Door Seals?

[m240]

Last year I put new floor boards in my 73' 240 and about a month ago I noticed that there was some water getting in and soaking the padding under the front carpets. Not wanting to go through rusty floor boards again I got a set of door seals from VB. I saw on a post that the seals for a 78' works the best as far as having no problem shutting the door and they sealed well. Well I put in the new seals and the door was tight but it shut. A couple days later I noticed the front carpets were wet again after a rain storm. Did I make a mistake using the 78' seals or is there a trick I missed putting them in? I used the adhesive from VB to put them in. Could the water be coming in from somewhere else

( I can't find any other signs of leaks)?

Thanks for any help on this!

Mark

[EScanlon]

Two possibilities jump to mind:

The Cowl Bucket, where the Windshield Wiper Motor and Linkage reside could be rusty, or the drainage hoses for the same could have become cracked and since they run right through the side kick panel.....

The other is a leaky windshield gasket.

To check for the first, get a buddy to pour a bucket of water INTO the cowl vent holes (those front to back punch in the cowl holes), while you are in either the passenger or driver foot well looking to see if water flows in.

If water flows in, look in the uppermost, and outermost corner of the kick panel towards the engine. You'll see a rubber tube coming down out of a metal pipe in the "ceiling" (actually the floor of the cowl bucket). If that is what's leaking, you need a new drain hose. If that isn't what's leaking, check for rust holes in the cowl floor.

Although a lot of people cite a leaky windshield gasket as the culprit in a lot of these, I've rarely found a true leaky gasket. If it is a leaky windshield gasket you'll also find that your top Dash Finisher (the one with the holes for the defrost vents) will also exhibit some form of rust. Remove that and check the backside.

FWIW

Enrique

[m240]

Thanks for the reply! I'll check those things first thing tomorrow.

Mark

[mdbrandy]

Originally posted by EScanlon

Two possibilities jump to mind:

The Cowl Bucket, where the Windshield Wiper Motor and Linkage reside could be rusty...

And possibly hard to find. I found about a one inch square rust hole on the passenger side of the cowl bucket, just in from the passenger door. Probably not able to be seen with the dash in. Looking from outside the car, the hole is WAY BACK in the corner of the cowl bucket, and I pulled a big chunk of sealing material out of that corner (that looked original, but came out really easy after 34 years). Thus, if you didn't try to get the sealant chunk out, and didn't remove the dash, a problem like this would have probably remained a mystery. See the attached picture from the inside of the car, about where you'd be sitting in the passenger seat (if there was still a seat there!).

[m240]

Thanks for the tips. After sitting in the car during a good downpour I saw some water coming in through the windshield gasket( I didn't think to look there). I caulked that, reinstalled the door seals and checked the drain tubes on either side of the dash. I plan on changing dashboards later this summer so I will check that pan under the wipers then. Can the windshield be taken out and reinstalled by 1 person or is it 2 person job? I should change that seal around it.

Thanks for the help!

Mark

[m240]

I found the water leak! After changing the door seals to nissan seals, replacing the windshield gasket, inspecting under the cowel, and replacing the seals that snap onto the top of the door to seal the window the leak was cured on the passenger side. We had a rain storm today and i sat in the car while it rained to track down the drivers side leak. I pulled the inner door panel and the plastic seal behind it( that had cracks in it) and watched a constant drip from the front by the mirror and a slower drip from the rear. I know the door has drain holes in the bottom, but how much water is supposed to get inside the door? Is the inner seal supposed to stop whatever water that gets in the door from entering the car? I have to replace the chrome and rubber seal again that goes on top of the door by the window because it got a little deformed while i was trying to tighten it a liitle to stop the leaks, is this piece the culprit of the leaks or is it normal to get water in the door? Sorry for being so long winded, I'm just glad to finally find where the water is coming from.

Mark

[tanny]

I had the same leak and it came from water getting by the outside window seal on both doors, then the drips would follow the window hardware down and then across to the inside surface of the inside door panel, then squeeze between the metal part of the door and the masonite(?) door covering, then down onto the carpet. Quite a torrent. I solved that leak by sealing all of the access holes individually on the inside of the door with heavy(6 mil) plastic and silicone caulk. Worked perfectly. Should also replace window seal but haven't yet.

ps I also installed door seals but from VB and they were the 240 type, and my doors still need a good slam to shut. Oh well. Victor.

[m240]

Thanks for the reply! I used door seals from VB the first time and had other leaks from them, I then switched to nissan seals and the leaks went away. By the way I ordered the nissan seals from a friend who has a body shop and with his discount they were about half of what Curtesey Nissan quoted. So if you know someone in the bussiness you can save $. I will calk everything on the door now and use a new plastic seal, hopefully this will cure the leak!

Thanks,

Mark