Topic: Old Jeeps Leak... a lot.

[Jeffy]

Old Jeeps leak...  a lot!  I've been dealing with leaks since 1996, I think.  Different area's leaking at different times.  So these pics where taken from inside the windshield frame though the access slots on the inside.  I was able to watch the water fill up after I cleaned it up while it was raining hard outside.  I think these leaks are coming from the windshield hinge bolts.  There's also another leak below the cowl seal.  I'm not certain where it's leaking in from since I added some RTV to the underside.  In any case, it's dripping through the cowl down behind the dash and into this aqueduct that is also a rolled seam where the cowl is glued to the windshield support.  I'm going to have to drop the windshield when ever it stops raining and see if I can fix this.  The thing that sucks is that I've been unable to reproduce the leak with a bucket and hose for some reason.  So basically, I've got to fix it between storms.  It does leak a lot less then it once did.  A few years ago, I drove during a storm and had water pouring out of the dash onto my leg.




Notice they paint the Jeep with the hinges on.  I think I can seal the bolts off without dropping the windshield.



Back when it leaked bad, I'd have a pitcher worth of crap water that filtered through the dash wiring.  At least now it's just enough to soak up with a Shamwow.

[Jeffy]

I still need to figure out how to seal the hinges since I was only able to get 4 bolts out, three on one side.  Temps too cold and corrosion keeps it in place and I don't want to strip the Torx.  I need an impact screwdriver or else wait till it warms up to 100* temps.  Might just try to seal the top of the hinges and hope that does it.  The holes for the hinges are oversized so once water leaks between the two, it can flow right into the channel.

[neale_rs]

It's very hard to stop those leaks.  I just let it leak and dry it as soon as possible with a sponge that I keep in the Jeep.

[Jeffy]

Yeah,  it involves a lot of fitting which is a PITA.  I put the old cowl seal on which didn't fit very well when I first installed it but in the cold, it shrank up I guess and fit a lot better then the newer one.  I think the old one is a Omix-Ada and the new one was a Fairchild.  I used the fairchild seals to rebuild the doors and they worked out great.  The outer windshield piece was a little smaller then OEM but worked okay with some RTV added so it wouldn't fall out.  I did have to resort to some tricks to coax the cowl seal to tuck under the frame better.  I got the bottom to stick out maybe 1/8"-1/4" tops instead of 1/2" like it was.  The problem with having it stuck out is the cavity behind is is exposed and water will push right through there like it's nothing.

I was unable to get the other hinge bolts out.  I'm going to wait till later or else summer when it's nice and hot and the metal expands a bit.  They really shouldn't be locked in there.

I still have to tweak the hard top a little.  The seals are getting jammed when the door closes.  I'll have to push the top back without moving teh frame too much.  I think I need 1/4" to get it to all fit.

First time setting the windshield up.  The gap is smaller then before but is still pretty big.  The second picture was after some fixing.  The gap is about half the size.  Still needed some tweaking.  I ended up using duct tape and taping the seal in place with the windshield almost vertical so the seal would tuck and resist moving when I folded the windshield down.  This really helped a lot especially since I was doing this alone.



Here's a pic to give you an idea of what it looks like under the cowl seal.  There is a large void that runs the length of the windshield.  The front lip of the cowl seal is around 3/4" before it drops off.  If 1/2" is sticking out, you can imaging how little surface is keeping out the water and wind for that matter.



I haven't had the dash in since sometime last year.  I removed it when it started raining so I could see where it was coming from.

[JC93YJ]

I had a cowl leak, too. I believe I used an Omix-Ada seal and it worked great. There was nothing left of the old frame. You'l never get all the leaks, I've been trying to since I got the Jeep two years ago. Every time you stop one, another one starts. Do you know if there's a seal under the cowl intake or one on the trap door that seals the heater box? I think I have water coming in from there. Oh, foam tape sheets from your local crafts store work great for sealing up little leaks between the doors and the hardtop and stuff. I got mine in a sheet and just cut it to fit and it got rid of all the air leaks between the top and the doors.

Joe

[Jeffy]

Yeah, that's the problem.  I'm wanting to at least stop the heavy flow of water onto my foot while driving.  I can live with seeps.  I'm not too worried about the cowl vent since that doesn't seem to be leaking.  The holes between the seals for the door are always going to be there.  They're there on the soft top door as well.  You can see daylight in the corner where the door meets the cowl seal.  Here's an old pic of my cowl seal.  You can see how much of it sticks out.



So much of it sticks out that there was barely anything sealing the gap.  You can see the line that the pollen has made.  It goes to the edge of the seal before the cavity opens.



Good idea on the sheet of foam.  I got a cowl scoop which covers the vent so very little rain can enter directly. 

[Jeffy]

Well, it rained again but it was only a catagory 1 which is light but steady rain.  Checked the Jeep and the corners were it was dripping from are dry.  The windshield channel looks dry too.  The driver side foot well was damp though.  I lect the vent's open.  We're suposted to get a stronger storm soon so we'll see if it leaks again.  Though, if that's where it's leaking from, I can sorta live with that.  At least doesn't seem to be leaking from an seams but I'll know more when it rains more.