I have a 1996 5 Speed 4.0 2 Door Cherokee. When I bought it, I noticed the back seat was damp, but the guy I bought it from had a whole bunch of crap on the seat so I figured something might have spilled on there and it just didn't air out. It dried up for a little and now the wetness is back. There is a water spot on the driver side ceiling running from the end of the door about a foot towards the back of the vehicle. I've driven it in the pouring rain and checked to see whether or not it was damp, but it wasn't...no drips or anything. Even if it did drip, It would need to drip a lot to get the seat as wet as it is. I lifted the seat and checked to see if the floor was damp, but it was completely dry. Are there any problems with the Cherokees that would cause the seat to become wet? Any insight or ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

dude.. you got me! does the moon-roof leak?

 

The only thing I can think of right now is that the rubber "gasket" around the door has rotted away and is allowing water in now.

 

Does it have a roof rack? If so is it sealed? Double walled roofs do form condensation. Where do they drain?

 

There is no moon roof. The door hinge is a little saggy, but the weatherstripping covers it fine. It does have roof racks. That was my original thought. I was just going to silicone on the edges of the driver side roof rack since that's the side it leaks on and hope for the best, I mean it couldn't hurt, so we'll see what happens. I have no idea where they drain, but if they're supposed to drain out somewhere, it's not working because it's ending up on the roof and/or seat. I just don't see how it could drip that much onto the seat, and it's more on the middle of the seat, than the edge.

 

dude. the under side of my back seat and the carpet under it gets wet too.
and when i drive for an extended period of time, i get this burning plastic smell coming from there. i believe that there is bad welds under there. where the spare jack and all that bull**** goes. it gets really hot, smells, and sometimes wet. especially after it rained a bunch in california.

 

Is your cargo area wet/damp as well(on the passenger side)?

If so, go open your hatch and check the overlapping metal at the top/passenger corner. I had a damp cargo area and the water was running from there all the way up under the seat and settling where the jack is located......rusting a 1/2 dollar sized hole there.

I used some RTV sealant on that over lapping metal in the hatch jamb area and it's 100% fixed now. I believe just the constant body twisting over time caused the gap to open up and allow water in there.

 

Wow. This thread is from last year, haha. I'll check into the hatch to see if that's leaking. My floors rotted out and I welded in new panels But there's never any water collecting anywhere. I tossed the carpet out and bedlined it so it would be pretty easy to see. I just leave a towel on it and it works fine. I think it got soaked once and just never dried out.