Big Problem with water leakage

[fender5]

Hey Guys,

If anybody lives around LA they know that there has been a huge storm with tons of rain. My moms 98' Crown Vic is normally in the garage but during these storms it was parked on an incline outside. When she went to go to work today the car smells like musk and the whole floor of the drivers side is saturated with water. I looked around but it doesnt seem to be coming from the door but rather seeping through the front end. When i looked under the steering wheel area I noticed that most of the metal surrounding the fuse box and other area were covered in a thin layer of rust. This tells me that there has been a past problem but has never been big enough to cause any concern. So... if anyone can give me any advice on where to look for the leak, how to fix the leak and what i have to do to get rid of the existing water, I would really appreciate it.

[ModMech]

My first guess would be that the windshield is not properly sealed.

[magmgud]

Yeah hi there.

I have a 1993 Crown Vic and I have the same problem and it really sucks! Anyways I ripped all the seats and the carpet out of the vehicle and then let water run for many minutes on the windshield area. After some time I saw leakage in the firewall (passenger side under the glove box). It was a very small leakage but after a couple of downpours (like in LA) the water builds up pretty fast. Anyways this has to do with the outside air intake for the air conditioning unit. The unit is split in 2 cubicals and water is supposed to go down both of them but there seems to be a bad gasket which lets water leak a path which it is not meant to go. I have not fixed this problem myself yet but I plan to do it when I have the time.
Hope this was helpful. Good luck.

[Wook936]

Sure can relate to this.... I have a 96 AND a 93. Both leak and, yes, I'm in L.A.! To make matters even worse, the kids left the windows down for three days on the 93 with a near perfect interior. The carpeting is "floating" and currently am pulling seats to pull carpet and dry out. The 96 is pass. side and drips from the right side near the kick panel, the 93 is driver side but can't find the "trail". I will test them when this rain ceases someday. Interesting comment on the air intake. Sounds like a "project" though... Windshield would certainly be easier.

[jimmytroanoke]

On my 95 GMarq. the AC drain clogged and gave me all kinds of water on the Pass. side. Remove the air intake cover at base of windshield and reach down in. you can feel the hole at the bottom where it is supposed to drain. Remove all debris and duct tape a small hose to your shop vac. Connect your shop vac hose to the "blowing" outlet and put the small piece of hose down on the hole in the bottom. I heard a big pop and the 3 inches of standing water in the intake box came pouring out the bottom of the car. Never had water in the car since.

[magmgud]

I have a '93 LX and have been trying to fix the leakage for quite some time now. I read the following at www.superford.org:

One of the fellows from www.superford.org, ([email protected]), pointed out something I didn't even know existed, and it did the trick for me - after spending months on end trying to find the rain leak.

If you pull back the plastic inner fender well on the right hand side of the car (very easy), you will find a rubber "flap" valve in the firewall of the car - that is the outer firewall. There are actually two firewalls, inner and outer, and they have an airspace between them. This rubber flap valve bridges the two firewalls, and the seal between them, foam rubber (thanks Ford!), has a tendency to deteriorate.

When the seal deteriorates, it allows water running down between the two firewalls, from the cowl, during rain, to "wick" around to the front of the flap valve and seep into the inside, where it settles behind the rug in the right footwell area.

All you need is is some (black) RTC carefully applied around the foam seal-to-flap valve interface.

This did the trick for me and is very easy and quick to do. About 30 minutes. Hope this works for u2.