spazzyfry123

More like a lake. No chemicals, just water. I figured it was the condensation drain, so I blasted an air compressor through its out on the firewall: no change. I also noticed a drop here and there run along the tube inside the cabin and applied a water proofing epoxy/cement (some pretty gnarly stuff, used it to plug a big leak on a water pipe while water came out) where I noticed it coming from: no cake. I cannot think of anything else this could be (what's rain?). I'm tired of getting into a constant humid vehicle from something ridiculous.

Is there something else I can clean/clear out to prevent this?
Could some large-shoed previous owner kicked the nuts out of the drain and invisibly cracked it?

Trickynick89

Check the seal around the windshield... its common for those to leak in jeeps. Just reapoxy it

XjBeast96

had same problem on my 95. I took out the blower motor and put black rtv around the mating surface and reinstalled...no more leak

spazzyfry123

It's been so long I don't know what rain looks like. Even if the seal is bad, that's not it. The puddle is there daily and who knows when the last time we've had rain.u
Couple quick questions... How easy is this? I replaced a heater core in my last one and damn... Never again. Easy access and all? Also, RTV what mating surface?

Screwd up 6

MIne was doing this. EVEN tho your plastic drain plug is stuck thru the firewall...it drips to the edge, then runs along the bottom of the tube and drips on the floor. Try getting a pc of hose and running it from the drain plug 90* down to the hole in the frame below it. This will make the water run out the bottom of the jeep. It comes that way from the factory, but many peoples tube falls out becomes missing over the years.


and as for the size of the puddle...mine would leave a good 1/2-1" puddle of water from a 30 min trip with the a/c on. ( i didnt have carpet just bedliner floor)

spazzyfry123

Thanks, good idea on the 90*.

Well I started digging to put my XM in today, but decided since I was already there... I'm starting to think the culprit is not the drain hole (at least where it meets the firewall). Let me do a bit of a picture walkthrough I did with my phone to give a better visual. *Previous owners were a bit of a mess... Once this is figured out the whole interior is being torn out for steam cleaning.

Here we have the wonderful Lake XJ centered in beautiful Buford, GA. The water starts pretty much where the floor board begins to "ramp up" towards the firewall and goes back to the seat:



As you can see, nothing near the firewall is wet. But the area that is most wet is coincidentally where the wetness begins - Directly below this "V" shaped opening in this cover nearest the kick/fuse panel:



This is what is inside of that cover looking through where the glove box would be. The cylinder-shaped thing with the long arm attached to whatever on the right of the picture is what is nearest to that "V" (great description, I know).



Same area, just further out... You can see the cylinder doo-hickey with the arm and such for reference:



THIS is where I think the leak is coming from (directly above the "V" as well)... The vent for the cabin filter I'm presuming?



I tried to take the cowl cover off, but the passenger side wiper is not cooperating like the driver side. This is all I could manage to see from lifting up the passenger side. Should I tape this up?:



Not much information at all, I know. But this is all I have to work with short of tearing out the whole dash (which I've done for a heater core in a past XJ and really do not want to have to go through with all of that if possible).

Someone please help as this **** is annoying!

Also, this is what I have already done where the drain meets the firewall:



It looks like someone already put RTV there, and then I added some white LocTite kneaded puddy super-duper dam stopping stuff yesterday.

Screwd up 6

I would say if it does this daily...and you want to make sure its related to the a/c. drive it one trip...one way with no a/c and see if the carpet get wet again.

In the pics the "doo hickey" is an actuator that controls the circulation in the a/c and heatercore box. Usually that one moves when you set it on max (recirculation) if my memory serves me right. Either way, you might have a leak there but I never did so I dont know a solution to this one for you. Hopefully someone can chime in soon to help.

Screwd up 6

Just a guess...maybe your drain valve is clogged and its building up water in the inside of the box and leaking elsewhere. I knwo you said you blew it out, but try sticking something in there and moving whatever is in there out of the way. Mine had a lot of old foam when i did my evaporator replacement.

bigvig

Just a guess, but maybe your drain tube isnt actually plugged (if you blew it out), but whats happened is, there is a bunch of crap in the heater box itself blocking the condensation from even getting to the drain tube. I just changed my heater core and evaporator earlier this summer and in my box was a ton of "junk". Dog hair, leaves, dirt, dust, etc. Mine was doing the same thing as yours but I didnt know it because it was still going out the drip tube, just not like it should be. I cleaned my box WELL before putting it back together and its an incredible difference on how much drips out now. I bet its pooling up in the box itself, and slowly leaking onto the floor.

spazzyfry123

So you're referring to the box to the left of the green harness?



I need to take that out... AKA tear out whole dash?




Yesssssssssssss.......

bigvig

Thats what my issue was. Inside the heater box (where the heater core and a/c evaporator are), the a/c evap sits lengthwise from the firewall to the dash (its like 4" thick, one foot square and the ends face front to back). It sits mounted in the box in a slanted/tapered area, so when condensation occurs it can run off towards the firewall and out the drip line. My box had never been taken out before, so when I did it I had 12 years worth of crap in it. It was blocking the drip tube basically, even though it wasnt clogged up. It was pooling inside the heater box and although it was getting through to drip out, probably 75% of it was left behind, pooling and leaking. onto the floor.

Im not saying tear your heater box out tomorrow, but thats what mine was doing. If you recently had it out to change the heater core, did you change the evaporator also? Did you at least clean the box out? Did you have a shop do it and you dont know? Its possible thats your problem. If you run your ac for a little while, is there a lot dripping out, pooling on the ground? If not, its backed up.

Slugger

Mine is leaking through the windshield. you should check that out first. Mine only leaks when it rains though.

Also I took my cowl off to make sure it wasnt clogged and I had tape over the holes you said you thought you should tape up... but it drains better with the tape off so i took it off.

spazzyfry123

Oops

Slugger

You should pull up your carpet and see if theres a lot of rust where its been leaking. I know when I bedlined my floors where it leaked was a lot more rusty.

spazzyfry123

Done did. It is surprisingly clean from what I've seen aside from those nasty fish swimming around in there.

My big concern is the airbag. Battery has been disconnected but still scared. Any reason to keep stressing?