ok so i just bought a 95 cherokee last week. i had not been at my house for a few days and we have got a bunch of rain recently and i opened my jeep and it smelled a little funny. so i opened the cargo area and i found a little standing water in the pass side of the cargo area. it was all the way against the hatch but my driveway is at a angle so obviously it would flow backwards. i looked at my rear hatch seal and it appears to be in decent condition. is there any common leaks for cherokee's? the whole interior floor is rhino lined so and in the passenger area the carpet was put back down.

any idea's or personal experiance would be appreciated. thanks

 

Check the rubber seal at the top of the rear window

 

my 94 Cherokee does same thing....with a a seal on it...wish i could help...i eventually pulled everything out til i can figure it out....lol

 

LOL, I know that smell. We were tailgating at a mini-football game about two weeks ago and it was pouring so we huddled under my hatch. The next day sun came out and temps went into the 90's, came out of work on lunch break and thought something died in the Jeep the smell was so bad, haha. Just thought I'd share that, .

I would check the rear hatch seal or maybe look for a bend anywhere that the rubber is glued to that water might find a way in.

 

Sit inside the closed hatch & have someone run a water hose on the outside of the XJ while you watch from the inside to see where the water comes in. Best way I know to troubleshoot an interior leak.

 

^^^^x2.Do you have a factory roof rack?Mine was leaking around one of the screws holding it on.Check the seals under the rack and see if anything looks bad.

 

water hose... search and destroy...

 

I know mine is leaking at top of hatch almost all the way across....took it thru a car wash...lol....yes it still leakes in easy rains....other than replacing the seal,which i did, i wasnt sure what else to do

 

You might have to adjust the hinges to make the door sit straight. My front driver side door was leaking thru the seal when I first bought the Jeep and I could tell that the PO tried to fix it with sealant & rubber tubing. I had a body shop adjust my hinges and it hasn't leaked in years.

 

Wow, SUBWAY, I just had the same experience, just bought a '95 - it rained last night and my cargo area is quite wet, seal looks good. Its 16 years old so I will figure out where to get one, then I will take StationWagons good advice and get hinges adjusted!! I'm so glad that I discovered Cherokee Forum.

 

mine does it...old hatch was cracked, got another one, got new weatherstripping....still does it. I just drilled holes in the floor and it stays dry now.

I dont have carpet

 

wow... old thread... glad to see a newbie using the search though! welcome!!

 

I recently fixed my hatch leak by swapping the seal in from a '99+ XJ. They are quite a bit thicker than the '84-'96 seals & fill up the gap quite nicely.

 

That is a great idea, my seal looks good, but looks pretty thin to do much good. I will look for a 1999/newer seal. Thanks again

 

I went to an autobody supply store, bought 15' of good quality weatherstripping. BUT when I re-installed it, I took off (or loosened) the trim around the hatch, I even loosened the striker post (?) at the bootom, in the middle, so I could fit w/stripping properly. I started at the top of the hatch, in the middle, and worked my way back to the top, where I cut it off so there was hardly a seam. My factory w/stripping started at the bottom, and there was a 2 - 3" gap where the striker post is. Have been through a couple downpours and no water inside!!