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SambaHyena
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2014
Posts: 21
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 Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 1:45 pm Post subject: How does water get in THERE? |
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So I'm in the middle of adding some sound deadening and insulation to my van. Luckily, I didn't find much rust in the usual places (kitchen wall etc.). However, when I pulled the insulation from the passenger side wall, behind the slider, I found an inch of water sitting in the cavity in front of the wheel well. I repaired a small rust hole in the corner of the window above that panel last year, but it was dry back then. I tried to reproduce the problem by spraying water on that side of the van, but no luck. Any ideas?
Thanks 
Last edited by SambaHyena on Fri Jan 30, 2015 3:20 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32625
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
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Location: Brookeville, MD
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SambaHyena
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2014
Posts: 21
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 3:30 pm Post subject: Window washer checks out |
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Dave,
Thanks for the reply. I suspected the washer bottle, and it seems fine. It's completely full. I don't see how a leaky window seal would leak into the cavity, since the window opening is a closed, pinched seam. I could see it leaking into the interior of the van, but not the space between the inner and outer walls. Also, I sprayed around the whole window to try to make it leak, but couldn't. The only other opening into that space is a drain hole towards the rear that has a rubber plug in it. It seems unlikely that much water found its way through a plugged hole.
Hmmmm. |
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32625
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 3:32 pm Post subject: Re: Window washer checks out |
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| SambaHyena wrote: |
Dave,
Thanks for the reply. I suspected the washer bottle, and it seems fine. It's completely full. I don't see how a leaky window seal would leak into the cavity, since the window opening is a closed, pinched seam. I could see it leaking into the interior of the van, but not the space between the inner and outer walls. Also, I sprayed around the whole window to try to make it leak, but couldn't. The only other opening into that space is a drain hole towards the rear that has a rubber plug in it. It seems unlikely that much water found its way through a plugged hole.
Hmmmm. |
Watch...... Now....... Run the pump...... 
IF the pump does not leak...... It is your window seals. Hey rust between the rubber and the body......
There is a rubber plug in the wheel well that you can pull to drain that area...... If that is missing, water will get in while driving but not deep.
Dave
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Gnarlodious 
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Joined: September 28, 2013
Posts: 2323
Location: Adobe Jungle USA
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 4:07 pm Post subject: |
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I had a pretty horrific leak from under a side window… turned out to be the seam where it is spot welded together. Hose your window from the outside, then reach up underneath the rubber gasket. You may feel water dripping from where the two sheets separate into outside and inside panels.
I fixed it by squeezing caulk up into the gap.
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Merian
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Joined: January 04, 2014
Posts: 5212
Location: Orygun
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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| or condensation from living, sleeping, cooking inside the vehicle - but that would likely show up elsewhere too |
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1vw4x4
Banned
Joined: June 22, 2005
Posts: 472
Location: Pgh. PA
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 4:19 pm Post subject: Re: How does water get in THERE? |
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You need to look in the rear wheel well. There are several places that
you may find a rust hole. Poke at the entire area with a screwdriver.
| SambaHyena wrote: |
So I'm in the middle of adding some sound deadening and insulation to my van. Luckily, I didn't find much rust in the usual places (kitchen wall etc.). However, when I pulled the insulation from the passenger side wall, behind the slider, I found an inch of water sitting in the cavity in front of the wheel well. I repaired a small rust hole in the corner of the window above that panel last year, but it was dry back then. I tried to reproduce the problem by spraying water on that side of the van, but no luck. Any ideas?
Thanks
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pedrokrusher
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Joined: July 11, 2011
Posts: 654
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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djkeev
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jmranger
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Location: Quebec
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SambaHyena
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2014
Posts: 21
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 5:24 pm Post subject: The mystery continues |
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| Well, I ran the rear window washer for about 30 seconds - no leaks. When I repaired the rust hole, which was in the front corner under the rubber seal, I did remove the window, and there was no other rust. The only thing that I can think of is that the original window installation seems to have used a little bit of sealant under the rubber seal. After reading several posts on the subject, I decided to leave the sealant out while re-installing the window. I re-used the rubber seal, since it appeared to be in good shape. However, even if the seal is leaking, it should only leak into the interior of the van, not into the space between the panels. The rubber plug for the drain hole is intact, and there's no rust inside the cavity. Definitely no holes. Again, spraying the entire window area did not cause a leak. I'll try spraying the sliding door latch to see if that's the problem. Maybe my daughter just poured a bottle of water into the ash tray |
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pedrokrusher
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Joined: July 11, 2011
Posts: 654
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 5:46 pm Post subject: |
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Exactement!!!
Here it is on page two:
| DFD wrote: |
I agree with IdahoDoug. I had the same problem with water leaking into the same cavity through the sliding door screws. At first, I thought I had leaky window seals too but with brand new window seals, I was determined to look for other potential leaks. I am in the process of restoring my Westy and had I removed my interior panels so it was easy to see what was happening. I noticed a small rusty spot on inside of the upper front corner of the interior panel but I didn't know how the water was getting in. I then set up a sprinkler and did a leak test. I ran the sprinkler for 5 minutes with the area in question uncovered; I got water inside. I then ran the sprinkler for 10 minutes with the area covered up. No water inside (the paper towel stayed dry -- see pics). It was very surprising to see the amount of water that collected inside the van in so little time. It's definitely worth looking into the sliding door screws.
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atomatom
Samba Member
Joined: May 15, 2012
Posts: 1867
Location: in an 84 Westy or Bowen Island, BC
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 8:34 pm Post subject: Re: How does water get in THERE? |
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| 1vw4x4 wrote: |
You need to look in the rear wheel well. There are several places that
you may find a rust hole. Poke at the entire area with a screwdriver.
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this is what did it for mine.
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IdahoDoug
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Joined: June 12, 2010
Posts: 10251
Location: N. Idaho
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 8:48 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, in fact by way of updated, my second Vanagon I have now also had some dripping from the same latch fixture. I tightened it up and while I was insulating it a few months later I had the panel off and was happy to see no dripping marks now. Thanks for the reminder that I need to finish that particular PM measure by running a bead of silicone across the top of the fixture.
I think because the right side is the curb side and therefore the van sits tilted that direction if on a street, a lot of rain will tend to pass over that latch fixture.
DougM
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SambaHyena
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2014
Posts: 21
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| Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 6:51 pm Post subject: Found it! |
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Well, it turns out there were two leaks. The biggest one was indeed the sliding door latch. Both screws were pretty loose, and there's no gasket or sealant or anything under there. In addition, there was a small leak caused by water wicking under the cloth/vinyl trim that's glued to the window sill. I guess I did need to use adhesive sealant under the rubber seal after all.
Anyway, mystery solved. Thanks everyone! |
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