Quote:
Originally Posted by scottw
I have heard of others with the same problem but have not heard of anyone solving the problem yet.
Anyone else run into this problem?
Scott
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Hello Scott. I have the same experience as you on my 97. I also have the same experience when it comes to finding answers on the web.
I have struggled with the problem this summer without finding the solution. I live in Norway, so soon we'll have full vinter. Yesterday I decided to find the problem, no matter what. Early this summer I removed "all" plastic inside on the passenger side, including the glove compartment in order to be able to see where and when the water enters the interior. I also folded back the carpet.
During the summer I have observed a funny thing. Sometimes water came in during rain, sometimes not. It looked like the position of the car when it was parked was important. Also the fact that when driving in heavy rain in highway speeds, no water entered the cabin.
Yesterday I mounted the garden hose to spray on the upper right corner of the front window. After approx. 1 hour I looked at the floor on the passenger side and it was wet. The water obviously came from the lower cover of the heater modul, located right behind the glove compartment. I removed the 4 screws and removed the cover. The rest of the water splashed out. Now I looked and felt with my hand all the way up in the air intake and felt that it was wet in all "shelves" all the way up towards the air intake.
Then I went outside and removed the wipers and the cover (cowl?) covering the air intake and viping mecanism. There where not much moist in the "tray" proofing that the drains are open. This I already know as I checked this months ago, at the same time as I checked and re-sealed the passenger side mirror to eliminate that as a "water entering location". The reason for water entering the passenger compartment could not be seen. But when looking into the slots where the air is entering the heater I could see and feel that it was water inside.
The next step was to remove the complete "viper tray". I did it right away to ensure that the moist/water would leave clear traces about how the water enters the heater. The tray is easy to remove and I was finally able to view what I think have to be the reason to the leak. The viper tray is made of a plastic-fiberglass kind of material. It has a "ring" in the same material as a "sealer" ring around each hole. Below the holes there are a rubber-like seal going from side to side, going under the holes. I assume this seal is there for the purpose of preventing the tray rubbing, and making noise, against the firewall. I think that the long sealer string is the problem. On each side it ends close to end where the rubber seal (that seals towards the rear of the hood) in front of the viper tray ends. I think this corresponds with the earlier observations about the "angle" of the car when parked has an impact of if water enters the car or not. The rubber seal ends are flattened as they are pushed in under the "end" in both sides. I assume that when times go by the viper tray itself changes it's shape a little. Combined with the flat (and therefor wider) rubber seal and dust and debris and a "cheap" construction water will eventually find it's way inside the car. On my car I could see the wet trace of the water from the flat rubber seal at the passenger side end to the upside of the seal string that goes from end to end, and from the top of the seal string into the went holes. A funny thing is also that the holes in the fire wall is much taller than the holes in the viper tray. I don't know for sure if I have found the reason for the leak, but I'm close to be willing to bet on it. Now it's sunday morning 08.25 and I'm going to the garage with a "seal gun" to seal between the viper tray and firewall, once and for all.
I hope my experience can help someone. This leak has bothered me all summer. I have tried to search the web, but I only found frustrated persons like me that knew that our problem was not clogged drains from the viper tray or the ac. And the people I found to have the lousiest suggestions was the "super mecanics" that demands you pay for a useless answer
.
Please forgive my not to perfect english. It's not my native language.
EDIT: For how long was Adam in paradise? I did a "water test" after my "repair". I was confident I had found the problem,so I just wanted to verify that I had solved the problem. I let the garden hose spray, as rain, on the roof / upper corner on the passenger side of the front window. After approx 20 min I stopped the water and looked at the floor at passenger side. Guess what, it was wet. I could almost not believe my eyes. I could see the where the water came in and it apperas the it was not the same spot as last time. The water did not come out of the cover below the blower. It was wet way up in the dashboard, close to the a-pillar on the passenger side. I went outside and turned the water back on and went into the car with a small mirror and a flashlight. Then I could see it with my bare eyes. Water flowed into the car between the front window and the A-pillar. I marked the spot and got a small screwdriver thet I inserted at the spot where the water came in and I could move it without force until the screwdriver touched the seal on the outer side of the window. It was a hole where the water entered. Teh front window was changed 18 months ago. So I assume the company that changed it did a lousy job.
But, suddently I don't know if the viper tray "job" was uneccessary or if water entered the car both places? It could be. I had a wolkswagen years ago with a water leak and that was actually 2 water leaks.....So I really don't know. But if the car is sealed now I don't care.
I may not have the correct answer for your leak question, but atleast you know what I did. I will write the final verdict in a few days.
EDIT 2:
After I wrote this I was in contact with the company that changed my front window. The guy I spoke to told me that they had several Voyagers in the workshop over the years leaking water in. People came to them beacause they thought it could be a window seal leak. Several times they had found the water to enter the car through the air intake /viper tray.
EDIT 3:
I have reassembled the interior since last, and we have had rain the last days. Guess what, water is leaking in. It's not coming in through the heater intake, and it's not coming in between the window and A-pillar omn the passenger siden. But, it is coming in someplace connected to the A-pillar on the passenger side. This time the amount of water is much less than before, but it's still a leak. I removed the plastic cover from the A-pillar and observed that the plastic was wet on the backside. There is water coming into the A-pillar somewhere close to the roof. I think that this leak may not come from the window, but may be from the roof rack? I will again contact the company that changed the window (see EDIT 2), it seems like they had experience with Voyagers and leaks. Stay tuned!
Have a nice day!
Tor
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