prindlesailor Posted December 18, 2007 Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 I am at a total loss to explain this. I have had water on the rear floor, the whole way up under the seats, on my 1993 STS. This happens every time it rains, and several times I've had over an inch of water pooled on the floor. The difficulty is that NOTHING is wet other than the floor. Seats are dry, door panels are dry, trunk is dry. Car has never had any body damage. No sunroof either. And it happens when the car is sitting still, NOT when I'm driving. And the windows are completely closed and sealed. I really don't want to remove the carpet (which means removing the seats, the console, and a lot of trim pieces). I am thinking that maybe the rear window leaks? But a water hose test doesn't work, because I can't see where water comes in. It just slowly manifests itself over time. During times when I have a lot of water in the car, I also have electrical problems such as the keyless entry not working, or the instrument panel staying on and the blower running even after I remove the key and get out of the car. Has anyone else had any such problems??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis Posted December 18, 2007 Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 You say the trunk is dry. Did you check the spare tire well to see if it was dry? Also, how are you parked when the floor gets wet.... level ground, inclined facing down, inclined facing up, or all? Which side does the rear floor get wet on? Getting as much water as you do I would suspect either the rear door seal, trunk light assembly, or the fuel door. My guess is the fuel door but let's see what information you reply with first. "Burns" rubber " I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted December 18, 2007 Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 Do you have a sun roof? If so, there is a drain in each of the 4 corners that runs down the respective pillar. One is likely plugged. Use a length of .080 dia. weed wacker cord to rod it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis Posted December 18, 2007 Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 I too was thinking of a leaky sun roof Ranger. After reading his post a couple times I saw that he noted "No sunroof either". "Burns" rubber " I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted December 18, 2007 Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 Oops! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prindlesailor Posted December 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 Thanks for the responses so far. Here is some additional info: Spare tire well is bone dry. No sign whatsoever that anything has ever been wet in the trunk. Something new: the seatbelts in the back seat seem to have gotten wet from down under the seat, but they are dry now. No sunroof. The water comes in on both sides. The car is sometimes facing uphill, sometimes downhill, and sometimes level. Water comes in at the same rate no matter how the car is parked. Water is clean and clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wicz Posted December 18, 2007 Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 Thanks for the responses so far. Here is some additional info: Spare tire well is bone dry. No sign whatsoever that anything has ever been wet in the trunk. Something new: the seatbelts in the back seat seem to have gotten wet from down under the seat, but they are dry now. No sunroof. The water comes in on both sides. The car is sometimes facing uphill, sometimes downhill, and sometimes level. Water comes in at the same rate no matter how the car is parked. Water is clean and clear. Do you know if the rear window has ever been replaced? Does the rear defroster work (obviously grasping at straws here)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted December 19, 2007 Report Share Posted December 19, 2007 I agree with John. That is about the only possibility I can think of. Check under the rear window in the trunk and pull the rear seat back and look for signs of water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDK Posted December 19, 2007 Report Share Posted December 19, 2007 prindlesailor, What is your location's weather? IE; Wet & rainy, frigid with lots of snow and ice, hot & humid, (probably not a dry desert I would guess). I know you wrote that it only happens when parked, but how did you determine it is not leaking while driving as well? Is there any way to drive a second car during a rain storm, to leave the STS parked during a rainstorm to verify the parked vs driven issue? Could the problem be a clogged air conditioner drain up front that is slowly draining to the back. Note, the a/c runs in winter with the defroster. Did you try the water hose test over the windshield and HVAC/blower area as well as the firewall - to verify no leak up front as well? Given the electrical problems related to the dash area, perhaps there is a lot of corrosion in there? How long has the water problem - but seperately the electrical problems - been noted? Any seasonal differances? Note that until the source can be determined, you may want to install some "drains" at a low point on each rear floor area to at least stop any rusting etc. This is a tricky job to first drill a hole that doe not hit any vital parts, next to seal-in a plastic "drain tube assembly". Ideally the drain would have a washer-top that could be sealed and a horizontal deflector over the open end of the drain to inhibit road water from splashing up - but still allow the floor to drain. Good Luck, Add power to leave problems behind. Most braking is just - poor planning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis Posted December 19, 2007 Report Share Posted December 19, 2007 Seems to me that John and Ranger are on the right path. The fact that the seat belts get wet would indicate that the water source is higher up and from the rear half of the car. I would pop the trunk and remove the trunk carpet. Not just the bottom piece but the side carpet as well. Now you should be able to see the path the water takes. With the trunk open, gently run water over the rear window seam and the fuel door (while it's closed). Water has a funny way of traveling so pay close attention to the back of the trunk (seat back area). Personally I think the water is running along the back side of the trunk and dropping in behind