Hey guys, its been raining pretty heavy lately, which apparently means its time for my car to flood.... seriously flood. There is alot of water in my car. The doors and the windows where closed tight.
Does anyone know where the water is likely to be leaking in from? and how to fix it?

This is pretty upsetting news as a few days ago I spent 6 hours putting a amp under the passenger seat.

All help is appreciated.
Its a 02 TjII.
Thanks

Oh and does anyone know of any grommets that might be under the back seats? to drain the water. The last time this happened in my camry there was holes under the carpet, presumably for that reason

Exactly where is the water gathering in your car.
A couple of hints would help you get some clues of where to look.
Gerry

The floor of the car sorry, Manly the towards the back, though the front is pretty wet. I first noticed as i jumped in the car and put my foot on the clutch only to hear a splash.... I actually dont know where its comming in, cause i have driven it heaps when it was raining and didnt notice a drop from the windows or doors. The back and front windows were dry as well.

Get some sham-wow's, or better yet, this: http://www.slurpex.com.au/
get as much water out as you can before it starts to stink, seats out, carpet out. Get someone on the outside with a hose and someone on the inside with a torch, work out if its coming in front or rear, then work bottom to top to get a closer idea. Mine was the seams along the outside under the passenger front guard, a grommet on the firewall also leaked water in but there shouldn't have been water at that grommet under normal conditions.

edit: mine came in the front, and ran back and pooled in the back footwell.

Thats a really good idea Timi, thanks heaps ill try it. Out of curiosity whats involved with replacing a seam? quick trip to super cheap and some glue? or something much worse?

For me, half a days worth of dicking about with the guard trying to undo it without taking the front bumper off and swearing at those little scrivet clips that hold the plastic lining in, and then pinpointing it withthe hose. At first I thought it was the side of the windscreen leaking, got it replaced and it still leaked. but it turned out it was running down the A-pillar to that seam when the hose was on the windscreen edge.
Fixing it was just re-covering it with sikaflex, and I ran a hose through a hole I sealed around incase it was a drain hole, and made sure there were no more leaks where the hose finished. I also checked the sunroof, doors/windows, and all inside the section under the leaf guards around the air vent intake.

http://picturestack.com/760/712/xuh001pE8.jpg

http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86711&highlight=water+leak+windscreen
http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83324&highlight=water+leak+windscreen
http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90673&highlight=water+leak+windscreen
http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89864&highlight=water+leak+windscreen

Had the same problem.
Finally found that it was the "sausage" of heat curing putty by the bonnet hinge on the passenger side.

Remove the 2 plastic panels at the base of the windscreen. If you have a small screwdriver and a thin knife it is relatively easy to undo the scrivet centres and then be able to extract the scrivets.

Examine the sealer in the panel joints and especially the heat curing putty pieces. If they appear to be cracked then try gently pouring water onto the suspect area. Water should appear inside the car within a minute or 2.
I fixed by raking our the splits, getting everything really dry and then sealing up with non-silicone windscrreen sealer. Then a couple of gentle sprays with primes.

BTW, I actually removed the LHF guard to look at the grommets. The photo on the first link shows the areas. However I found that as these joints actually self drain, unlike a Mini!!, they are unlikely to cause the problem.
Gerry

My to rear windows leak when ever it rains, its a wagon.

I woke this morning to a decent amount of water in my car, haven't had this happen in a few months! Mine seems to be coming from the base of the windscreen, the putty is very degraded along there. Also seems to be coming in from somewhere near the back (on a wagon).

My solution was to move somewhere drier (went from Babinda back to Toowoomba), but seriously... I should fix this too!

My to rear windows leak when ever it rains, its a wagon.

Just take it to a window place, they will remove them and and put new seals in for about $70(depending we're you go), same thing happened to me

Ian, my TJ Solara has been flooded out twice, with water filling all the footwells up to ten cm deep. Each time this has happened I followed the advice given to me by an old-time Mits. mechanic...Here's the "recipe":

1/Iif there's still water pooling in the footwells put a capful of Dettol in each footwell pool. This will kill any bacteria and mould spores which may cause a stink as the carpet dries.

2/ Go and hire a steam cleaning kit from your local supermarket. This will suck out excess water and the steam mechanism will also kill bacteria and mould as well as loosen any mud particles still caught in the carpet.

3/ Buy four bags of silica (white crystal type) kitty litter and dump a bag in each footwell. The silica will absorb the remaining water but you must leave the car parked in the sun with the windows slightly open to aid in the drying process. It will take two or three hot days to dry out fully.

