Need Some Advice About a Water Leak

[Clone TIE Pilot]

If the floors are that wet, the carpeting and under padding need to be ripped out before the trapped water rots out your floor pans. Both sides implies that thd sheetmetal seam sealer on the firewall have failed, which requirex pulling the carpeting anyway to fix. Also requires pulling the hood and both front fenders as there are two holes in each external corner of the firewall that are poorly sealed with foam that falls apart with age.

 

[xitabl442]

If you have power in the doors, check the wire harness boots.

 

[83StreetMachine]

The water could be leaking on one side and wicking across once that jute padding gets saturated.

Check where the wiper motor bracket meets the firewall on the driver's side.

Dirt collects over the decades there and rots a hole in the firewall

 

[85montess]

Good replies, thank you. Once I find the leak, what is the best way to reseal it? Or I should say, what should I use to reseal it compound/caulk/etc-wise?

 

[Wagonman100]

Go to an automotive paint supply place and get seam sealer. The better seam sealer is a two part compound that requires a special gun to apply, but they do have a single tube type (one part) that can be applied with a regular caulking gun. Scuff the areas to be done with a scuff pad to give it some bite. And remove any dry, crumbling old sealer. If you scuff through the paint, put more paint on there and scuff that since the seam sealer is not meant to go on bare metal. They do have one for bare metal, but it is the two part type.

To find the leak reliably, do as suggested and run an open hose barely turned on and work your way up from the bottom to top, be it the firewall or exterior panels. Have someone inside looking for water starting to come in and make sure to hold the hose at the various locations for a while. Sometimes it takes a while for the water to start to come in. Since it seems to be on both sides, my guess it is the joint at the top of the cowl as well, but still check everywhere. You could have more than one leak. If the window seals were leaking you could get water dripping without running down anything else since the roof is narrower than the body of the car, but if it were coming in there, your seats would more than likely be getting wet. Also check you door drains. The bottom of the door can fill up with water and spill over into the car.

 

[TURNA]

Good for 50 years!!!!!

Only 5 buxx

Made to be hit/withstand water, wind, snow, sun and what ever else you can throw at it

 

[85montess]

Awesome, thanks!

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

Good for 50 years!!!!!

Only 5 buxx

Made to be hit/withstand water, wind, snow, sun and what ever else you can throw at it

Silicone generally has acetic acid in it that can make metal rust and rot pretty badly. A very common rookie mistake in fixing windshield glass leaks that ends up rotting the metal frame. Cheap now will always come back to bite you in the *ss hard in time. Also silicone house sealant is meant for houses, which tend not to move, flex, vibrate, or be exposed to automotive chemicals to the degree autobodies are subject to. For autobody sealing, you need either urethane or 2 part epoxy seam sealer. Silicone is even outdated 1970's tech for home use, elastomeric caulk or thermoplastic caulk are superior building construction sealants, but still have no place on a car body.

 

[Ribbedroof]

Whatever you use (urethane {good} or epoxy-based {better} would be my choice), make sure the area under the old sealer is cleaned/treated to prevent further problems later

I agree, no silicone!

 

[TURNA]

By the time that silicone does any type of damage.

I'll be dead or the car will be.

I have been using it for 30 years and NEVER had any issues with it.

Don't believe the nonsense.

Windows shake and vibrate every time the wind blows.

Silicone is purposely made to flex.

You think everytime you open a window, step into a tub, fill the sink with water, dishes, etc there is no movement?????????

That seam sealer GM used didnt do the job to well since most of these cars have been leaking for 20 years and are rot boxes.