Water in door gap (sill kick panel) - what's at fault? (1 Viewer)

[SMLE]

Hi folks,

Several of my doors have light some surface rust around/under the kick panels (sill guards) when you open the door, and the areas are often wet after it rains.

I just want to clarify that this is likely either the door seal or the seal which is attached to the body, am I correct?

I don't mind replacing both seals for each door opening but I don't want to just throw money at it if it won't resolve things, especially as I want to make sure this area is dry before treating it.

Ps. Please forgive the carpets, this thing hasn't had a proper bath since I bought it, so she'll be getting some love soon once I can stop buying new parts for it

Thanks

 

[TahoeZ]

Possible. How do those seals look? A more likely and common cause of water in that area is a leaking windshield or sunroof drains from the A-pillar.

 

[Trapper50cal]

That covers my guess. Clogged Sunroof drain...

 

[DuckLN]

Yea im goin with clogged sunroof drain or windshield. If its your windshield, ask your insurance if they would approve an oem windshield -They did on mine.

 

[rbrave]

Taking off the kick panel and floor trim is less than a 10 minute job. The sunroof drain can be found right behind the front kick panel. If it is rusty on top like that, it will be rustier on the inside.

How are your window seals holding up? These are referred to as “belt molding” if you need to search. I’d also check the little drains at the bottom of the doors - mine hold water there a bit after it rains, and if they were to clog I bet they’d collect water and leak it on over time.

 

[SMLE]

Thanks everyone, windscreen isn't an issue as far as I can tell as it was all replaced a few months back with new mouldings, rivets etc and hasn't shown any signs of water getting in.

Going to explore the sunroof drains some more, but it all feels a bit strange because it's on a rear door too.

To be clear, it's not looking like it's rotten on top because it's rusted out inside but patches where the paint has been chipped/worn on the edge and then surface rust has developed

I checked the belt seals and took a pic but all in honesty I'm not clear on how they should look, below is an example! I'm planning to pull off the door cards to swap out the seals that the windows slide up in, in a few months time, so I can check the inside of the door properly, but I'll check the train holes externally too.

 

[hoser]

I can see there is a bit of terminology differences. In the US, the kick panel is that squarish panel next to your gas/throttle pedal. The one on the door seal is called a scuff plate. Water does get in the door and there are drain holes in the bottom of the door. Maybe some are clogged and some are clear and the clear ones might evacuate more water than usual. The rust I see is because the paint is worn through from shoe scuffing. I would just sand a repaint.... and check for clogged drain in the door.... and monitor.

 

[rbrave]

Those window belt moldings look perfectly fine. Agree with the above - no paint = rust.

Last place to be concerned with intrusion is the roof rack bolts.

 

[udubfl]

On one of my LC that had a similar leak, on a dry day, tried to isolate to see if its the sunroof drain or windshield/screen. I would recommend trying the following....

First, remove the inside kick panel underneath the dash that's against the exterior wall. Super easy. This will help see it easier where the leak is coming from.

Sun Roof Drain: Open up the sunroof, grab a bottle of water and pour it down the sunroof tray where the drain hole is (front corners). I would do couple 1/2 liter bottles. Then, check if you see/feel any water droplets. Found a chat on the forum to give you some reference. If it's the sun roof, it's easy to clean/fix. Plenty of articles in the forum. Water Leak; Sunroof / Windshield? - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/water-leak-sunroof-windshield.669305/

Windshield/Screen: If not the sun roof drain, take some water hose (or have someone help you) or the bottle water and pour it down from the roof channels above the windshield corner to test out the rivets and/or bad windshield seals. Same thing as above, check the carpet area to see if you see/feel any water. Windshield Leak Question - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/windshield-leak-question.971098/

 

[TahoeZ]

Your window seals look good. If they are soft/pliable, that's an unlikely issue area.

The 100s seal very well. To track down leaks I've had good luck turning the AC or heat on, fan on high, outside-air-inlet on, closing all the doors/windows, and spraying a soap-heavy soapy water mixture around all of the potential leak areas. The leak will eventually start bubbling.

If you take off the grab handle and sun visor, it's easy to pop the A-pillar trim off and pull the corner of the headliner down so you can peak up in there. Most of those leaks will show pooling on the floor after extended heavy rains.

 

[SMLE]

Thanks all, didn't think I should multi-quote to reply to each of you as it would have been the mother of all posts!

A few comments/questions if I may:

• The carpet (as far as I can tell, is not wet or damp.)
• Thanks for clearing up terminology differences!
• Before replacing the windscreen (and correcting many windscreen issues including missing rivets, bent moulding, larger rivet holes, no rubber strip covering the rivets etc), I would get droplets run down and trip from the bottom of the dash onto the RH (Driver's) footwell, since the correct replacement there have been no leaks whatsoever I have seen.
• I need to take some time to look at some more diagrams/videos but I'm trying to understand if it's possible for a leak from e.g. sunroof drain blocked, to leak into the door gap but not e.g. footwell? I've got more new clips for the the 'scuff plates', so I may just pull it up, dry the area and stick it back down for now and see what happens next.
• The scuff plates on several of my doors including rears sometimes have water on them even where that particular door has not been used, so I will check door drain holes. I also did wonder whether it could also be the weather shield type plastic 'barrier' inside the doors to keep the water away from electronics etc could be damaged/missing.
• I will be checking the sunroof drains with some strimmer cord as suggested in a linked thread, and will also remove the A post windscreen 'beauty' panel and also the kick plate to investigate further.

Thank you!

 

[hoser]

You can tape strips of paper towels along the scuff plates. Pour some water down the exterior glass or around the top edges of the door and see if the result is what you are seeing. If nothing, then pour water around the windshield edges. If nothing, then pour water down the sunroof drains.

 

[Zuberg]

@hoser is on the money in his response. The door sill rust is from the paint being worn through. Sand,treat and paint.

If you're concerned about door seals, give them a good cleaning with soapy water. Also clean the mating surface on the body (where the seal sits when the door is closed). Then apply a good silicone grease to the seals and let it sit a while after rubbing it in. Best to do on a hot day. If not in a warm climate, use a heat gun to warm the seals. Wipe excess off. I've found a couple thin applications work best.

Shin etsu is popular with the honda folks and it's what I use. But really any silicone grease will suffice. Remember to clean all the seals very well before applying.

 

[SMLE]

You can tape strips of paper towels along the scuff plates. Pour some water down the exterior glass or around the top edges of the door and see if the result is what you are seeing. If nothing, then pour water around the windshield edges. If nothing, then pour water down the sunroof drains.

Sounds like a great approach! Will report back in due course. thanks