Rain leaks

[nightman61]

Good day, reaching out here. Years ago, 1985, my parents bought a Fifth Ave as my mother loved the body style on my 1980 Diplomat. Even though my car was a 2 door, she liked it. After about a year, I went to visit my parents and I saw dad trying to find a leak on it. I asked, he said when it would rain hard sometimes the drivers side of the car inside would get wet and the trunk would get water in it. I don't think he ever figured it out. My Diplomat never had that issue until much later, like 2005. Water on the floor, but never in the trunk. That diplomat is long gone, and I bought another. Same car, upgrade model from what I had. I have had my new one now for about 4 years. Opened the trunk a few months ago, after a heavy rain and found water. Rear floorboard was wet along with drivers side. Same issue my dad had with my moms car. Passenger side is bone dry. First time seeing water, I pulled the hose out, and tried to find something, but no luck. When mom's car leaked, I just thought one in a million, well seems now it is 2 of 3.. I say that since her's leaked, my old one didn't, and now this one does.. surely someone has had the issue. Any Help? Where would it be coming from? Carpet under dash, is dry. appears leak in trunk is coming from drivers side hinge on trunk lid. My car was kept in garage prior to my ownership. Most of the time it is dry with mild rain. Only leaks on heavy rain days.

 

[Aspen500]

You may want to look for a trail. Sometimes, even when it's dry, there will be a trace of the water path.

With water in the trunk AND interior, could be leaking past the rear glass seal. I assume you mean it leaked in while parked, not after driving in heavy rain(?)

I was an auto tech for 40 years, and finding a water leak is one of the toughest things to do. Where you see the water, may not necessarily be anywhere close to where the actual leak is. Not meaning to get you discouraged! LOL

 

[nightman61]

You may want to look for a trail. Sometimes, even when it's dry, there will be a trace of the water path.

With water in the trunk AND interior, could be leaking past the rear glass seal. I assume you mean it leaked in while parked, not after driving in heavy rain(?)

I was an auto tech for 40 years, and finding a water leak is one of the toughest things to do. Where you see the water, may not necessarily be anywhere close to where the actual leak is. Not meaning to get you discouraged! LOL

 

[nightman61]

Thank you, you are correct, it only leaks when parked. That's what I was thinking. I assume the only way to tell is to pull the trim inside around the window, only headache there is I have to remove the entire rear seat to pull side panels. The car has the landau top, so I can't simply pull chrome trim, there is none. Any suggestions on the front floor leak? The car is parked on a uphill drive, probably about 15 degrees. That's were I am puzzled about the water getting in at all. The cowl under the hood is clean, and even when I wash car, water flows out of it with no problem and not into the car. The door seals are great, and not dry, or cracked.

 

[Mikes5thAve]

The most common spot for the front leak is from the windshield.
My 84 has both front and rear leaks. I always kept a towel in the rear quarter to collect any water. It was like it was coming in from the fuel door area because there was never enough dampness higher up or any signs of being wet compared to the amount of water that would puddle in the side.

 

[nightman61]

Thanks for the reply Mike.. That would be the only spot water must be coming in. Looking at it all, water in the trunk, and water on the drivers side only. I have had the carpet out of enough cars and with the angle the car is parked would explain why the carpet behind the seat is wet. I should be able to pull trim off front window to look at that. I guess whom ever was working the drives side of the car was having a bad day..hence the leaks coming from both front and rear. Now, just to figure how to get the rear glass sealed with a vinyl top.

 

[Mikes5thAve]

I never had the carpet get wet from it only that one spot in the trunk. There's no way for it to get to the interior from there.
Did you lift up the carpet to see if it's wet underneath? It could be traveling there from the front or somewhere else.

Guess in youtube videos of someone in a car wash and you can see the water coming in on video it must be really bad when these ones are so hard to find!

 

[Justwondering]

I went to the dollar store and bought lots of school kids colored construction paper. In the trunk I laid it out on every flat surface, shut the trunk and sprayed the trunk surface. Opened the trunk and checked for 'drop' outlines.
There were none.
Shut the trunk.
Sprayed the landau roof, made sure the water was drifting over all the 'bonnet'.
Checked inside the trunk again, and had droplet patterns on the construction paper that was sitting directly under the edge of where the bonnet attached to the metal prior to getting to the trunk opening.

Took all the paper out, got a flashlight and crawled into the truck.
Looked up at the transition between the trunk opening and where the bonnet was rivited to the metal body. Two of the five? rivits were rusted out and the water was leaking between the bonnet and the metal at the window.

JW

 

[Justwondering]

Here: Trunk Tales
and
Here: 87 Fifth Avenue Tail light lens

I need to check and see if it is staying fixed.

JW

 

[LSM360]

I have had them leak water into trunk and was coming from back window mostly. Some leaked into a taillight housing and trickled down (could see trail as mentioned by Aspen500). Windshield or cowl could be source for front leaks. I have had to fix leaks from both those sources.