Krypnosis

Howdy fellas, I am having a problem where water is collecting on the floor behind the passenger seat. I have been soaking up the water with rags and I even went crazy on it with a wet vac. Once i got it all dried up the next day after driving it I notice before I go home for the night that water is already starting to collect again. I have checked around the T tops and windows to see if the head liner and or anything else is wet...trying to see if rain is coming in from those places some where. I do not think water is coming in from on top of the car but underneath it. I think when the car sits in place no water collects but when I drive around during the day through rainy weather is when it starts to build up. I really do not know what to do and I don't really want to take my car into a shop. If anyone has had a similar problem or any advice they can throw out there I would really appreciate it! Car has 61k miles if that is helpful.

windsma

what does the water smell like? Clean water?

blueformula350

Pull the carpet up, find the lowest point of the floor, take a semi-small punch, and punch a hole through it. At least for now while you try and find the leak, so the water doesnt keep building up.

01Z

If the water were collecting on the floor right in front of the passenger seat I would tell you to check the floor pan area around the front of the rear LCA mounts. That is where water from the road was entering my 95. Since you say it is behind the passenger seat, I would consider the mounting area for the spoiler. That mount point needs to be sealed as water from the hatch runs over the area.

96 Z 28

I had the same problem.... Water is supposed to drain down the sills and out towards the rear bumper, but sometimes it fights gravity, and/or extra water volume and Water Pools up in the Hatch Sill area, and then seeps in behind the sail panels.

I had to drill 1/8" holes at the base of the hatch sills right near where the hatch sills turn upwards and problem is solved.

PS could also be a leaking T-Top Seal

moroso99

ya, i had the t-top leak problem, would drip and run down the seat belt then drip onto the floor in the back, mostly when driving in rain. seals looked good, but they werent haha.

Krypnosis

Hey thanks for the replies. The water definitely has a dirty tint to it when i squeeze it out of the rag but no odor really. I forgot to mention i was in a small accident in the car damaging the front bumper and passenger side fender. Maybe the accident cracked something? If I want to go ahead and pull the carpet up to check how much disassembly am I looking at? Could I just use a sharp razor to cut a slit or section out to look or is that being to lazy.

01Z

Well it sounds like road water unless the carpet is really dirty from use. You need to understand that the soaked padding under the carpet will remain wet for a very long time. In that time, any break in paint on the floor pan will rust relentlessly. That slit you mention will have an impact on any future sale if the buyer finds it. But alas, to each his own.

I could show you pictures of what that wet padding did to my car. It was nearly devastating to the floor and some would unload the car rather than spend the time for reconstruction. I can tell you that the carpeting in an fbody has to weigh at least 30 to 40 lbs dry. When I pulled mine it was 3 times that and took weeks to dry; stretched out in a warm shed like the hide of a great black bear.

Removing the seats, belts, console, sills and a few interior panels was not that big of a deal. After seeing my 95 somewhat gutted, I gained an affection for it. Fixing the floor took quite a bit of time and resources. Leaks have to be fixed in a reasonable period of time but just as important, the carpet padding must be dried or an owner is looking at a big money hit on the value of the car. Rust sends as many cars to the scrap yards as everything else combined here in the rust belt. If you get lazy or slow with the leak and repair, figure on practically giving the car away in the not too distant future. Just my 2¢....

Krypnosis

I have an update! So I brought my car to my body shop and the guy there said there was a small leak in my T-Top and the water was someway finding it's way to the floor! Said they couldn't fix it and there is only 2 places near where I live that specializes in fixing that kind of a leak. I noticed there was a water stain on my passenger seat belt too. Is this really a hard repair to do? He made it seem like it was very complicated. It's weird my old 1994 Camaro had a T-Top and never had a problem with leaks.

moroso99

i just try to not drive it in the rain, the seatbelt thats now stained i tried to clean it but ended up swapping one from a junk yard. i havent replaced my seal yet but it cant be that hard

Oxygen454

I have the same problem, the water is clean and seems to collect when sitting. The t-tops dont seem to leak in the car anymore. Vaseline seems to help. The water is under the back seats and also on the floor boards in the back seats where your feet would go. There is no signs of water coming in and am constantly shop vac-ing. I also found rubber plugs under the seats and floor boards to drain the water, so that might be helpful for others.

Has anyone actually found where the water is coming in? Other then from the t-tops?

01Z

I often wonder about the seal for the spoiler. There's a hole for the wiring to the 3rd brake light on the driver side.

ztalon

T-Top leak? The T-Top itself or the weatherstripping? Was he more specific?


Have you considered trying to get another opinion? Who knows, you might find someone who can understand the problem and actually provide a solution for you.

I had T-Top issues with the weatherstripping and was going to the Chevy dealer to have it fixed. After putting in the second new weatherstripping for the driver side, they started trying to improve the seal. Their solution was to put twigs behind the weatherstripping to try to close the gap to the back top corner of the window.

That was enough for me.

I then took it to an auto shop near me and the guy adjusted the window and the problem was gone.

Call up some places (maybe the two near you that you indicated) and get somebody to take care of the problem.

Oxygen454

I still havent found my water leak, Im tearing out my seats and carpet. Is there any diagrams or info I can find so I can get a jump start on removing these items?
Looks like the water is coming down from a widow seal and running down behind the plastic siding of the interior. The windows themselves dont leak that I can see.

Also I noticed that the seal on the bottom of the door where the kick plate is, has a oval notch out hole that seems to pool along the door edging at the bottom. What is the reason for the notch out??

ztalon

Is there any water in the carpet in front of the front seat?

I had a major water leak in my Eagle Talon two years ago. I reached for a tissue from a box I keep behind the passenger seat and it was soaking wet. I discovered water in front of and behind the passenger seat. It was leaking through the front windshield, which had obviously lost its seal.

I got a new windshield installed and the problem never returned.

Have you tried getting an entire new weatherstripping kit for the passenger door? Could be that water is finding a few weak points in the seal and working its way into your car.

Have you tried having someone spray a lot of water on the car, while you sit inside and try to see where the water is coming from?