[DeTomaso] NPC: Anyone dealt with a mid-'90's Ford F-series leaking behind the dash

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 4/3/17 19 01 47, mbefthomas at comcast.net writes:


Nope, its clean water.   Just replaced the door seal today.   Lifted up the
carpet on the driver's side when I could get under it and it's soaked.   I
know it's only a matter of time before mold sets in.

>>>It could get much worse than that.

We have had record rains here in Northern California this winter.   A 
couple of months ago, one of my Sciroccos was parked at the Air Force base while 
I was on a trip to the sandbox.   When I got home, the carpets were soaked 
and it wouldn't start.   Turns out it had leaked into the cabin, soaking the 
fusebox and shorting out the (always hot) fuel pump relay, starting a small 
electrical fire and toasting the fusebox and the relay in the process!

Finding a replacement relay was easy, replacement fusebox next to 
impossible.   I finally managed to track one down, had the car towed to my local VW 
specialist and had them fix it, and also ordered them to find and fix the 
leak.

I presumed it was the windshield seal, but apparently it was actually an 
accumulation of leaves and dirt that had plugged the drains in the cowl vent 
area, which in a heavy rainstorm flooded into the inlet for the heater blower 
motor, and then into the cabin.   After they cleaned out all the muck, they 
sprayed the car with a hose for an hour, let it sit in rainstorms for days, 
and the cabin remained dry.

Point being, it's not necessarily the windshield, and if you don't find and 
fix it, the damage could be far worse than the inconvenience of wet 
carpets.

Good luck!

Mike
-------------- next part --------------
   In a message dated 4/3/17 19 01 47, mbefthomas at comcast.net writes:
   Nope, its clean water.  Just replaced the door seal today.  Lifted up
   the
   carpet on the driver's side when I could get under it and it's soaked.
   I
   know it's only a matter of time before mold sets in.
   >>>It could get much worse than that.
   We have had record rains here in Northern California this winter.  A
   couple of months ago, one of my Sciroccos was parked at the Air Force
   base while I was on a trip to the sandbox.  When I got home, the
   carpets were soaked and it wouldn't start.  Turns out it had leaked
   into the cabin, soaking the fusebox and shorting out the (always hot)
   fuel pump relay, starting a small electrical fire and toasting the
   fusebox and the relay in the process!
   Finding a replacement relay was easy, replacement fusebox next to
   impossible.  I finally managed to track one down, had the car towed to
   my local VW specialist and had them fix it, and also ordered them to
   find and fix the leak.
   I presumed it was the windshield seal, but apparently it was actually
   an accumulation of leaves and dirt that had plugged the drains in the
   cowl vent area, which in a heavy rainstorm flooded into the inlet for
   the heater blower motor, and then into the cabin.  After they cleaned
   out all the muck, they sprayed the car with a hose for an hour, let it
   sit in rainstorms for days, and the cabin remained dry.
   Point being, it's not necessarily the windshield, and if you don't find
   and fix it, the damage could be far worse than the inconvenience of wet
   carpets.
   Good luck!
   Mike