4/ After the sun and silica have done their work use a kid's sand shovel to shovel out most of the kitty litter and use a wet-dry vac to get the rest out.

5/ Buy some carpet shampoo spray and apply it...wiping the carpets dry with a chamois cloth.

6/ Put a couple of drops of Nilodour in each footwell.

7/ Check your brake light switch...these may clag up when water hits them. You can either replace the switch or take it apart and clean it out with Co-contact cleaner spray.

8/ For about two weeks after this treatment keep one of these: http://www.officeworks.com.au/retail/products/Catering-and-Cleaning/Cleaning-Fluids/Laundry/LE008394
in the car when it is locked (The Reject Shop have a cheaper but just-as-effective variant on the "Hippo" type...)

9/ All things being equal everything should be okay after you have followed this "recipe". Magna floors are heavily bitumenized and so rust shouldn't be a problem BUT keep an eye on your seat mounting irons and seat springs as the water may cause some rust in these areas.

My seat rails and springs suffered very badly with rust after my pool incidents!

Is you car leaking when parked on the flat?

I found that mine (even over different cars) leaks when parked on my sloping driveway. If facing down the slope, and the drive twists a bit (so back wheels are not on the same plane as the front wheels i.e. twists int car a bit) then it leaks and fills the front passenger wheelwelll during heavy rain. Couldn't find the actual leak point, just assumed was due to slight twist in car = solution was to turn the car around and park with the car facing up the slope - then no leak and no problem.

Just take it to a window place, they will remove them and and put new seals in for about $70(depending we're you go), same thing happened to me

is that per window? and window place??? like windscreens o'brian ?

Hey guys thanks so much for the help, its stopped raining so now i gotta shovel it out. lol. Ill keep you posted. thanks again

Heys guys, I dried out my car and rug doctored it. Then it immediately rained again..... fml. But i was able to find out where the leak is. The water first appears in the front footwells in the outside corners. so im thinking its from the fire wall or windscreen or bonnet hinge from what ive been reading.

Yup,
Outside corners certainly seems like the heat curing putty is cracked on each side.
Try the LHS first as it is easier to remove the leaf guard black plastic panel at the bottom of the windscreen.
If you have pulled the carpet back then I expect that you are seeing either a drip onto the light grey sound insulation about 10 cn from the outside of the car or on the little ledge at the bottom of the A pillar.

Gerry

hey are there any how tos on removing the panels? never done it before... gll

I'm having the same problem in the Magna wagon. The passenger side footwell always fills with water during heavy rain.
I sikaflexed all the seals and sh*t but no improvement.

It might be the windscreen seal or a grommet then

Hey guys i think i found the problem. the windscreen seal looks like this http://picturestack.com/973/618/4SuIMG2011120swF.jpg http://picturestack.com/973/619/CIyIMG2011120dQf.jpg,
On both sides. anyone know how much these are to replace? and where its done in western sydney?

If i get new leaf guards from mits fix will they come with the seals?

Yup,
About $30 each from a Mits dealer.
But I caution, check the sealer in the joints around the bonnet hinges as well.
Clean the area, and dry off. Inside, lift the carpet back on each side. The gently pour water just behind each hood hinge and check inside the car.
The leaf seals do not fully seal on the windscreen, especially at the bottom of the A Pillar.
Gerry

Water going past the leaf guards should drain away underneath, the airbox inlet has a raised section around it so it won't go in there, I'll take a pic on my wreck if I remember. Windscreen replacement should be $200-300. Clean and dry it, then securely tape along all the windscreen edges, get the hose out and if it still leaks then the windscreen seals might not be the problem.

It is most unlikely that the windscreen to body adhesive is a problem, when it is cured it is still flexible. My auto experience when bonded windscreens were introduced in Ford of Europe was that the initial failure rate was below 0.1% and did not increase with time.
Also the Magna body design will mean that the water will naturally want to stay outside of the cabin if the lower part of the windscreen sealer is faulty.

Leaf guards. These also deflect the majority of the water off the bottom of the windscreen.
It is most likely that the water that comes into your car, just like mine did, is from the sides of the windscreen. This water naturally comes between the A Pillar garnishes and the ends of the leaf seals. It then flows under the outer ends of the leaf guards in the area of the bonnet hinges where they bolt to the body.

