1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
before you rip out the interior to check on the sound proofing, check your rear quarter window seals, especially if the car had had one of those rear windows replaced, say, due to break-in. oh, wait, you probably already ripped it out...
anyway, the quarter windows attach with two brackets & 4 torx just behind the driver door. these brackets are adjustable (well, they have play in them anyways). if the brackets are pulled too far out of the window's frame piece, then when the window closes, there is not a tight enough seal between the forward edge of the window and the rubber molding. unfortunately, the only way to tell if this is the problem is to drive out the three rivets that hold on the black anodized cover over these two mounting tabs and remove the window. you might try sitting in the back seat at night and shine a flashlight in from the outside while looking for gaps between window frame/rubber molding.
you could try simply replacing the rubber trim, but it costs $50+ & is dealer-only & may not solve your problem. if the trim isn't deformed or otherwise wrecked, it's probably not the problem. also check the door molding - this is another leak source.
here's what i would do...
first, clean/dry everything out really well:
remove:
front seats
gear shift/ignition trim
front carpet piece
rubber/foam soundproofing
rear seat bench
rear soundproofing
you should be able to tell which side of the car is leaking based on the mold in the soundproofing foam. inspect the rubber window molding on the leaky side. if it looks good, i.e., is not deformed, pulling away from the car body, etc., then i'd suspect poor fit with quarter window. prove it to yourself by spraying the car with water to actually witness it coming in. if that ain't it, try jordan's recommendation.
if it is, you'll need to liberate the rivets on the cover piece, unscrew/ remove the window (leave the rear hinge attached but be careful not to drop the window, which'll break the hinge), loosen the brackets from the window's frame, push them in as far as possible, re-tighten, bend the brackets so that when re-attached, the frame exerts as much pressure as possible against the rubber molding, etc. you'll need a pop rivet gun to reattach the cover; don't leave the rivet holes exposed if you are unable to rivet the piece back on immediately (duct tape works here).
test the repair before putting everything back in. use a hose or, if you can't for some reason, just put the driver seat back & drive the car to a car wash for a good dousing.
now for the cleaning. get some soapy water & clean out the floor plan as best you can. mind the electrical components. rinse. now, get some water/bleach & do a rinse, which will kill off any mold. rinse well. suck up water with wet/dry vac if available. otherwise, dry well. may as well clean your carpets while you're at it. also thoroughly clean the soundproofing material. let dry for several days. replace from junker if the material has rotted & is basically too disgusting to put back in the car. put it all back together.
post back where you end up finding the leak & how you fixed it.
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bonus leak tip for 3-door hatch cars: if your hatch window fogs up a lot in winter, it could be that your hatch is leaking via a small, black, rectangular plastic cover riveted on to the car on the passenger side, just in front of the bumper. this piece has a rubber gasket that works fine until the plastic ages, warps, and pulls away from the car body, thus allowing water to come on in. quick fix is to clean the area and slap on a piece of duct tape. better fix is to clean thoroughly all the way around the cover, dry, then apply a bead of silicone around the edge (could also apply this from the inside of the car). super-anal fix would be to drive out rivets and repare/replace the cover & gasket.
posted by 216.160.9...
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