the seat. Would certainly explain the wet seat belts. I had the same problem awhile back but the water came in via the fuel door. "Burns" rubber " I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prindlesailor Posted December 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 THANKS AGAIN FOR THE ADVICE EVERYONE! Here is still more information: IN RESPONSE TO JOHN: I do not know if the rear window has been replaced, but the seal around the window is definitely not flush, especially in the corners. The rear window defogger works well. IN RESPONSE TO RANGER: I have checked the trunk, and definitely there are no signs of water even with ALL the carpets out. It is very difficult to see in some of the areas, but there isn't even the slightest sign of moisture or anything ever being wet. IN RESPONSE TO TDK: I live in the Philadelphia suburbs. Weather is very changeable. Hot and humid in summer, frigid in winter, and sometimes wet and rainy. I know that it happens while parked, because there was one rainstorm when I didn't drive at all. It started raining when I got home, the car sat outside overnight, and the next day I went out AS SOON AS it stopped raining to investigate. The back seat (driver's side only this time) had almost 2 inches of water on the floor. This is in about 12 hours. And there were no signs of water coming in around the doors. And I've looked under the car, and cannot see anything that looks even remotely like a problem. I have verified that there are no leaks in the front. I removed the plastic cowl cover to check for corrosion and debris, but everything is clean there. IN RESPONSE TO REGIS: I have removed ALL trunk carpets, and have found nothing. But I admit that it's tough to see around the lower and upper part of the seatback area. Today I will put electrical around the rear window seal as a temporary fix. I will also remove the rear seat. It's supposed to rain all weekend, so this should be a good test to see if the problem surfaces again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAUL T Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 Check to see if the body seal/moulding(not on the door) around the top of the rear opening is not shrunk and pulled away at the corners. This allows water to come in and drip down on the seats, from the rear corner, and the rear floorboard from the front corner. I am dealing with this problem now. If I can not get the seal to stretch and stay sealed at the corners I will have to silicone it in place. Since I stretched it and put it back into place it has not leaked. I have found that when someone gets out of the back and hits the seal it pulls away at the corners, So I check it when I have had someone in the rear seat. Hope, this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 I know that it happens while parked, because there was one rainstorm when I didn't drive at all. It started raining when I got home, the car sat outside overnight, and the next day I went out AS SOON AS it stopped raining to investigate. The back seat (driver's side only this time) had almost 2 inches of water on the floor. This is in about 12 hours. And there were no signs of water coming in around the doors. And I've looked under the car, and cannot see anything that looks even remotely like a problem. If that much water is getting in, it should be relatively easy to find. Have someone spray water from a garden hose around each door seal/rear window, etc. while you are inside the car, watching each area that is being sprayed with water. If you don't see anything on the interior of the car, climb into the trunk, shut the deck lid and have your helper spray all the areas while looking for water intrusion with a flashlight. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prindlesailor Posted January 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 Well, I am fairly certain that I found the leak. I put electrical all the way around the rear window. It has rained several times, and so far it appears that there is no new water on the floor. Now the problem is, how can I fix this permanently? I'm still not sure exactly WHAT is leaking. It could be the molding, or it could be that water is just coming in from under the molding somewhere. Anyone have any ideas that don't include removing the whole rear window? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Have a glass shop reseal the rear window. I wouldn't think it could be too expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STSgirl96 Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 I am at a total loss to explain this. I have had water on the rear floor, the whole way up under the seats, on my 1993 STS. This happens every time it rains, and several times I've had over an inch of water pooled on the floor. The difficulty is that NOTHING is wet other than the floor. Seats are dry, door panels are dry, trunk is dry. Car has never had any body damage. No sunroof either. And it happens when the car is sitting still, NOT when I'm driving. And the windows are completely closed and sealed. I really don't want to remove the carpet (which means removing the seats, the console, and a lot of trim pieces). I am thinking that maybe the rear window leaks? But a water hose test doesn't work, because I can't see where water comes in. It just slowly manifests itself over time. During times when I have a lot of water in the car, I also have electrical problems such as the keyless entry not working, or the instrument panel staying on and the blower running even after I remove the key and get out of the car. Has anyone else had any such problems??? Hi Prindlesailer~ I did have the same problems as you with the water on the floor. I removed the rear seats and found that the seat that you sit on was full of mold from water leaking for awhile. (Before I owned my car) did some inspecting and could NOT figure out where the water was coming from. I would take it to the car wash and immediatly check her to see if I could figure out where it was coming from. Since I had no garage at the time it really irratated me. During the hot weather the mold smell got worse...especially if the windows were all closed! Finally I figured it had to be coming from the rear window. It didn't look like it was leaking. The molding looked alright. I used clear silicone and went around the rear window and NO MORE LEAKING! I hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.