D2 leak when it rains - found leak

U

ubuntu

Well-known member
Apr 16, 2014
225
1
Mosquito Alley
My carpet gets soaked in the driver's foot well each time it rains. The water is concentrated along the door sill side, so I suspected that it is coming from the fender side or door seal somewhere. This has been driving me nuts for a couple of weeks, I have the headliner out and most of trim.
No leaks in the roof area, sunroofs, roof rails, GPS plug, Alpine windows, windshield, drain pipes are open (snaked and compressed aired).
Today we had big rain storm, I grabbed a torch and sat in the car determined to find the leak. Found it, a 1/4" stream of water coming through the hole for the plastic rivet that holds the side panel at the driver's left foot.
If you have the panel off you will see a rubber grommet with some wires through it, below that is a threaded hole - that is where it is leaking.
I'm going to plug the hole with a pan head screw with some thread locker, fuck that plastic rivet.

Now I feel stupid for feeling excited because I found a fucking leak :banghead:
 
bendts

bendts

Well-known member
Jan 27, 2015
277
18
Farmland
ubuntu said:
My carpet gets soaked in the driver's foot well each time it rains. The water is concentrated along the door sill side, so I suspected that it is coming from the fender side or door seal somewhere. This has been driving me nuts for a couple of weeks, I have the headliner out and most of trim.
No leaks in the roof area, sunroofs, roof rails, GPS plug, Alpine windows, windshield, drain pipes are open (snaked and compressed aired).
Today we had big rain storm, I grabbed a torch and sat in the car determined to find the leak. Found it, a 1/4" stream of water coming through the hole for the plastic rivet that holds the side panel at the driver's left foot.
If you have the panel off you will see a rubber grommet with some wires through it, below that is a threaded hole - that is where it is leaking.
I'm going to plug the hole with a pan head screw with some thread locker, fuck that plastic rivet.

Now I feel stupid for feeling excited because I found a fucking leak :banghead:
Click to expand...

You found where its entering the truck, but where is the leak it self?

I have the same thing on the passenger side, and i think its coming in along the windshield edge.
 
U

ubuntu

Well-known member
Apr 16, 2014
225
1
Mosquito Alley
Nope, if you open the driver's door you see a space between the door and the front fender. There is a box section running down there that starts with the A pillar. The front sunroof drain pipe runs down in there, you can verify that if you lay under the truck and look up. At the bottom corners of the front windshield there is a rubber trim piece at the bottom of the A pillar finisher trim, below that is a gaping hole into the same box section. So water draining from the windshield runs down that box section as well.
 
U

ubuntu

Well-known member
Apr 16, 2014
225
1
Mosquito Alley
100% not the A/C drain lines or sunroof drains.
I have a visual on the water flowing in and it is limited to that one location on the driver's side.
I have plugged the hole with sealer - plan A with a bolt did not work.
Waiting for more rain to see what happens.
 
jymmiejamz

jymmiejamz

Well-known member
Dec 5, 2004
6,008
361
35
Los Angeles, Ca
Your sunroof drain goes into that part of the body and drains out the bottom. If you look under the car the is a pinch seam there. Take a punch and spread it a little, and water should come out.
 
U

ubuntu

Well-known member
Apr 16, 2014
225
1
Mosquito Alley
jymmiejamz said:
Your sunroof drain goes into that part of the body and drains out the bottom. If you look under the car the is a pinch seam there. Take a punch and spread it a little, and water should come out.
Click to expand...
Thank sir!
That was exactly it. I pried the seam open and about a gallon of water streamed out. Ok maybe not a gallon but a significant quantity. Fucking British injuneering.
 
M

MNinWI

Well-known member
Dec 19, 2007
83
2
Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Filled in the threaded hole, my carpeting today (after about 2.5 inches of rain) is only as moist as it was before it rained. So I think I got it solved.

For a few years I have been trying to figure this one out. Have a 2003 D2, no sunroof.

I had a 1989 Jeep Comanche pickup, that had a defective seal on the windshield which was my source of interior carpet soaking. So I kept thinking window or windshield seals on the D2, or maybe a door seal. It never occurred to me that the water was coming into the D2 thru a hole that was installed at the factory.
 
U

ubuntu

Well-known member
Apr 16, 2014
225
1
Mosquito Alley
If it rains enough you will get a wet carpet again, the water dams up in a box section then overflows at the lowest point - which is the hole you plugged. But if it rains enough then the next hole up is the problem. The fix is to grab a flat screw driver and pry open the seam underneath - that really fixed my swamping problem.
 
U

ubuntu

Well-known member
Apr 16, 2014
225
1
Mosquito Alley
I will get some photos when the sun is up.
But it is easy to find, open the front door and follow the door post/A pillar down to the sill and mark the spot, now lay on your back and look up at the spot you marked on the sill, the seam is right there under the sill.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom