AunJeremiah

1994 jeep cherokee.

This is totally unexpected. I thought my vehicle was watertight.

We have been soaked in virginia the past month.

window and doors are dry and sealed tight.


but..

the floorboard carpets are wet in the front.

almost certain it is a cowl vent leak, but i have NO idea how to proceed to fix this, so i am taking a shortcut and hoping the forum experts, or even novices could lend me a few pro tips.

*note: i noticed it mostly on the driver's side floorboard, but then i checked the passenger side, and yes, it is wet too.

UHG !!!!!!!!

AunJeremiah

i just checked out a youtube video, and a guys actually misdiagnosed a motor blower seal leak for a cowl leak.

are there any tests to identify where the leak is coming from?

thanks@!

318SixPack

When I had that problem it turned out to be the windshield seal. I was told that was a really common source, and I had some dings and a crack in it anyway, so I had it replaced. Leak stopped. 1996 XJ Sport.

Was partly advice from Pat Goss on his Goss' Garage radio show, I called in.

New windshield crew cut the plastic frame out carefully, removed old windshield, laid down a bead of black goo (urethane sealer?), set the new windshield, and put the black frame back on. Was about 2003 and haven't had that problem since.

AunJeremiah

one quick question: who did the diagnosis?

i suppose it could be a high possibility considering BOTH passenger and driver side carpets are wet...driver's side is quite a bit more noticeable.

i'm thinking i could seal off the hood vent opening with some high quality duct tape and run a hose down the top of the windshield.

assuming the water has no access to the cowl vent, it could be worth a shot.

anybody else got suggestions?

thanks!

318SixPack

My 'diagnosis' was exactly as described above.

A better method than opening the parts cannon and shooting a windshield in, like I did, is lift up that plastic frame around the edge of the windshield and examine how well the glass is sealed to the body. Then use plastic and tape off from immediately below the window "frame" and run a hose over everything from roof to bottom of window.

Also might want to check the door seals. IIRC, you can take chalk and rub it on the face of the seal, close the door, run water over the top and squirt it up into the gap at the bottom. Let it drain out for a few minutes. If any water leaks past the seal, it will show as chalk missing from the seal face.

If you don't find any leaks that way, then other people on here should know the advanced diagnostics that I don't know.

AunJeremiah

yes, thank you for the suggestions.

i'm not necessarily ruling out the driver's side door.

within the last year, i had to get some help, as i locked both sets of keys in the jeep...and within the last 2 years, lost a whole set with the (third) valet key on it.

long story short, the guy mangled my door...i found out recently he could have actually dented it? but i can't be positive it wasn't there before.

in the end, we both were idiots, as he was trying to actually 'unlock' the driver's side door lock, when the auto door lock/power window panel was right there.

what would have taken maybe 5-10 minutes ended up being over 30 minutes of futility.

i can't really blame the guy, as i should have known better.

caged

i would start with a garden hose. remove the cowl panel around the windshield wipers and see if it's filled up with leaves/debris. clean out, then fill up with water using the garden hose or watering can.
if floor gets wet, that's your source, but if it's filled up with leaves, that will plug up your drain and water will enter the cabin. usually fixed just by removing leaves.

if that's not the source, pour water along the windshield edge along the top, window seals like to rust out along the top. you would need your windshield pulled and frame repaired, then windshield installed again with new sealant.

but if your drivers door was bent due to a tow truck driver or whoever, pulling your door frame out to access the locks, this could be your leaking problem. you would need a new door. you can try bending the door frame back in towards the vehicle, to hopefully seal back up enough as to not letting water in.

country2

When I went to find all the leaks on mine when I replaced the floor pans my leaks were all found using a water hose and were in the following area's..
Seal for the steering shaft where it come thru the firewall was not in the hole
Leak around the blower motor.
Bad floor rubber plug.. even had one gone.
Of course had some rust holes in the inner rockers that I had to weld up.
last was at the antenna.

awg

yes, hose is the way...try a hair drier all around the window seal 1st...see if u can feel air getting thru

NM-XJ

I have a leaky window seal, took awhile to figure out. What I eventually did was to take paper towels and stuff them in into the interior crevice between the windshield and A-pillar trim, then use a hose on the exterior. Where the paper towels started wicking water is where the window seal is leaking.

AunJeremiah

thanks for the great ideas.

i have had absolutely NO time for this project as other priorities have take importance.

fortunately, the heavy rain has ceased.

i'm still waiting on my state dmv to revive from its comatose condition to get me my antique plates, and i'm past due on inspection,which the long crack on the bottom windshield will certainly not pass.
i can't afford any repairs.

thrstone

Hello from a few miles up I-64/81 near Harrisonburg. I have no great ideas re: your Jeep, just sympathies regarding the weather in Virginia. It's been terrible. My yard flooded, raised beds washed away in my garden, the house almost flooded - literally half an inch from coming under the door, I have to spend a fair bit of time and money replacing the gutters and drainage from guttering on my house.

I have had water ingress into my old Cherokee before. A shop vac / wet vac from Harbor Freight was $30 well spent, in my opinion.

AunJeremiah

i feel for you!

i have a close family member attending senior year at jmu. was just up there a little over 2 weeks ago.

and yes, i have had two significant home/roof/gutter leaks at my house recently.

fortunately one was on the copper porch roof, and even though the osb board literally rotted through (it was a seam that, if not sealed every year, busted rhough), only the porch wood flooring would get soaked.

the other gutter leak resides in the back of the house, which mostly is my fault, b'c after 17 years of manual diy gutter cleaning (twice a year, spring/fall) i have literally pulled a good section of the gutter and fascia board off the ends of the roof trusses on the top roof.

of course the builder/contractor thought it was a great idea to use screws when attaching gutters to fascia board, and nails to secure fascia board to roof truss ends.
in the end, guess who wins when an ignorant homeowner decides to pull on the gutters just a tad, j, while standing on his tiptoes on a lower roof to see at the bottom?
nails lose all the time vs. screws.
in addition to other mistakes i have made, i would recommend to never lean your ladder directly on the gutter. i pretty much had no choice, but was mostly lazy and too cheap to invest in a ladder stabilizer bracket.

hope you are mostly dried out by now!

i've got a nice slope that leads to a creek in the backyard. i'm high up enough to not have concerns from the ground up!