# Help! Interior leaks!



## mbergin (Jun 19, 2012)

Hi all,
I need the expertise of those on this forum that may be able to help. 

As I was driving my 69 GTO home I got caught in a rain storm (hate when that happens). I noticed there was a pretty serious leak on the interior passenger side just outside of the kick plate dripping from under the dash, soaked the carpet. Since I'm replacing the carpet, I figured I'd have a look. I pulled the carpet and noticed some surface rust on the floor that I'm assuming was a result of this leak. I hit it with POR15 and investigated the cause of the leak. 

I pulled the glovebox out and hit the exterior passenger side windshield and cowl with the hose and the interior leak appeared. It continued to leak for about five minutes after I stopped and I noticed the leak coming from the passenger side right inside of the front fender and behind and a little right of the Passenger side AC outlet. I'm posting some pics and you will see the area that was leaking. 

It was hit with some caulk some time in the past and it was leaking through the caulk. I could see the drips coming out so once the leaking subsided, I hit it again with caulk to stop the leak ( it's the area that is shining in the pictures). Kind of a hokey fix but it will save the new carpets for now. I'm worried that if I'm caught in the rain again, the water will just build now that it has no where to go. Is there a drain that is clogged? I looked underneath and all around and can't seem to find where the water is coming from. 

Anyone else know how I can stop this leak?

Thanks so much 

Mike























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## mbergin (Jun 19, 2012)

Anyone?



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## gjones (Oct 8, 2012)

*rot*

That's a really bad spot to repair, but the only way to fix it is to remove all the rot (and old silicone, etc...), clean and de-rust inside the affected areas, rustproof (por15?) and get some new metal in there. Tough, tough spot. Pull the vent(s) out and clean both sides of the the cavities- they will likely be full of leaves and debris- (you'll have to clear all that junk out and rustproof inside of those hollows). The water from the cowl vents drain through those areas, and have baffles in there to divert the flow of water to the drain holes at the bottom of the fender and rocker panels. Those baffles will probably be rotted also, so you may have to rebuild those too. Reseal the vents before you reinstall them. Very tough to do, but not impossible. Good luck.


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## mbergin (Jun 19, 2012)

Thanks for the info. I'm going to remove the vent and clean out the cowl area. Hopefully it won't be too bad. I checked the other posts and will do as the others did and ensure the drain holes are cleared and drill a larger size drain hole. 

I'm hoping this does not turn into a nightmare. 

Thanks


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## gjones (Oct 8, 2012)

*leakleakleakyleakleak*

Pulling the fender won't help in the least bit.(lest there be rot). Pull that vent out and get a good light and a mirror and then you should be able to tell what your up against. Have a shop vac handy, and have fun.  (As for diagrams, idunno- you'll see when you pull the vent.)


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## mbergin (Jun 19, 2012)

So I pulled the passenger vent however this is an AC car, and the vent (has a door on it) is attached to ductwork for the blower motor. I can only get the vent out part of the way without massacring the ductwork, which is held in by staples ( and strong ones!). I looked for the drain holes and saw an opening but is not a hole. Looks like where the fender meets the chassis. 

Just for kicks I checked the driver side and all looks well over there. Any thoughts?


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## mbergin (Jun 19, 2012)

Ok now I'm officially stumped. I pulled the ac door vent on the passenger side behind the kick plate. Since this is an AC car, it has two vacuum lines going to it and a door (see pics). When I pulled it (sealed with a plumbers putty like substance) there was a duct behind it leading to some thing that looks like the blower motor. I can barely reach my hand underneath to feel for drain holes as the duct is attached with staples. I did manage to barely touch the bottom of the cavity and noted some debris and when I moved my hand around, all surfaces were smooth, suggesting ther was no rust issues. 

So I had a great idea, I poured some water through the cowl just below the windshield under the hood. I figured that would tell me if the drains were clogged. The water poured right through and drained under the fenders right behind the front wheels, which I believe is normal. No rust or rot issues under the fenders and I did not see or feel any "rats nests". Every thing looked clean and clear. I checked the interior and the water came pouring out through the opening (behind the seal, if it was sealed I don't think it would have leaked). Is that normal? Is this the reason that AC vent/door is sealed with plumbers putty? 

I'm afraid that I'm going to assemble the whole shebang and its still going to leak, or I have an issue with pooling water that will create rust. I sealed the area above (black shiny area in the pics) where the leak was originally coming from. spent so much time treating the floor and laying down dynamat and I would hate to still have the leak that created all this work. 

Does anyone know if the water in this cavity is normal? I would appreciate any help. I'm at a loss right now. 

Thanks! 













Mike


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

There's a good chance that the source of your leak is from around the base of the windshield. That corner is just the natural path for the water to go. You can test it with a hose. Spray water at the base of the windshield and try to be careful NOT to let it run down into the cowl area below. It's just about got to be coming from one of those two spots: base of the windshield or from inside the cowl (down inside where the wiper linkage is). My 69 had a leak there, and that's where the problem was - the windshield channel.

Bear


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## mbergin (Jun 19, 2012)

Thanks so much, Bear. When I dumped the water down the cowl (through the grate under the windshield), I was careful not to wet the windshield seal so I could try to rule out where the leak wasn't coming from. I was hoping I wouldn't see water inside when I did, but that wasn't the case. I'm thinking the water running down the side of that interior duct and AC door might be normal since water did also drain through the bottom of the fender. How did you fix your leak? Did you re-seal the windshield?


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## mbergin (Jun 19, 2012)

So this is what I found in the 69 Pontiac service manual. The "vent/door" is actually the inlet and valve assembly (right side of the diagram). The leak is coming in from the left side of the diagram around the duct for the inlet and valve assembly which is inside the passenger side kick panel. It looks like there are baffles to prevent water from entering the area.








The diagram for the blower motor shows the area of the leak (with the arrow) however it is coming down the inlet into the interior of the car. 

Seriously bummed. Has anyone had this problem? Should I seal the inlet duct and hope it doesn't leak? Should I re-seal the windshield? Does anyone have pictures of the inside of this area? Hoping I don't have to pull the fender to remove the blower motor and inlet assembly. Any help would be most appreciated. 


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## mbergin (Jun 19, 2012)

I think I got it. I drilled some drain holes in the chassis directly under the inlet and valve assembly right next to the existing drains. I reached my hand in ( no easy feat with these big sausage fingers)and was able to feel some debris and I thought I felt the drain holes. I sealed the inlet and valve assembly, dumped some water in the cowl and the debris washed out and now it drains. Not sure if its right but at least it's not leaking inside anymore. Now finish the dynamat and carpeting. 

Thanks for your help Bear. Glad to hear your getting the Beast back in shape. Ill be picking up a fire extinguisher before I take her on her first run. 


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

I applied the surgical cure: cut out the rust, weld in new metal. I'm glad you solved your problem. Seems like it's always something with these old cars, but that's why we love them, right? Right?.... 

Bear


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## mbergin (Jun 19, 2012)

My Dad used to say its what keeps us young at heart. I didn't see or feel any evidence of rust so I'm thinking ill be ok. Thanks again!


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