rainmn

I am at the end of my rope with a water leak in my cab, and I'm hoping someone has a suggestion I haven't read already. I've now read every thread with "Wet floor" and "Water leak" at least three times, and I've tried it all. (I think.) Here's the story:
When I got my car, it had unfortunately been sitting out on a dealer's lot through quite a few nasty rain storms. Why it never crossed my mind to lift up the rugs, I don't know. Probably just the excitment, but so be it. A few weeks after owning it, I was doing some detailing and came across the wet floor. Dried it all out, and took care of a few things I thought could have been the cause.
Since then, it's only been in light rain once or twice, and Ive checked it afterward - dry. Same as after every wash. That was, until Friday. I had to drive about 75 miles in a downpour with the car. Once I got to my destination, I reached behind my seat and felt the rear carpet...soaked. After some intial investigation yesterday, I found it was only on the driver's side, and worse in back than up front. Sat it out with the rugs and insulation out, top down in the sun to dry it out.
Today, I pulled out the seat and a few other parts to get a good view, and went to town with the hose. (In the rain, no less.) Not a drop. Full blast with the hose, point blank range, everywhere on the car. Nothing. Even places you wouldn't normally blast with a hose on a cab...nothing.
Here's what I think I've ruled out:

-Cab top waterproofing: Just did 4 coats of it a few weeks ago. This was the first time the car got wet. If it's coming through the top, somehow it's getting past me and not getting anything in the car wet, other than the floor.

-Body seams: Many of the threads I read pointed back to one where someone suspected an improperly sealed body seam. I pulled off the rocker, and blasted that area as well...way more directly than water could hit it with the cover in place. Nothing.

-Windshield: The most commonly suggested area, and the one I hit the most with the hose. I understand that wind could force the water into the seam, but how does it get to the floor? Nothing under the dash is wet. All around / under the dead pedal has never been wet. If it's coming through the widshield, I have no clue how it's making it's way to the floor without leaving anything else wet. A few of the threads I read about windhsield leaks showed evidence of water on it's path to the floor. Since my windshield is pretty pitted, I may just replace it anyway and hope for the best.

-Fresh air intake: No chance. I can put the hose right up to it, and hear and see it drain under the car.

Right now, the car is back inside, minus half an interior. Bone dry inside. I REALLY don't want to put it back together, only to have to do this again next time I have to drive it in the rain. Any thoughts?

benedsha

Just happened to be reading through the discussion forum and found this. I probably was one of the posts you read looking for the same thing. I tried the hose thing as well to no avail. I ordered new sound proofing for the passenger and rear floorboards and would love to find the leak prior to installing. My leak was definitely coming from the underneath. Nothing above just above the foor board was wet. Someone suggested to me that it maybe coming from along the hood, running through a channel leading to the floorboard on the passenger side. I know your original post was from December but would appreciate any help that you could suggest. Thanks

Shane

Robert Collins - 96 993TT

I had a cab but never had this problem. I could make the window seals leak a little with a pressure washer, but never from just rain or driving.

Two thoughts:
1) If the carpets would get wet just sitting on the lot and not driving, then you have a problem with a drain. I think there are drains in the doors and in some of the door seals. You may want to check all the little holes in the doors and the seal around the doors for something clogged. The drain for my gas tank cap are was clogged and I never figured out why, but you could have asimilar problem in some drain somewhere. I would check door areas as well as the front hood. Remeber, these cabs do not have the traditional 911 rain gutters, so something out of whack could be a serious hindrance to water drain.

One thought, alothough you may not wish to do it, is to leave everything out of the car and take it outside next time it rains. Let it sit in the rain and see if it leaks. You may even sit in the car and listen for running water or just watch for a leak or water pooling. If you find it, great!! You will have water in the car, but no carpets or other things to dry out. If it does not get wet, you just eliminated one possibility.

