[khan0165]

Hey Guys, I hope someone can help me out

I own a 83 GP and I discovered my carpet was getting damp. The driver floor has been replaced, and raised. So I thought the weld job was bad and water was being scooped up when I drove in rain.

I tore the interior out and found my floors rotten. The insulation was soked in rust and mold, and luckily the carpet is still fine. However, I discovered that the floors are not the problem.

I quickly started to diagnos all the typical G-body rust/leak areas; ie the windshield, door seam, front cowl areas, etc...

The winshield and door areas are fine.

On the passenger side, the seam where the floor meets up at the firewall is rotten and water gets in when driving... no big deal

The driver side however, is a whole other issue. Through hours of water testing, I've determined the water is going in around the left cowl area; behind the fender, at the back of the inner fender, under and beside the wiper motor.

Took the car to my trusty body shop, they repaired the floors and found two holes; one along a seam between the braket that holds the wiper motor and front fender, and another somewhere under the dash.

But, the leak is still there, from the exact same place, coming in the exact same way. And I am convinced it is leaking from where I described.

My question is; how do I take the front fender and inner fender off?

I can't get a tool in the door seem because the door gets in the way. I can't get the back inner fender bolts because the wiper motor gets in the way. And I can't figure out how to seperate the inner fender underneath in the wheel wells.

I'm really stuck, and this is a major problem because I rairly have indoor storage.

Can someone help me out? Pictures would be handy


here are pictures of underneath my hood, where I have a brake proportioning valve attached to the top of the inner fender, and an external fuse box attached at the bottom front.

here is a picture of the inside showing where the water comes out

and here is a picture of a GBODYFORUM member's car, that shows where I think the rain water is going in

 

[Blake442]

Does your car have power windows?
If you look in that last pic of Vlad's car, you can see the plug where the wiring harness pokes though for PW/PL cars, or there is a plastic plug there for cars that are not so equiped.
If the rubber boot has become dislodged, it would allow water to pour in.

The wiper motor is in the way of the lower wheel well bolts because you'll have to remove the wiper motor to get to them.

 

[IhaveNoPantsOn]

The easiest way is to take the fender, inner fender, and plastic wheel well out as one piece. First, remove the hood. Three bolts on either side. You will probably need an assistant. Then, detach the charcoal canister and wiper fluid reservoir and set them off to the side. There are maybe 5 or 6 bolts (14mm, I think) that hold the wheel well to the frame, mostly around the charcoal canister area. There are 2 10mm nuts up inside where the front of the fender attaches to the header panel. You will also need to loosen or remove the other 4 nuts that hold the header panel in place. (right inside where the front of the hood meets the header panel.) There are 3 10 or 12 mm bolts that hold the bottom front of the fender to the plastic bumper filler. There is a 16mm (I think) bolt holding the bottom of the fender to the frame, right behind the wheel. And 2 more 16mm bolts that hold the 'tabs' of the inner fender, behind the door. These are right near the hinges. You can access them from either side with the door open. There is also a random 14mm bolt in the wheel well. You will see it, it's obvious. When it comes time to remove everything, you will have to hve someone pull slightly forward on the header panel, to get the studs out of the way of the fender. The assembly should then slide forward and out. Lift it up a little to clear the tire, and it should come right out. Putting it back in, be careful of the tabs that go behind the door. You're probably gonna scratch the crap out of the top of the door, like I did. Overall, it took me about half an hour tops to remove everything when I had to replce my passenger fender, and when I had to pull my driver side fender to bang out a dent. If I get some free time tonight, I will try to get some pics of where all the nuts and bolts are.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Your problem does not require fender removal, just wiper motor removal. The leak is coming from the grommet for the hood release cable or the bulkhead connector for the wiring harness. To fix mine, I used weatherstripping sealant on the grommet after removing the old sealant. For the bulkhead connector, I used butyl acetate strip caulk. If you want to make new gaskets for the steering column or the bulkhead connector, make them out of closed cell landau top foam from an upholstery shop.

 

[khan0165]

oh man,

these are some awesome tips guys, I will give these a go.

85CutlassBrougham, would you happen to have a picture of this gromet area? If not, could you mock one up on someone's picture like I did?

IHaveNoPantsOn, those are helpfull tips. I will give it a go if it comes to removing the fender. Any chance you have pictures from when you removed your's, or pictures of the bolts?

Thanks guys,

 

[IhaveNoPantsOn]

I will take some pics tomorrow after work. Like I said, it only took maybe half an hour, when I removed the passenger side, and it was pretty simple to do. The only problem is lining everything up when it comes time to put everything back together. After removing the hood twice, replacing the passenger side fender, and removing and reinstalling the driver's side fender, nothing lines up like it should.

 

[khan0165]

haha, fair enough...
the body on my GP is all over the place anyway, so it won't be too much worse

I look forward to those photos,

thanks again!
Cheers,

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Just follow the hood release cable back to the firewall and that's where you need to seal. I changed my cable at the same time with another one I salvaged, and I gooped the grommet from the donor car with sealant before I pulled it through the firewall. After that, I covered it with sealant from the engine bay side and basically cocooned the whole thing in weatherstripping glue. I chose to use the weatherstripping adhesive because it remains pliable and has good adhesion characteristics. I had previously used strip caulk, but as the grommet moves a little with the hood cable when it is pulled, it manages to loosen itself up. Just be sure to clean the area real well before you put the adhesive on as it will not stick to grease, dirt or peeling paint for long.