Water in the floor board.What to do?

[stephen4785]

My stangs been siting in the rain (its been raing alot in TX) and I went outside to my car and theres water siting in the floor board on the driver and pass side. Iv only managed to drive my car for about a week since I got it 6 months ago and never really got inside of it after it rained.Im gonna re weather strip the car.Iv read that the cowl vents on the car just hold water and often need to be replaced.If thats the problem then how does the cowl cover come off? Do you have to cut out the old one and weld in a new one?And could I just cut out the rusted stuff and put in one of those panels that route the water off the car instead of letting it sit?Any suggestions?

 

[TOM B]

If your shore it came in from the cowl, run a garden hose in it and look for leaks, then you have a few options depending on how bad it is. First look at the drain holes to see if there cloged. If they are the cowl will fill up with water then drain through the heater on P.S and the vent on the D.S.
If they are open the you probably have rust holes in the Vent tube on the drivers side or the Heater vent tube on the passenger side. I had this problem with mine, I bought a fix kit from CJ,S mustang.com to fix it. It comes with 2 plastic tubes you sylicone in the factory tubes. It works great.
I used windshield sealant for a more permanent repair. The cowl is spot welded together and does not come apart unless you cut and reweld. To get to the tubes you must take the heater out and the vent on the drivers side.
Hope your skinny

 

[jscar1968]

Or you could get a cowl cover, unless you have the money and time to drill out those 200 some odd spot welds. I don't know where they sell them online, but I got mine at my local mustang shop and they can ship it to you. Its about 30 bucks. Hilltop Classics,(760)746-0400. Good luck.

 

[stephen4785]

Id have to higher someone to crawl in there and do that if youve gotta be skinny.Im about 6,4 225 I dont think Id fit very well.
I remember reading in one of my catalog's , and there was that cowl repair thing that fits over the cowl.Ill check and make sure thats where the water is coming from.Thats a good trick with the water hose.Glad you mentioned it.Thanks

 

[65straightsick]

I also come to the car and find wet spots on both sides of the car, it could be the cowl but there are spots under the weatherstripping that have rust holes, so one way or another those will be repaired and re-weatherstripped. Try the w/s first to see if it stops the leaks. It is alot cheaper and you can avoid doing all that work for nothing

 

[65fastback2+2]

OT i noticed all the spelling errors haha

shore = sure
higher = hire

 

[65straightsick]

Haha, i didn't notice those before...

 

[65 fastback]

First you need to find out where the water is coming in. There are three main areas to check for leaks in the front area of the car. You need to check all three areas separately and in order.

1. Check the cowl for leaks. Pour some water directly into the cowl, making sure not to get water around the windshield area. The water should drain out each side behind the front wheels. You can also look into the cowl area with a flashlight and a hand held mirror.

2. Check the windshield seal. Run some water around the windshield seal, making sure not to allow water to run over the door jambs and door glass. This is probably the greatest cause of leaks into the front of the car. A 35+ year old windshield seal is probably rotted and no longer weathertight. Also, if the windshield has been replaced or pulled recently, after market windshield gaskets are notorious for leaking - make sure to get the FORD seal if you replace the windshield seal.

3. Check the door jambs and door glass channel. Run water directly on the doors, especially allowing water to run down the glass and into the door itself. There are drain holes inside the doors that can get blocked.

Cover the floor boards with some newspaper (it will show even small drips of water very easily) and check after each test.

Tim

 

[mustangdave]

That last post was dead on. I thought I had a cowl leak and bought the covers for the cowl. Guess what, it still leaks. I'm fairly sure it's the windshield. Regardless of whether or not it is the cowl leaking, it's a good idea to pull the fenders off and clean out those drain holes after this many years; all kinds of pine needles, leaves, and other debris clog them and rust away your car. Also, clean out those drain holes in your door and make sure the weatherstripping is good. Both of my doors have rusted out in the front bottom due to clogged drains and rotted weatherstripping. You don't want to know what that is going to cost to fix. A proper cowl repair will run you about $1500 up!

 

[UNVMATT]

Bilge pump. >Works for boats..