Transmission tunnel leak

[Tom F&L GoR]

I have water accumulating on the driver's side floor. It is coming from a factory gooped-up seam on the right side (transmission side) wall of the driver footbox; approximately across from the door hinge. It is about 2"-3" above the floor. Looking at the chassis and parts images in the service manual and body manual, then looking from under the car, it seems to be at the location of multiple sheet metal panels as well as two smaller structural braces.

The circled area shows the water entry location and the two struts are shown on the passenger side making a V shape. Anybody have any experience with this area, like how water even gets there when the car isn't moving? TIA.

 

[2000_Black_RT10]

Seeing your side sills for sale... did you find out you had a leak when crossing a creek?

My old H1 had floor plugs, actually they were supposed to be taken out so it would be less bouyant letting water in, if it helps with you with any creek crossing traction tips..

 

[dave6666]

What are your clues it is coming from that area? As opposed to somewhere else, and it is traveling to that spot?

Why not just repair the seam that you suspect and see if the problem goes away? A tube of 3M seam sealer is not that much $.

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

Seeing your side sills for sale... did you find out you had a leak when crossing a creek?

No, when hydroplaning across creeks.

Actually, it leaks (seeps, really) when raining (a lot of rain) and sitting in the driveway. The clue was lifting the carpet from the floor and finding water, but the door was dry. Looking elsewhere, pulled the carpet off the trans tunnel wall and can see it seeping out of the factory goo smear (at the circled location.)

On the bright side, the water then heads toward the large removeable plug in the middle of the floor pan. (I suspect this was the drain hole for the bilge pump option.) I could remove this plug and be done with it....

Simply covering up the seam may become the eventual fix. I want to know first if a frame strut or something else is filling with water and finally exiting into the footbox; if I successfully plug the leak I would be carrying a few extra pints of water all the time.

 

[SNKEBIT]

There is a brace that runs up to the area right under the windshield/cowl area. Maybe the water is following that down to there from the cowl.

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

I started removing some of the factory goo from the tunnel wall. I can stick a screwdriver in the gap between sheet metal sections (aiming towards the transmission.) My reason for going slow is that I don't want to plug up the bottom of a brace and have it fill with water and stay full. I'll start looking to see if I can reach the top of this brace.

 

[dave6666]

You must be registered for see images

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

Exactly, don't want to hold in a sneeze forever.