Driver's carpet SOAKED!!

[Bread]

Just to add to the list, I had a spot-weld near the trunk seal collect water and eventually rust through on my 325. Since I didn't want to weld and re-paint, I removed the rust and applied a dab of clear silicone to stop the leak. On that car I also experienced the trunk seal actually wicking water up underneath the seal and into the trunk. I pulled the seal, applied a bead of clear silicone under in the groove and pushed it back in place. Trunk has been dry ever since

[///Mflossin]

silicone/RTV can be a lifesaver.

[Yan-3]

i had the same thing in my M Tech II

under the fusebox by the firewall is were my car was rusting, pull the carpet back from the pedal area untill the shell is exposed, have the hood open and look up, and you will more than likely see sunlight, i had about a 2 inch hole that had rusted through. not fun.

its kinda hard to see it from inside unless you have moved the fusebox and carpet out of the way. check it, from what i understand, its somewhat of a common area, thin wall and will cause the same issues as you described.

good luck and I hope that yours isnt as bad as mine was. or heck i hope thats not the case at all and it just a seal that can be replaced or something.

[hardtailer]

check out the pics of the firewall and wheel well area in post #5.

http://www.s14.net/forums/showthread.php?t=25043

the front drain tubes for the sunroof end behind the front speakers.

[jht3]

i haven't had any time to look into it due to work, but it seems like the rubber seal on the door might not be sealing as well as it should against the frame? i get a bit of wind noise and air into the car from an area along the a-pillar. car was in an accident years ago and i don't think the door fits as well as it should. i've been contemplating trying to adjust the door, but i feel this would cause more problems.

i'll check out the area under the fuse box when/if i have time

[IamTHORvikingGod]

Not sure if someone mentioned it, but I had the same problem with mine about 4 months ago. Couldn't figure out what the hell it was. A lot of water, called a friend and he said I must have left one of my vents open, he had the same problem with one of his cars. So I always remember to close the vents when it rains and the car is sitting. Never have had the problem again.

[Bread]

I just recently started having a problem with water on the floor under the pedals of my M3. I normally park it in the garage but due to other projects in the works I've been parking it outside for the past month.

So with the help of my girlfriend I took out the hose and got to work using the same method I used to diagnose my 325 of running lots of water over the body panels (no hose nozzel). At least this time I wasn't crammed into the trunk with a flashlight Anyways, with me in the drivers seat and her outside with the hose it became clear quickly that the door seal wasn't holding. I've noticed in the past that there was a few drips of water on the door panel and by the kick panel but I thought it dripped in when I opened the door. The window frame never really looked flush from the outside either.

Using a trick on Horsepower TV I fixed the leak. Apparently, even if the door itself is lined up perfectly with the bodywork (always check this first) the upper windshield frame can deflect and bend outwards after years of being slammed against the door seal. This upper frame is relatively weak and easy to manipulate (bend). They demonstrated taking a dollar bill, and closing the door with the bill between the door and the windshield pillar. The bill should be tight in all areas. If you can slide the bill back and forth, the seal is not holding. To fix (This part made me cringe, but I did it), open the door and brace your knee at the top of the door panel. Grab the top of the windshield frame and abruptly pull it towards you. I was afraid to pull too hard to I did it gently several times with no results before growing bigger balls and giving it a good hard pull. I had the window down the whole time because it seemed easier to work with, and I couldn't remember if they specified up or down. In the end the dollar bill was tight, and the leaks were fixed. Been dry ever since

[jht3]

Using a trick on Horsepower TV I fixed the leak.

saw the episode, but wasn't it MuscleCar? anyways, glad to hear it worked out for you. i'm going to look into adjusting the door hangers as i think something is askew there too (door doesn't shut as nice as the pass side). it's a bit harder than the tv trick, but it's got to be something like that for my car

[Bread]

saw the episode, but wasn't it MuscleCar? anyways, glad to hear it worked out for you. i'm going to look into adjusting the door hangers as i think something is askew there too (door doesn't shut as nice as the pass side). it's a bit harder than the tv trick, but it's got to be something like that for my car

Could have been MuscleCar. I usually watch the whole automotive themed block party on the weekend. When it comes to motorsports, I like them all

[jht3]

UPDATE

well i found the source and it's a compound problem

1) below the fusebox it appears the fender is separating from the firewall
2) there is a crack forming its way from the separation towards the strut tower
3) inside the car, way up under the dash there is a hole and crack that matches up with #1

so what seems it happen is water enters the scuttle area below the wiper arm, then somehow makes its way to the separation then through the hole and into the floorboard. its a very complicated area where all this is going on and isn't easy to get to. where i think this all started is from an accident the previous owner had and it wasn't repaired well. i'm going to take it to a body shop this week and see what the diagnosis is. :(

[jht3]

UPDATE (yes another)

with the help of james@RRT, i believe my car is repaired. aint gonna win any car shows, but it should be structurally sound and water tight. i wish i had pics but i forgot my camera

after inspecting other e30's at the shop, we discovered that the area under the fusebox should be flat. mine was bent 90* about halfway between the strut tower and firewall, and was pulling the spot welds from the firewall. a SpecE30 at the shop also exhibits the same exact structural problems, so i'll try and get some pics of that as the "before"

so i broke out the MAPP torch and scraped all the old sealer, paint, and undercoating from the area, which also had the effect of revealing just how big one of the cracks had become. james then pounded the metal as flat as he could (it has stretched), which also started forcing the fender back to where it should be against the firewall. he then stitched the tears with the MIG and welded a rectangular piece of flat metal stock against the firewall and stitched it to the top of the fender. i then used Wurth seam sealer on both sides of the repair as well up behind the dash. i followed up with rubber undercoating underneath and spray paint above.

next up i'll probably get the cabrio reinforcements welded in and install the sparco bar that's been in my closet (i could never get it to fit)


i also found the time to install new exhaust clamps (vw parts), new parking brake shoes, plug the nail in my tire, and swap out my track pads. so i think it was a very successful weekend. i'll report back in with some pics and whether or not it's still dry after the rain we got today

[jht3]

well sonofa.......


it poured here the last 2 days. so tonight i decided to check on my car. carpet is still out so i figured if i have any leaks, they'll be super easy to find. welllllllllllll, i popped open the pass side door so as not to disturb anything on my drivers side and what do i discover?


about an inch of standing water on the PASSENGER side. drivers side is bone dry, but wtf!?!?! i discovered a small trail of water coming from way up behind the aircon/heater box. i'm guessing i need to check the screws holding it to the firewall and also make sure water is clearing out the elephant trunk. i've never had a problem on this side before, so i'm guessing its a combo of the heavy rains and a drain i havent checked on in a year+

[jht3]

found my elephant drain was clogged up

carpet is still getting soaked....on both sides

is there a seal around the heater box or something?

[Magnus]

I don't think it has anything to do with the heater box (remember I know nothing).

I think you need to run some tests. Break-out a hose and "make it rain!" Light the
whole area up and watch for leaks. For comfort, either remove the seats, or adjust it to the
flattest position. Then remove the center consoles (back, front, upper). Also, remove
the glovebox and Ecu cover.

[jht3]

well after the 8" of rain we got here the last few days it's like i didn't even close the windows in my car. elephant drain wasn't even connected, so that aint it

pass side is a complete disaster, drivers side is slightly better. i believe i can trace the water up the tranny tunnel along the firewall, but from there it disappears as i can't see any further. that's why my guess as to where the heater box bolts up

it's like a complete kick in the nuts as i had JUST put the interior back in and was patting myself on the back for a job well done. so now it's time to strip the carpet and other bits out and try again