FJ62 bad water leak in cabin - continued - wit's end (1 Viewer)

[kirvesmies]

One of the classic steps to check door seal fit is to close the door on a dollar bill, then pull on the bill with your hand and see how easily the bill pulls through the sealing area. You might try this on your driver's door where you suspect the seal might not be contacting the A pillar or post.

$h!t! i've got 4 'yotas in the yard, in various stages of construction/destruction, got no dollar bills left! do you think quarters will work?

 

[Tennessee80]

a couple of months ago we had a major rain storm and i noticed my driver, passenger and even rear floor mats were soaked (i've got an 89 FJ62). welp - it was the cowel, specifically, the drains at the ends. it seemed the PO never, ever cleaned or cleared it. over decades the debris that accumulated at the sides of cowel turned into dirt and clogged the drains.

That could be my issue as well. How did you access those drains?

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Best way is to pull the fenders off so you can access the vents.

Its just to the right of the red arrows in this pic, the down swoop looking thing held on with three screws. It normally has a black tube connected to it running down towards the bottom:

 

[Tennessee80]

Best way is to pull the fenders off so you can access the vents.

Its just to the right of the red arrows in this pic, the down swoop looking thing held on with three screws. It normally has a black tube connected to it running down towards the bottom:

View attachment 2544815

Thanks!

So if my windshield that has rubber separation at the lower corners isn't the culprit, it could be this? My only water in the rig is in the driver and passenger floorboards.... Driver worse than passenger

 

[TheElegantFox]

Thanks!

So if my windshield that has rubber separation at the lower corners isn't the culprit, it could be this? My only water in the rig is in the driver and passenger floorboards.... Driver worse than passenger

Likely, that’s what I’m chasing. Hoping to do a hose test today with the interior kick panel off to see if I can get any leads.

 

[86aggie]

If I remember correctly, on the driver side, you can remove the large plug(black oval) on the firewall where a wiper motor would be for a right hand drive model, and put a hose in there, directing the stream toward the drain.

 

[roadstr6]

I had a leak in the driver floor board several years ago and it turns out that water was running between the hood and cowl and dripping down onto a wire bundle near the brake and clutch master cylinders, following the wiring through a torn firewall grommet and dripping from under the dash right onto the floor mat. Sealed the grommet and the leak went away. Sometimes it's the simple things...

 

[TheElegantFox]

If I remember correctly, on the driver side, you can remove the large plug(black oval) on the firewall where a wiper motor would be for a right hand drive model, and put a hose in there, directing the stream toward the drain.

Yeah, this plug here allows access to the channel for cleaning. Just don't bust it up with a flathead screwdriver like I did when opening. I'd use a trim tool on it.

 

[TheElegantFox]

I had a leak in the driver floor board several years ago and it turns out that water was running between the hood and cowl and dripping down onto a wire bundle near the brake and clutch master cylinders, following the wiring through a torn firewall grommet and dripping from under the dash right onto the floor mat. Sealed the grommet and the leak went away. Sometimes it's the simple things...

That sounds like something worth checking on mine. Where was the cabin entry for the water with that leak?

 

[roadstr6]

I believe mine was at that big rubber plug just below and to the right of the area you just circled above. Hard to tell because my truck is a 60 and has a clutch MC. I'm not sure if the firewalls are exactly the same for 60's vs 62's, but probably so. My truck had some funky aftermarket wiring that ran downhill from the top of the brake master toward that big grommet. The grommet was split and the water ran right down and in through that grommet. I see in the pic aboove that yours seems to be free of extra wiring, but it wouldn't hurt to check that grommet for tears.

 

[fruitjack]

yeah i took the two rubber plugs AND the wiper motor off then i used the vac we have to clean the gutters; just to be sure i also used a snake. that did the trick.

 

[nutop]

I had it done by a Cruiser specialist and I had let them know I had a water leak, so they were really thorough with the windshield install. I'll have to check that corner and see if it's still causing issues though.

just curious who you used? i went through the same thing and 3rd time was a charm for me to finally get my windshield leak free

 

[TheElegantFox]

Here’s some of the firewall plugs and grommets.

 

[TheElegantFox]

 

[TheElegantFox]

Here you can see the internal extent of the previous impact. I did find the recycled fiber mat backing of the interior kick panel to be wet along the bottom, but no signs of a high up leak yet.

 

[TheElegantFox]

Alright, did a water test and found the failure point. Top cowl seam below the windshield seems to still have failed despite a new seal.. A hose pointed at the joint got water inside easy.

 

[CenTXFJ60]

Good find. Need to remove all existing seam sealer. I’d wire wheel the joints and the apply a smooth line of sealer. Are you using a gun to dispense the seam sealer? Glad you pinned this one down.

 

[Tennessee80]

That may be how my water is leaking in as well. I need to check the leak the same way you did. Great job dude!

 

[kirvesmies]

Alright, did a water test and found the failure point. Top cowl seam below the windshield seems to still have failed despite a new seal.. A hose pointed at the joint got water inside easy. View attachment 2548322

ok, you found a leak, but is it the one you were chasing? pointing a hose right at something is alot different than water just running over it. guess you'll find out for sure when you test your repair. hopefully that's only one

 

[TheElegantFox]

ok, you found a leak, but is it the one you were chasing? pointing a hose right at something is alot different than water just running over it. guess you'll find out for sure when you test your repair. hopefully that's only one

I think it’s the one, definitely going to check around though. Now I need to read up on removing seam sealer.