That is why I keep saying.
Remove the Leaf Guards. LHS is easiest first as you do not have to disturb the windscreen wipers.
Clean all the accumulated leaves and crud from the metal work.
Inspect the sealer between the panel joints. If this sealer is cracked then this will be the most likely ingress point based on your comment about where the water gathers inside the car.
Then try gently pouring water onto this area. You will need to do this for a couple of minutes.
Also before water testing, lift of the scuff plate and unscrew the plastic cover which is part of the carpet assembly at the base of the A Pillar inside. Pull the carpet back and make sure that the floorpan is dry before puring water around the place.

I spent a couple of weeks solving the same problem. I even went to the bother of removing the Guard based on comments about the grommet in the A pillar and joints behind the guard.

Neither the grommet was the problem, if this leaks then the water will come out in a different place.
The metal joints on the side of the A Pillar self drain so unless the water wants to travel vertically upwards by about 10 mm these are unlikely to cause the problem.

As I have repeatedly described, look at the joints in the horizontal area around and behind the hood hinges.

Gerry.

hey are there any how tos on removing the panels? never done it before... gll

Remove grille - use a small flat bladed screwdriver to move the centre bit sideways. Clips stay in grille, transfer them back to the body work.
Remove indicators.
Remove headlights - 4 10mm bolts on each, move forward, unclip wiring.
Remove bumper - 4 large 14 mm bolts from underneath, 10 mm bolts on trailing edge - need to get move under fender plastic to get to some. Also some 10 mm bolts high up inside fender.
Unbolt fender - 10 mm bolts across top, at rear bottom, one in door opening. One behind where indicator was.
Pull out side indicators, unclip wiring.
Lift fenders up at front and back, pull forward. Some glue on them. Fragile when off, store carefully.

NB If you are not American, a "fender" is a "mudguard" lol

Water going past the leaf guards should drain away underneath, the airbox inlet has a raised section around it so it won't go in there.

The leaf guards aren't meant to be water proof. Water that enters off the bottom of the windscreen runs to the sides and comes out at the bottom of the rear section of the mudguards. You can see it come out if you open a front door and looking behind the guard. Worthwhile taking the wiper arms off, removing the leaf guards and hosing the box section out, and looking for rust holes though.

Bonded windscreens don't leak unless there is rust under the bonding material.

This is getting common

On the bottom of the screen, right in the corner where the hinge bolts on, there is a seam, the water gets in there

If you are getting water boths sides however I would also look at getting a new screen as the seal may be old and perished. I have seen my share of Magns'a with leaking screens, have had a couple myself as well.

The leaf guards do not seal water, they will deflect most of it but the water ends up in the same place anyway.

Also check udner the leaf guards that the drain either side is clear, may be blocked causing water to build up

Check underneath the leaf guards before even contemplating the removal of the front fenders.
Gerry

Thanks for the help guys, Todays the first time i have the time to actually get into this. Dont worry spud100 ill deffo try your method first. knowing me its i take the front quaters off they wont go back on. lol. ill take the carpet out and check the windscreen and the bonnet hinges first if that doesnt work ill take the quaters off and check that seal. thanks heaps for the help guys. I got another amp yesterday but i think ill wait before i install it :p

Guard off, leaf guards off, (also door off)
A Sealant was cracked here, and somewhere between B and C under the metal as well.
B/C I glued in a hose from B-C, in case it was a water drainage thing to stop rust. Water can still get through, but it comes out the bottom where I know there are no leaks and keeps the inside of that section dry.
D (door hinge goes here)

http://picturestack.com/85/567/CRR05122011009wm.th.jpg (http://picturestack.com/85/567/CRR05122011009wm.jpg)
http://picturestack.com/85/568/7Pc0512201100HkW.th.jpg (http://picturestack.com/85/568/7Pc0512201100HkW.jpg)

I think the sealant may be more prone to cracking if the car has been in a crash that could have split it?

Wow timi thats really helpful! Today i got some sealer and went to town in the area between A and B, the car is now by mass 90% sealer. lol. But i think i might have to redo it with more precision tomorrow. Ill upload a pic of were i have done it. Thanks for the help.

Timi,
Thanks for the picture. I have edited it a bit to show that there are some horizontal seams both inside and behind the hood hinges.
Guys you will need to carefully remove the A Pillar garnish so see the whole area.

Si i put window sealer around the bonnet hinges. And discovered on the left side of my car there is no grommet.....might have to fix that. I put tape around it, it looks like rain tonight so ill keep you posted and upload the pics later. I do appreciate the help. thanks

Oh yeah, almost forgot, check your grommits too...

Having this problem on passenger sides front and back.
Will check the seals as mentioned by TiMi and report back.