Where & why water shows up on the passenger floor board - PICS

[s14unimog]

After finally getting around to swapping the heater core (the start of these cold fronts has been my encouragement) I finally got to put eyes on the leak issue I've been having on my passenger floorboard. Coincidentally while I had the dash board and HVAC box out of the truck it started to rain, so I climbed in my interior-less XJ and waited. Sure enough, after a couple of minutes I saw where the water was coming from. It's the bottom of the foam seal surrounding the blower motor.

Now I've seen guys (specifically the guy who did that write-up over on Jeepforum) RTV their blower motors in but that's retarded and clearly not the issue. IF you've got water on your passenger floor board, I'll almost guarantee this is your issue.

Bottom line, to fix this, you need to buy the $60 foam seal kit that ONLY Mopar sells. You're gonna have to pull your HVAC box to install it too. :thumbsup:

Here is the opening for the blower motor (viewed from inside the truck with HVAC box removed). Notice the lowest corner, THAT'S where it comes in.

Here is the dead seal on my HVAC box. Look close and you can see the water trail marks.

This is the damage is causes if left unfixed. All of the mating under my carpet was soaked.

Here is the $60 Mopar kit. Go buy it and set you a day to get in there and fix it. Notice how much thicker the new foam looks as compared to the compressed dry rotted foam I had in there. I drove the truck this morning, still raining this morning, and not a drop of water made it inside.

 

[dieselenthusiast]

Wow, great post. That's probably my same problem! What year is your XJ?

 

[dave92cherokee]

Good writeup but to clarify that's not always the problem allowing water into the cab. Other areas on the passenger side are the lower portion of the windshield seal not being sealed anymore. As well as the drain in the cowl area being clogged allowing water to back up and come in through the top vent opening which usually accompanies a bad seal around the flange inside the cowl.

 

[s14unimog]

Wow, great post. That's probably my same problem! What year is your XJ?

Np, it's a 97

Good writeup but to clarify that's not always the problem allowing water into the cab. Other areas on the passenger side are the lower portion of the windshield seal not being sealed anymore. As well as the drain in the cowl area being clogged allowing water to back up and come in through the top vent opening which usually accompanies a bad seal around the flange inside the cowl.

Clearly other issues can cause leaks but I have a feeling this is more likely the case on 97 and up models considering the entire picture. How does the water get there, not by clear damage or blockages but rather some unforeseen coincidences that allow the rain water to exploit a tired foam seal. The water coming off the hood catches the inside of the front fender but before traveling to the front of the hood, its allowed to come across the firewall shortly. Then there is a body weld that draws the metal down which gives the water a chance to drip off. It then lands precisely on that lower corner of the blower. A coincidence? Maybe. But I've got a feeling Chrysler just didn't catch this one.

You are correct though. it was clear there was no damage to my window seals and had previously checked for a clean cowl.