Water Leak over Inside Rocker Panel

[Zed Head]

It's been raining here in Portland and since I have my car out of the garage and running well, I have found a large amount of water on the driver's side floor. I've looked through the various posts recently and in the past and was able to fix my leaky hatch using that information, but I have not seen a similar description of what I have recently found.

I tore up the carpet and find that the water seems to be coming down the top of the rocker panel where the plastic trim meets the carpet and running over the edge in to the car. There is a large hole under the drivers seat, I assume from the PO parking nose up in the past and having the water run backward. I park nose down and the water is running off the rocker panel forward. I assume the water is coming down the front door jamb but I'm not sure how it gets there. Has anyone encountered this type of leak?

I have also noticed what looks like a rusty separated seam behind the front of the door also. Could this be the entry point?

Here are some pictures. Thanks for any help.

[WingZr0]

I think I know exactly what you have.

Check the rubber wheather stripping on the far foward part on the top of the door.

The rubber piece just ahead of the window frame between the edge the of door.

It should be thin and roughly triangle in shape, like a bike ramp viewed from the side.

If thats broke or cracked from age then rain water will spill down over the inner door

panel and land right where all your rust is.

The rubber piece is supposed to seal between the door and body to catch the

rain coming off the drip rail on the roof and send it down past to the outter door jamb

and run off the floor sill where the Datun logo is then on to the ground.

Had this happen this year in my Z and since built up a layer of gasket sealent as a

temporary fix.

Eventually you need to get this part from MSA.

Edited January 6, 2010 by WingZr0

[Zed Head]

Thanks for looking. I had noticed that that rubber strip was pretty chewed up, it's at the bottom of the second picture, kind of green and with big cracks in it. I assume that's the one you mean. It actually has moss growing on it (pretty common up here). It looks like an engineering afterthought to keep sideways spray out, so I had overlooked it. But it does look like it's not fitting the way it was designed to.

I'll build it up and try to make it look like the other side and see what happens next time I roll it out in the rain, or pour some water on it if it's dry out. It's going up on blocks tonight for a five speed swap so I won't know for a few days (barring unexpected problems). I'll get back with the results then.

Thanks again.

[WingZr0]

MSA list it as a 'Front Door Seal' part #34-1103 and 34-1104 page 139 in the book on the car drawing. Its a ten dollar part. Let the gasket sealant dry about 2 hours then check for total tight fit then use a water hose to test it. Sit in the passanger seat as the hose still runs on the roof to see if and where it leaks again. That or buy the new part which we'll both need to do anyway. If it rains and all fails tape off the door with a trash big. You definately want to get that frame looked at though.

Edited January 7, 2010 by WingZr0

[Zed Head]

Well, it looks like you were exactly right. I resisted my normal urge to try many fixes at one time, and focused on that one area. Let water run down the chrome trim covered drip rail above the drivers door, and after about a minute I saw the water running down the top of the rocker panel and puddling on the floor. I had the carpet and padding pulled up and the door sill piece removed so I could see when it started and where it came from.

In my case the water was actually running under the rubber piece as it had pulled up from aging and cracking. The water then ran down the door seal to the seam where the door seal ends butt together, across the seam to the inside, down to the top of the rocker, then down to the floor.

I ran a bead of GE Silicone II under the rubber piece at the front of the door and also caulked up the door seal seam. Let it cure for a day, waited for rain but didn’t get any, so I went ahead and hosed the whole car down (fully prepared to find the next leak in line) and everything stayed dry.

Thanks for the help.

By the way, the car is actually very solid. I think that is just surface rust at the seam. But thanks for the advice.

[WingZr0]

Your welcome, perfect timing huh, its supposed to rain tomorrow . ~Z~

[WingZr0]

Got my new Front Door Seal and the plastic retainers, which you'll need if your doing this job too. How do you remove the chrome trim on the bottom of the outside door window? Part of the Seal needs to tuck under the trim where it meets the very front of the window frame, but can't seem to figure how to pull it off.

Edited February 11, 2010 by WingZr0

[jmortensen]

That seal that goes across the bottom of the window clips onto the top of the door. Basically you just pull straight up on it and it will come off, but the clips are pretty tight so it might take a little luck to get it off without bending the chrome part.

[WingZr0]

Thanks . I was hopping I didn't have to mess with the interior and unclip from the back. Try to pull the inside door panel off once but gave up cause the window crank handle wouldn't remove. The Haynes or Chilton manual, which ever one's the crappy one, only showed a picture of the handle already off!

Edited February 11, 2010 by WingZr0

[jmortensen]

Thanks . Tried to pull the inside door panel off once and gave up cause the window crank handle wouldn't come off. the Haynes manual only showed a picture of the handle already removed!

I think that's a joke, but just in case, you need to pull the Jesus clip (so named because you inevitably drop it and can't find it and yell "Jesus Fing Christ!") Takes a pair of needle nose or a hook tool to pull it out.

[WingZr0]

YEAH no doubt, thats what I thought, you gotta be joking. How the gonna show a photo of the thing like that and the only directions just basically says, "take it off". Edited February 11, 2010 by WingZr0

[240znz]

Just stretch a rag out and slide it under the window crank handle and try to pull the rag through. This will remove the clip so easily that you'll wonder why it was so hard in the first place. To put it back on, insert the clip in its final position and push the handle on until you hear a click.