Found my mold problem. What's the most likely source of the leak?

[kennith]

I'll have a picture soon, but it's been raining for a while now, and the passenger side floor is wet.

Thing is, it's more toward the dash and door-side kick panel than anything else. The A/C hadn't been run in a while, either. I was just too fucked up to take it out or give a shit.

Before I go digging into things and spreading those spores all over the place, what's the most likely component or seal to be at fault? Usually it's an A/C issue, but I don't think that's the case here. Maybe sunroof?

There may be a couple more places from it sitting in the NC heat and humidity (alpine windows may need to be re-sealed), and it didn't help that I'd put some stuff in there that likely had some mold going on (and driven a car with some mold before I parked it). It's just never been an issue before.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[K-rover]

The drain in the fender could be clogged up. It can back the water up into the cab through the screw holes behind the kick panel.
Happened to me last year.

 

[kennith]

Shit. That may well be the case. Lots of trees and their associated nastiness around here, and I haven't detailed it in quite some time. I was wondering if it was something around the firewall.

I'll have to take a look. Got any tips I might need?

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[K-rover]

Shit. That may well be the case. Lots of trees and their associated nastiness around here, and I haven't detailed it in quite some time. I was wondering if it was something around the firewall.

I'll have to take a look. Got any tips I might need?

Cheers,

Kennith

Look under the truck directly behind the A pillar. You will see a small hole in the sill, thats the drain. Its more than likely clogged up with dirt and debris. When I stuck a screw driver in the hole its pissed out water for several minutes. Now when it rains I can see the water dripping out under the truck so I know they are still clear.

Edit. I couldnt actually see the hole. maybe because of my sliders? but I could feel it.

 

[kennith]

Thanks man, I forgot about that stupid thing.

I'd better go do that while it's still wet.

Edit: Can't see or feel anything down there. Maybe I was thinking about something else. The carpet and all is dry right now. I'll have to get a better look tomorrow. Maybe I can hose it down to see if I can make the leak happen.

Of course, there were a few spiders down there, and we don't get along. I'll have a better look when I scare them off. It does smell musty underneath, though.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[jymmiejamz]

Knowing how you are, I would go ahead a pull any trim you are planning on cleaning, then water test it with a hose on the roof for an hour.

A common spot for leaks is the body seam at the front corner of the roof. If you pull back the corner trim of the gutter and look from the top you will see the cracks.

 

[kennith]

Knowing how you are, I would go ahead a pull any trim you are planning on cleaning, then water test it with a hose on the roof for an hour.

A common spot for leaks is the body seam at the front corner of the roof. If you pull back the corner trim of the gutter and look from the top you will see the cracks.

Yeah, I'm going to strip the interior, I think. No telling how far that stuff got, and I don't want it coming back. I've had the interior in and out several times.

Sucks, because I just started modding the factory trim to get my stuff in there instead of using custom panels. It was really turning out nice...

It could well be a body seam; or anything else. This vehicle (until recently) is always very well maintained and clean, and it looks nice, but it's taken a beating over the years. I stay on top of things, naturally, but that's kind of the problem.

So very little goes wrong, that when it does, sometimes I'm left scratching my head.

I did repair that area of the caulk once before, so maybe it's come loose. I did do a very good job of it, though. I'm going to check that entire area, as you suggest; as well as the drain that was mentioned. I'll try and make time for it tomorrow.

I really need to get a look into the body soon. It's twisted about two degrees. Sort of fucks with your head when you look at it from the right angle. The seam at the rear on the passenger side does have a small leak; but it's nowhere near bad enough to cause this.

I was planning on fixing it as soon as I felt like doing stuff.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[ubuntu]

My D2 did the same on the driver's side. Water is supposed to drain at the bottom of the A pillar, but was damming up and then leaking through holes behind the trim panel in the foot well. If you look under the vehicle you will see a pinch seam at the bottom of the A pillar, pry it open with a flat screw driver. Mine pissed about a quart of water.

 

[MNinWI]

This old link helped me find the information I needed to fix it on the drivers side on my 03 D2.
https://discoweb.org/forums/showthread.php?t=91911

There also was a little rubber cover over a hole on the panel by the door hinges, that rubber was partly open and acted as a funnel to draw any rain water that dripped down into the body work. I used a bit of glue (Shoe Goo) to glue that rubber cover back on, used tape to hold it there while the glue set, then decided to leave the tape on for good measure.