240zJon Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 First off my car has some problems, but then again it is a Z. Well here in Oregon it is pouring and i've just noticed how much my car leaks!!! Water is coming in from everywhere. On the drivers side it is leaking in from the bottom of the door, and somewhere by the transmission tunnel up under the dash. theres always a puddle right under the gas peddle. Then on the passenger side its dripping in from the dash right under the vent. I have no idea where its coming from. Anyone have a similiar problem? its a '73 240Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Well it's likely the seal under the cowl is cracked. you can try pulling that cowl and looking for cracked sealer. the door, you'll likely just need new door seals. It's probably also a good idea to check your floor pans to make sure nothing is rusting out. Phar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zJon Posted May 5, 2009 Author Share Posted May 5, 2009 OH i've checked my floor pans and on the passenger side its practically gone. Well once this rain stops i'll go check the cowl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lumberjackj Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 http://datsunzgarage.com/ click "Z Problems" and search =D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badjuju Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 buy a welder and some 18 ga, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Yeah, that site is good, it shows exatly what I'm talking about w/ the cracked seal under the cowl. Sucks about your floor, maybe it's mostly surface rust. you might tap at it with an awl or phillipes screwdriver and see if it pokes through anywhere. There should be a lot of threads on here about replacing floorpans. it's really common for them to rust. I guess it's funny. that little seam cracking can lead to so much damage. though one of my Z's actually rusted through from underneath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zJon Posted May 6, 2009 Author Share Posted May 6, 2009 Do you think that the cowl is the reason that the drivers side is also wet? Or is it some other problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langfordchuck Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 check the rubber tubes that lead from the cowl through the fender well and drain outside. Sometimes the rubber corrodes/splits when it gets full of debris and it leaks into the floorpan area. I haven't found a source for replacing these but they are easy enough to make out of heater hose. also check to make sure it is not a leak from the heater core or the hoses that feed into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 Do you think that the cowl is the reason that the drivers side is also wet? Or is it some other problem. Drivers side, below the door is the lower door seal, if it's the drivers floorboard I would definitely suspect the cowl area. the seal usually fails across the whole seam. but yeah, check the drain tubes too, they clog over time too. also check your floor plugs too, they fail and you have wet carpet everytime you go through a puddle. Phar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EScanlon Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Check the Cowl Drain Tubes. They're a small rubber elbow at the extreme sides of the cowl's underside... inside the car. They then exit out of the kick panel. Those rubber tubes as well as the metal flange into the cowl CAN and DO spring leaks. You can either buy replacement hoses, or substitue with PVC clear tubing. Shape tue tubing with a heat gun for the bends and extend the hose all the way down to the bottom of the fender panel and you'll eliminate a major rust problem on the front fenders. The drain tubes only extend INTO the space between the fender and kick panel and not out of the car. As a result any debris washed into the space gets caught behind the front fender and eventually starts rust through holes. I'll post some pictures in the gallery. FWIW E Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cannonball55 Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 I found solution to my leaks and my rust problems. I forget the name of the stuff but it comes in a caulking tube. They sell it at lowes/home depot its ment for fixing leaks on roofs but there are 2 types. the tar based(messy, sticky, never hardens) and the polyurathane based. the poly based is one I'm using. I just redone both my floorboards and bought 6 tubes of the stuff and some heavy pvc gloves and just smeared the stuff all over the bottom side of the car. stuff is great 2 days after aplication (drying time) you have a rubbery coating that keeps all water out. It also is compatible with almost any surface. Will even stick to the original tar based undercoatings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zJon Posted May 15, 2009 Author Share Posted May 15, 2009 Okay so i Swapped out my old wiper motor or the honda one and wow what a difference!!! also while i had it out i sprayed air all over the cowl to get gunk out and i took cannonball55 advice and shoved some chaulking along the seem with the firewall and around the metal box on the right of the wiper motor. Amazingly the passanger side doesn't leak around the dash anymore, but the driver side still has a minor leak down by the gas pedal. ITS A MIRACLE NO LEAKS...well almost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Maybe pull the driver fender and calk down the body seam on that side. Beyond that it must be leaking from somewhere, maybe pinholes in the floorpan, or maybe the windshield seal.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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