2) If it does not get wet sitting still then you probably have a leak from underneath or a rain gutter issue. Since most of us only drive fast in one direction, think about the water flow. It is probably entering from front to rear, which makes me think wheel wells or maybe transmission tunnel, somehow. Either that or a rain gutter somehow diverting water the wrong direction.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Robert

24FPS

haven't had any leaks what so ever in mine. (knock on carbon fiber)

but was curious... how is your drivers side door (window) seal? is it tight to the window or is it warped leaving a slight space? the reason i ask is that i had a past car that had a leak that was caused by that seal not being totally flush... water would gradually fill the door & leak out a drain hole into the door threshold spilling behind my back seat. (problem became more severe when car was facing uphill or speeding in the rain).

fwiw: thought i'd share that w/ ya. took forever to trace the leak. but w/ new trim, it was o-va.

BOL w/ finding a fix. quick.

rainmn

Quick update. Since I posted this, I've hit the car a couple dozen times with the hose, with no water making it's way into the car. It's also been raining here on and off since then, and I've left the car sitting in the driveway. (Still minus half an interior.) Still bone dry.
I just pulled it into the garage to put the rocker cover and driver's seat back on the car, in hopes that the rain continues. If so, I'll be taking an hour or so ride on the highway tonight.
With my luck, I'll come home with wet floors, but still none the wiser on where the leak is coming from. At least there won't be padding & carpet to dry.
The only positive out of this is that I've been getting some work done on the garage with the car outside. Oh, and I shampooed all the rugs from the car.

Oh, and I forgot one more common suggestion that I've also ruled out - A/C. On the drive that turned the car into a pool, I didn't have the A/C or the defroster on.

Texas993

Ray, I think you are jinxed by your member name. Change it to Dryman or something and see if the leak goes away.

William D

Have you checked the seam between the plastic rear window and the canvas top? If the driver's side bottom corner leaks, it could travel to the rear floor. Good luck. Bill Z

24FPS

>>>>------------- -------------------->

rainmn

Well, here we go again. Took it out for a ~30 mile highway ride before in light rain. Still dry. After I get home, it decides to start raining hard. Left the car out in it for a few hours, still dry.
Took that same ~30 mile ride in the now heavier rain. BINGO. Driver's floor completely wet. More in the back than front, but I'm not sure if just traveled that way.
The car is now back in the garage, seat out again, and I just searched for an hour and a half. NOTHING higher than floor pan level is wet, other than the very bottom of some of the surrounding padding. Under the dash is dry. Under the pedals is dry (The wood floor board is out too.) Behind the panel where the rear speaker mounts is dry.
I'm convinced it's coming from the bottom up, but I still have no clue where from.

Mike J

I am not clear on what you actually removed. Did you remove the rear seats/carpet/padding down to the metal? I too am chasing a leak and it was getting the floors wet especially behind the drivers seat...turned out to be just under the rear window, the water would run down the rear shelf, down behind the seats, soat up in all the foam padding under the rear seats and then wick over and down to the floor soaking the floor. I spend two years thinking the leak was in the floor pan (its hard to search when the car is driven in fair weather and some rain once in a while). Anyways I finially noticed that it was wet under the glued down carpets (I had to peel some of the carpet back to see). Now I know the source of the water the next step is getting it fixed...I posted about my battle with the dealer.

Did you check under the carpets and rear seats (which are glued down?).

Cheers,

Mike

rainmn

Mike, so far, I've removed the driver's seat, front & rear carpets and insulation, and some trim panels. The rear seats and glued down carpet are still in place. I have, however, pulled the carpet & padding away from the metal far enough to get my hand behind it everywhere on that side of the car. I can't feel anything wet...all I get is a hand full of glue.
Last night I loosened the panel that covers the rear shelf, just enough to get my hand under it, trying to see if it could be the rear window. That panel has insulation on the back of it, and it was bone dry.
I'm going to try and get it on jackstands today, in order to pull the front and rear fenderwells, along with any covers under the car that are still in place. If that gets me nowhere, I'm afraid I will be pulling a lot more of the interior out than I wanted to.
Did I mention how I hate glued-in carpet?

MonkeyBoy

It's a common problem (but I don't know what the solution is or if anyone else does!). I was never able to solve it in my 964. I'd check the other boards as well for ideas.

orcfromthesouth

We know the leak needs speed to get in. So. I suggest you lay out some traps to isolate the spot were its entering the cabin. Maybe you can 'paint´an edge with some red watercolor (kiddy set). That should leave a trace leading to were the water 'broke' the red ring. The suspect area, if you consider air stream as a required aid, is were the roof affixes to the body, drivers side. Hope this helps.