Robert Henriksen

Three times in the past year, I've taken in water in the cabin of my car. The first time was the worst: carpet & sound insulation on the rear floorboards, plus the driver's side front floorboards, were completely saturated. It's a miracle the DME and/or wiring harness weren't fried. But I couldn't find where the water had come in.

Twice since then, when driving along in heavy rain, I've found flooding in the driver's side rear floorboard.

Needless to say, this was really cramping my driving. I had two nightmares: leaving my car at the dealership for weeks on end while they tried to reproduce the leaks, and of seeing my tub rust out. So I'd just quit driving it in the rain if at all possible. And never reinstalled the rear sound insulation or carpet.

So when I got an offer of an extra set of hands from my neighbor, I knew I had to get off my duff. We pulled the rollbar & interior out Saturday, and then the incredible happened: we got a perfect amount of rainfall Sunday to reproduce the problem. Doug drove while I monitored the floorboards for leaks. Eureka! I isolated the source to a few square inches, and we headed back to the garage.

I pulled the long black plastic sill cover from the underside of the car, and pulled more of the carpet back from the area. Nothing was jumping out at me, until I decided this looked suspicious:



This area is just below the trailing edge of the driver's side door:



When I hit these two (unsealed!) gaps in the tub seam with a moderate spray from the garden hose, there was plenty of water flowing into the cabin through a seam on the vertical face of the tub. Basically right at the outer edge of the floorboards, behind the back left corner of the driver's seat.

This seam was sealed w. some kind of goopy substance at the factory, and it looks to me from the first picture above that the factory worker got distracted and sprayed to either *side* of the seam in this area. Here are a couple of detail shots:





I used a variant of JB Weld to plug the holes, and replaced the sill cover. I won't know 100%for sure the problem's been licked until the next heavy rain.

This looks like a one-off manufacturing fluke (cute secretary swished by while my car was on the line?), but if anyone else has those sill covers off for an oil change or whatever, I'd recommend casting an eye along those seams & check out the sealer or lack thereof. I'm also thinking about sending a pre-emptive letter to PCNA & the local dealer, telling them what I've found in case I do develop rust somewhere along the cusp of the rust warranty.

Thanks Doug! <img src="graemlins/wave.gif" border="0" alt="[byebye]" />

neunelf

Robert, Thank you for the great pictures and the detailed explanation of your leak. I will in the near future inspect my car for this. Water infiltration can be insidious and I am always on the look out to head it off at the pass.
Thanks, Brad

Matt Vaughan

Good to hear you found the leak.

Now you can join the rest of us in the next downpour at TWS! :-)

os993

Congratulations on your excellent Detective work! I've never had any water problems, but will inspect this area next time I'm in that area.
<img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

Robert Henriksen

I can't tell you how much I *wanted* to be able to go out there & play in the rain! Nothing like not being able to do something to make you want it

Now instead of dreading rain here in town, I can't WAIT for a good downpour to go out & (hopefully) confirm I'll stay dry. That leak was pretty demoralizing.

Kabel

<img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[crying]" /> Well Robert now you have succeeded in making me feel somewhat remiss about not adding my two centavos. I don't post unless I am sure of what the problem is usually and I was under the impression that you were having an interior leak from your air conditioner. But I had a "wet place" under the passenger rear mat and insulation and it turned out to be a hole that had been left unplugged/sealed similar to what you found on yours. Guess next time I will post and risk being out in the margins rather than leave a prospective fix unspoken! Sorry bout that!

Robert Henriksen

I'm way overdue in posting a follow-up.

Next heavy rain, I *did* get more leaks. Took it to the dealer, who first determined that the last windshield replacement job failed to properly seal the perimeter against leaks - and that water coming in at the lower driver's side corner of the windshield was running along the floorboards to pool behind the driver's seat.

Okay, so they fixed that & sent me away.

Next heavy rain: STILL leaking!

I went back into the shop area with the mechanic & spent about half an hour with him while he poked around, and I made sure he knew about my ability to repro the leak by spraying water into those unsealed seams. What he told me was that the rocker area was hollow, and was actually designed to let water run through that area - he showed me the holes intended to allow water to drain out of those areas.

So his conclusion was that it wasn't an issue of the seam gaps allowing water into that hollow run w/in the rocker panel, but rather that that tub seam on the inner wall (which you see in the rear footwell when you pull the carpet back) was inadequately sealed. He packed that seam up with lots of sealant (I don't know exactly what he used, I didn't stay with him the entire time).


Since then, I have only been through one heavy rain. I wound up with perhaps a tablespoon or two of water in the rear seat, driver's-side footwell, which was a heck of an improvement. I haven't pursued fine-tuning the solution further yet.

Matt Vaughan

Wow, so you got your car back? How about the CEL?

Robert Henriksen

No, no -- what I recounted in the last post happened about a year ago.

My car's still on its second extended stay in the countryside with Uncle Mike.

Sounds like what you tell your kids when the vet put down the family dog: "Kids, Buddy went to live at a farm in the countryside..."

DJF1

At least it sits where the RSR used to sit! All nice and comfy and protected from the element
See you guys in less than a month! Yippeeee!!!

Are you guys going to do the TWS club DE on January 24???

Robert Henriksen

Oh, I'm glad to hear it's inside! Maybe if I get really bored I'll go out there one weekend that Kelly's working, wash it, and throw a cover over it.

January 24? It's the weekend prior to that - and, yes, plan on being there.

http://www.lsrpca.com/Calendar/calendar.html#2004

When are you next in town?

DJF1

Yeah January 24,25 with the TWS club:
http://texasworldspeedway.com/sched/index.htm

Unfortunately I will miss the LSR DE because I'm flying in on January 23rd...
Hope that Mike will have the car ready with the new engine, suspension etc on!!! Whooo hoooo!!! Imagine I will fly in having not driven anything at speed for 4 months and next morning I will be seting up the JRZ's! LOL

Matt Vaughan

I won't make the LSR DE in January, but will be at the one in Feb. I MAY try to make the TWS event, permitting...

Danny, what's this about a new engine?!? Where have I been?

DJF1

Rightfully so with the BEST mod/upgrade you have ever done. Your new daughter

Yeap...it's an RS engine 3.8 varioram etc straight from Germany I'm converting the track car to full RS specs to run C stock! I know I'm going to be in big trouble

I hope you make it on the 24th its going to be a fun event.

Again congrats on your daughter...

poorb0yw

Hopefully I'll be joining yall in Feb.