I would personaly like to thank you for your tutorial. You helped me solve my problem. Thanks again.

 

Just one question please. In the case of the access doors in the wheelwells, Aren't they sealed better than they seem? Screws only? No silicone or anything?
Good thread.

 

They are NOT sealed! They dont need to be. They just close out the wheel well. All the stuff behind the panel is weather tight and should resist any moisture humidity or spray. Being submerged in water and or exposed to battery acid is a WHOLE DIFFERENT world.

BC

 

Thanks for the quick responce. I just got back from Miami, 3,200mi round trip, with my son and had a ball even when you include the plugged a.c. I never used the a.c. in Michigan except for the cursory use to make sure it still works.

 

thanks bill for the info I was at keystones car show last week and it was hot as hell but a nice show put on when i was on my way home i hit the air the car ran fine as i enter the house i let the car stay out side to cool down i want to put her up and i got no start low everthing i said what the hell I found your post and i had water back up because the hose was clogged I clean it out used a hair dryer and cleared the codes and she started up and running good thanks for this post. you have to love this forum

 

I have a similar leak coming from the top of the A-pillar but on the driver's side. Window seal looks fine, appears to be leaking from backside of the hard plastic trim piece behind the window seal. Any further info as to the fix for this kind of water leak?

Thanks,
Mike

 

Mike and Adam

The top is secured to the windshield frame somehow. I will dig through the service manual and see what I can fine but, I recommend that you check the roof to windshield fasteners and make sure that there properly tightened. The only place that I know that theres a problem is right at the area where the top, windshield frame and roof gutter meet. That area is a known leak point. If you need to seperate the roof from the window,,, ,,That is NOT an easy job!

BC

 

Thanks for the reply Bill. I haven't pulled the headliner out yet cause I'm not sure how to do it. Just found out how to remove the sunvisors so maybe it won't be too difficult after that. From there hopefully I'll see the fasteners.

Mike

 

Ok Bill, I have a question on my leakage issue. I have a wet passenger footwell each time we get a heavy rain. I pulled and dried the carpet and had my buddy soak the outside passenger hood/door junction. Here are the pics of the location where the water is coming in:


The arrow shows the location of the leak:


This is a pic of my upper door hinge area passenger side which is not sealed as of yet:


Now, I noticed pooling of water between the two bottom rubber seals of the door. It seems to me that the innermost rubber seal on the bottom of the door is what is incompetent rather than not having the top door hinge sealed. I looked at my friend's C5 and his upper hinges aren't sealed either which I believe it is not supposed to be. Looks like the water can pass right through the hinge area then out the bottom and then if the inner door seal is intact, no water should come in.

My question is, should I replace my weather strip on my door (which looks ok to my eye) or just do your putty/RTV mod on the hinge area? I'm not confident that the putty will really do anything as water still will come in at the hood door junction and get between the 2 rubber door seals anyway. I suppose another cheap fix might be just to silcone up the seals real good 1st which I can do easily.
Thanks for your input!

 

BerryJ

I had the exact same issue. I sealed the door hinge with BLACK RTV. Just tape up any colored body stuff and fill in the voids until its flush with the tape and smooth with your finger. That area has been a problem in other C5's and sooner or later maybe yours. The RTV or PUTTY treatment is FREE and wont hurt.

You need to see if you can see where the water runs in from. You may need to remove the inner door panel to help find the location.

In the mean time there is a fool proof workaround. I have a ZO6 and my leak is beacuse of a bad drip rail/windshield header/roof panel seal. Its a BITCH and TIME CONSUMING to fix. I decided to just eliminate the water into the foot well using RTV to create a small dam on the door sill. Just run a thick TALL bead of RTV on the door sill and then install the door sill cover while its tackey, ( I put vasline on the door sill cover bottom side to prevent the RTV from sticking to it. ) It made a perfect dam and the water runs OUTSIDE instead of inside.

Hope this helps.

BC

 

Sounds great Bill, I'll give it a try. Do you happen to have a pic of that last mod you mentioned so I can visualize what you are describing?
Thanks again!

 

No,,,,sorry,,,I dont have a picture. Just apply a thick bead of RTV on the inner TOP side of that sill (so it acts like a dam to keep any water that runs down the forward door sill area OUT OF THE CAR) I applied grease on the under side of the sill plate cover so it wouldnt stick and can be removed later.

Thats about it. Nothing very fancy or difficult.

BC

 

OK guys, I followed the procedures to try and stop a leak in my passenger foot well when the AC is on. Got the AC drain unclogged, but problem is still there. It basically floods the foot well with standing water after about 40 mins of running the AC. It is dripping right above and on my ECM. Need some guidance as I am in South Korea and don't have a lot of maintenance shop options. So I am basically learning as I go.

 

Is the air box drain a hard or soft tube? I just can't seem to reach it. Can the wiring be pulled away from the fire wall to get at the tube?

 

The HVAC drain tube that comes off the air box and sticks through the fire wall is hard plastic:



Theres a soft rubber 90 deg fitting that slips over top that plastic fitting:





The end of the fitting is crimped. Thats what normaly plugs up. I trimmed mine off.

You can reemove and install the fitting from the top. I have done it but you will leave DNA behind! If you DONT have headers, it's a snap to reach it from under the car.



From Below::





BC



Bill

 

Thanks Bill, No kidding on the DNA. It looks like a CSI crime scene. I wonder if I will lose points for blood under the hood. I will try to get it from underneath.

 

Thanks Bill now I can stop throwing up, went to clean my windows & reached for a towel in the rear area of my 03 ZO6 & found all of my towels soaked. This was 1/2 hour before work so I pulled all the carpet & seats out the next day & then I found your story so thanks for the help now I know where to begin. Thanks Again
Jim

 

I have a 1999 hard top.The water will collect inside dash then when i turn left it dumps on my electronics.Zips has looked at it twice,discount auto glass has looked at it twice(resealed the front cowl)but has not stopped the leak.Any ideas?Leaks only when it rains.C

 

It was a lot easier getting the tube off from underneath. Of course it is now dry so I can't tell if it was clogged up. I haven't been able to get it back on yet. Either Big Larry needs taller ramps or lose some weight. It sure was easier crawling under cars when I was a skinny kid.

 

Run the car parked for 10-20 min with the AC on HIGH in the fresh air (NON RECIRC) mode. If there is any humidity in the air, the evaporator will remove it and you should see water dripping out of that tube on the fire wall.
Seeing water on the ground under the drivers side is a good thing! If you DONT see water, you will eventually have a leak on the inside in the passengers foot well.