help me diagnose this moisture problem?

[themadness]

i had my top windshield molding replaced last week. when i got up this morning the inside of the windshield and driver door had a bit of condensation...didnt pay it much attention. this afternoon around lunch my car sat for about an hour. when i came back to it, the inside windshield(driver side to the middle) and driver door had very heavy condensation. so much so that dragging my finger caused it to bead up and run. i called the guy that did the replacement and he said everything was good as far as the windows go. he does good work and i trust his judgement but the moisture has to be coming in somewhere. the carpet is a bit damp underneath(no puddling).

here's the short of it.....

i have heat and there isnt a "sweet" smell, passenger carpet is dry so i dont think its the heater core
i did a water test on the windshield and didnt notice any runs
i did a water test on the firewall leak i fixed last year and all is well....pulled back the carpet and everything

the only other thing i can think of is the rear window molding needs replacing and allows a bit of moisture in at the bottom passenger side. but that wouldnt cause that much moisture/condensation would it?

on a second note i didnt leave my windows down or anything. we have had weird weather lately but i wouldnt think that would be a problem. we went from 65-70 to cold as tits in about 36 hours!

either way i'm stumped

[Money pit Beretta]

A temp drop like that will make that happen. The car was still holding some heat and I'm sure the window seals on the doors are far from sealed do to age(cold air would be leaking in).

Just so you know the heater core dumps out the firewall when it goes bad. That keeps the age old carpet soak from happing, but unless you smell it you may not know when it's doing it.

[themadness]

i'm assuming the core going bad will be green?

right now that back window is covered in condensation.....about 40 degrees out

[Jeff P]

Yes, the heater core going bad will be green unless you have the DEX-COOL coolant they put in the newer cars, in which case it will be orange or red. The heater core is in a plastic enclosure that has a drain connected to it. Depending on the year, the drain either has an 1/8" hole or is wide open. In either case, many times the heater core dumps out coolant faster than the drain can accomodate and the coolant leaks from the plastic enclosure into the car.

As far as water entry, it could be getting in from anywhere, really. Obviously check the areas you suspect first (as you did). If you pull some trim panels or insulation away, you may find little drip trails in the dust that can lead you to the source of the problem. If your rear window has condensation on it, the water could be collecting in the spare tire well, under your rear seat cushion, or under the carpet in the rear footwells (the carpet is rubberized underneath, so it doesn't always seep through and become noticeable). As the sealer dries and cracks on your car, you will probably see more or worse leaks. I could recommend some seams to check, but basically you'll have to check all seams with a hose. Keep in mind that some leaks only seem to appear after rainfall or after driving in wet conditions, and leaks in the front will usually puddle in the rear footwells first due to the channels underneath the seats. Prolonged exposure to water will cause the paint to flake up and water will get through the primer, rusting the metal underneath. It's not as serious a situation as it sounds, but you will start to smell the dampness in your car and can get mold on the interior surfaces.

[Money pit Beretta]

My nose is locked on to the coolant smell. I smelled a little when we went to eat one evening. Opened the door and looked under the car and it was gushing out of the firewall. As you know the temp was normal and there was no low coolant light(the heat was not on at the time also). Once you smell that maple syrup smell when the heat is turned on replace the core.

Put your face by all the windows and see if you can feel air leaking in. It's best to do that after you have had the heater on and the car has been sitting for some time.

[themadness]

think i found the issue.......

in the midst of replacing the molding strip on top of the windshield the glass guy must have missed a step. on the passenger side under the trim there is what appears to be a square plastic sealer on top of the window weld that runs along the windshield. on the driver side that white piece does not exist and there is roughly a 1/4 inch gap. i pulled the seat(surprisingly easy), pulled back the carpet, padding, and all the way down to the metal. was puddled a bit under there. dried everything up as best as i could and start a water test. sure enough, water went down the gap, behind the weather stripping, and channeled all the way down. the dripping came out from behind the plastic trim panel very close to the fuse box. that worries me a bit. i called the guy and told him what i found. he said..."bring it to me on weds. and i will take a look." until then i left everything pulled back to get some air and hopefully dry a little. i also put a sheet of paper near where the dip was coming out. its supposed to rain so hopefully that will give me some idea of the drip amount until weds. when i get everything back in. it doesnt seem like much but it has been very moist here lately and thats about a week and a half worth of rain and dampness rolling in that hole. hopefully.....

my wife suggested since it was so easy to take the seats out i should an interior swap to gray this summer. she loves the gray opposed to red. here we go............summer projects!

[Money pit Beretta]

Good find.
Just remember that a red interior is kind of rare. Going to gray will make finding parts will be much more easy. Z26 seats are nice and comfy, but you will have to replace the foam in the drivers seat.

[themadness]

yea the red stuff is hard to find. gray would be nice but i would still have the dash to deal with as well as the door panels. those might be tougher to find. if i ever get the water issue confirmed to be taken care of, i might replace the carpet and padding. that stuff underneath is soaked. considering how easy taking the seat out was, a carpet change doesnt SEEM like a huge issue. especially if there is an extra hand to help out....

step one is taking care of the leak though. his advice to slow it down until he can look at was shoving some foam door weather stripping used on exterior house doors to plug the hole. its raining out now and probably for the rest of today and possibly tonight. interested to see how much water collects on the paper i put down.

[3X00-Modified]

remove all the seats and front seat rails, the center console, the carpet stays and the rear lower quarter finish panels (not totally necessary) and the carpet should lift out. I pulled mine in the pink car after getting it painted and let it dry out on the deck for a few days and then re-installed it.

[themadness]

well 2 big craps and a son of a.......

i think the leak i thought i found is not actually the leak. now it seems the firewall leak has returned. i went out (in the rain) to check the floor board while the carpet was peeled back. huge puddle in the flooring. after lots of drying, inspecting and getting drenched/cold....the water is coming down in the same spot as before. the plastidip fix lasted a little over a year. this time i want to get it for good. there is no way in hell i can get my hand down there to spread a silicone. is there something thats easy to take off that will give me more room or perhaps a more suitable spray solution that i can get into the tight spaces?

2nd note....still gonna take it back over to the glass guy

[3X00-Modified]

What seam do you think needs to be sealed to fix the problem? I'm willing to guess it's not the right one. I learned a lot when I pulled all the firewall sealant off my car and learned what ones are actually causing the leak.

[themadness]

i'm almost 100% sure its under the drain hole beneath the wiper cowl. the seam that runs straight down the firewall. that was it last time it just appears that the plasti dip has dried and cracked. the water runs down the wall and doesnt go past a hole in the plastidip layer. i think i may try to clean it up the best i can, where i can reach anyway, and get after with undercoating or rhino liner. but just to be sure i'm gonna pour some blue washer fluid down the wall and see if it comes out the same spot. blue liquid=leak source.

here is what i have now....
whats best to seal it considering my limited space to get to it?

what will dry up the carpet fastest? it is soaked fairly heavy. we are supossed to have mid to upper 60s before it rains again on thursday. that wont be sufficient i think for drying

would it be safe to put plastic between the bare metal and the black layer under the padding? i guess the sheets they put under houses as a moisture barrier. at the very least to stop any more damage until i decide if/when to change the carpet.

speaking of carpet.....is it necessary yo put any adhesive between the layers under the carpet? i noticed there was some sort of glue down there today.

[themadness]

what can i do if i cant find the source of the stupid leak? just live with it and vacuum it out every time it rains?

[Money pit Beretta]

Many people have sealed their cars. Just not you, me and a few others.

[themadness]

does yours still leak?