92 XJ Leaking into cabin...

rustedxj · 09-26-2008, 12:07 PM

Ive got question and maybe some of you more intense XJ guys can help me. Basically my XJ leaks water into the cabin. It happens from what it looks like behind the dash on the drivers and passenger side. I thought it was the windshield so I sealed that up. Turns out it wasnt that so I sealed some areas around the windshield and its still leaking. My father thought it was rotting out in the firewall but everything is intact on that part.

What else could it be. I cant seem to find where its coming from. The headliner is dry and its quite annoying while shifting/ driving because it drips into my shoes lol.

I was thinking cowl area but Im not 100% certain.

Thanks in Advance.

rustedxj · 09-26-2008, 03:31 PM

bump please help

portcityXJ · 09-26-2008, 04:30 PM

mine does too. same exact problem. cant seem to find the spot. only leaks when its raining though. so its not water from the a/c or anything. definetly under the dash. maybe where the wind shield wipers are mounted behind the hood?

rustedxj · 09-26-2008, 06:44 PM

thats what I was thinking too...only when raining and not when roading. Im gonna seal up near the cowl area and see what happens.

XJ2000 · 09-26-2008, 07:02 PM

My 2000 does the same thing, still haven't been able to track the damn leak down.

What I am going to try though is to wait until it hasn't rained for a few days so that everything is completely dry (carpet/floor/etc), pull it all out, and then have a buddy spray a hose on the car to see if I can visually see a leak somewhere.

Did it with my friend's Audi a few years back and it worked like a charm.

portcityXJ · 09-26-2008, 07:08 PM

nice. ha make have to take that cowl section off while we've got nice weather down here and look for any possible leaks into the cab and silicone 'er up

Saudade · 09-26-2008, 07:41 PM

There's a drain from the heater box, through the firewall. The drain is likely clogged. Water can come from rain, or even your AC evap (condensation). Look on the firewall, right below where the heater hoses connect to the core and the ac lines to the evap.

portcityXJ · 09-26-2008, 08:15 PM

will check that out in the morning. pics maybe? of this drain plug

blue92cherokee · 09-26-2008, 09:25 PM

get a few bottle of tonic water and have a friend pour them over any suspected areas, while you are inside with a black light. i used a small hand held one but a larger one would work even better. do it in a dark garage and the tonic coming in will glow neon green you will know within seconds where the water is getting in. it glows very bright so you will see the second it makes entry into the interior. you will probably want to remove as many parts of the dash as possible to make it easier to see. good luck

PS you will want to have some rags ready to catch the tonic water so it doesnt get your carpet all sticky also you may want to rinse with water after.

blackbeard52 · 09-27-2008, 06:03 AM

I had the same thing happen...it turns out that debris (leaves) had gotten into the wiper area and down the joint between the door hinge area. clogged up the drain that for whatever reason is under the door channel. there is an access hole midway up the kick panel on the left (driver side) and right ( passenger) under the plastic.. a plastic sheet covers it. mine was loose and allowed the water to enter from there. It would fill that area with water and release it during a hard rain. flush out the debris with a water hose and I plugged it with JB Weld and no more leaks

Bob