water in the cabin

[thebeast]

I have a 72 dodge charger that water leaks into every time it rains. I am trying to locate the cause of the leak.  Water comes pouring in like waterfalls from behind the dash onto the floor at both the driver and passenger sides.  Is there a common place there are issues with this?  I don't think it is at the windshield.  I've attached three pictures.  The first two is where it leaks.  The third is of a vent? thing on the car between the hood hinges.

[1970Moparmann]

Check all firewall holes, and see if the windshield seal is leaking.  Funny how my 68 Charger leaks pretty good, but my 68 Coronet Rag is dry...  Who would have funk that.

[Ghoste]

Wiper pivots are a good culprit to check too.  Might have to lay on your back with a light and have someone spray a garden hose up there.

[billschroeder5842]

My '69 leaks on the passenger side from (my guess) a faulty window/channel/cowling repair. I'm lucky that I have a daily driver so I can avoid the situation.

I'd check the rubber gwindow gaskets first.

[thebeast]

So where can I get rubber window gaskets?  I don't even have them on my windshield.  I think I know what the problem is lol.

Also, is installing them a difficult process to accomplish?

[A383Wing]

wiper pivots would be my first thing to check

Bryan

[resq302]

Common areas to check for when that occurs...
-leaves have gotten in and blocked the drain holes where the cowl fresh air duct work is or worse, rotted away the sheet metal above the dash area.
-wiper pivot gaskets are hard and leaking (schumachers makes a great kit for this)
-lower windshield channel is rusted and has holes causing the leak

[Cooter]

Take this for what you paid for it. These cars leaked when new, leaked over the last 30 plus years, and still leak today..You can fight it, but you'll never stop it from leaking once it starts. Just a hint.

[Ghoste]

Really?  Mine leaked like a sieve under the dash when I got it, I replaced the wiper pivots and its like a desert under there now when it rains.

[resq302]

Really?  Mine leaked like a sieve under the dash when I got it, I replaced the wiper pivots and its like a desert under there now when it rains.

I have to say that mine leaked too and once I replaced the windshield (and used the correct 3M glazing and bedding compound) and also replaced the wiper pivot gaskets, my charger has been high and dry.  I can't imagine that every single car that was made would leak as Chrysler would have a huge issue on their hands with people coming back complaining of water leaks.  After all, didn't new cars come with a warranty (no matter how short) that took care of water leaks??

[Ghoste]

I don't know how extensively the warranty went after wind noise and water leaks back then, thats a good question.  Cooter is dead on about all cars being "less than perfectly sealed" from outside elements back then.  But diligence can track down a lot of them.
I did work with a guy once that made wind and water his lifes work under the warranty program.  It was a GM dealer in the 80's and that was all this guy did was isolate and correct that stuff.  He was good but some of the times he turned in to get paid had to wait for a DSM to authorize because they went waaaaaay over the times GM allowed.

[nh_mopar_fan]

water pivots would be my first thing to replace. it's a cheap fix too.

[thebeast]

Thanks for all the info guys!  I was just out pouring water onto the car and it looks like the wiper pivots are completely fine.  But it looks like I have a lot of cracks and openings in the "walls" down there.  Anyone know what would be good to use to seal those as a somewhat temp fix?

[resq302]

you could try the butyl tape or butyl strip caulk.  its totally pliable and can be removed fairly easy.

[NHCharger]

Had the same problem with my 72. Try to isolate the leak first. Start with the cowl vent area. There is a drain at the bottom of it. It is located on the firewall behind the engine hidden by a rubber flap. Make sure any debris is cleaned out and pour water into the cowl vent area. It's best to have someone pouring while you watch under the dash. I had a hole in the corner of the cowl area on the drivers side that you could only fix by removing the fender.

Check the firewall. I had a small rust spot behind the brake booster that was hard to see.

After fixing both of these I still had a leak. Turns out the stud bolt that the passenger side fender attaches to by the cowl was missing .The previous owner put a different bolt on to secure the fender and it was so long it penetrated the cowl. took a while to figure that one out.

[Cooter]

Really?  Mine leaked like a sieve under the dash when I got it, I replaced the wiper pivots and its like a desert under there now when it rains.

I have to say that mine leaked too and once I replaced the windshield (and used the correct 3M glazing and bedding compound) and also replaced the wiper pivot gaskets, my charger has been high and dry.  I can't imagine that every single car that was made would leak as Chrysler would have a huge issue on their hands with people coming back complaining of water leaks.  After all, didn't new cars come with a warranty (no matter how short) that took care of water leaks??

See the thing about water leaks and warranties is they only gotta last for 3 years/36K miles. After that, you'd be surprized at how mnay things just don't bother people when they have to pay for them. This was the way it was back in the early 90's, the 2000's, and that's the way it is today. If your not paying for it, then b*tch all you want, but that warranty has to run out sooner or later and the dealer knows this as well as you. I'm willing to bet this happened back in 1969 too. Your car might not leak now, but it will begin again. I've tried replacing all those little seals and sh*t, to no avail. These things were designed by people who were at Woodstock, smoking wacky weed. The sealing was Piss poor at best. If you've ever been on the business end of taking out your front windshield and looked at how it is SUPPOSED to seal down the sides and across the bottom, you'd know what I mean.

[Ghoste]

In the context of "over time" well yes obviously they are going to leak sooner or later.  All cars.  Even the very finest most expensive cars being built right now are going to leak eventually.  Yes, I am aware that my car will leak again too- some day.  But to go with your earlier post which seemed to imply just giving up and not trying to fix it because it will leak, made it sound like no matter what was tried it would still leak without ever knowing a point of dryness.  Eventually my brakes will wear out too  but I still plan to fix them when that happens.

[squeakfinder]

    Try seam sealer on your firewall, or wherever those cracks are. It does a fine job of keeping water in the trunk, maybee it'll keep it out.

     I had a leak on the passenger side floor, so I sat in the car while a helper with a garden hose and small stream of water slowly brought it up from a low starting point. Determined the leak was where the windshield glass meets the seal. Unlocked the seal and used 3M's window weld. Solved the problem.

[Cooter]

In the context of "over time" well yes obviously they are going to leak sooner or later.  All cars.  Even the very finest most expensive cars being built right now are going to leak eventually.  Yes, I am aware that my car will leak again too- some day.  But to go with your earlier post which seemed to imply just giving up and not trying to fix it because it will leak, made it sound like no matter what was tried it would still leak without ever knowing a point of dryness.  Eventually my brakes will wear out too  but I still plan to fix them when that happens.

Again, I learned early on that to fight water leaks is a futile effort. Your threshold for giving up may be a little higher than mine. After 20 years of trying every glass shop known, and even trying myself, i gave up..they just leak. Just like some 440's run hotter than others no matter what the hell you do to it. Feel free to bang your head against that wall..I had to learn and you will too. Good luck.

[Ghoste]

I guess my argument would be that if my leaks are fixed, then I'm not banging my head on a wall.  But, yes, obviously results may vary.