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The girls car has a moisture problem.
After spending a few hours trying to track it down, I finally determined that when its raining outside, its raining in the car- specifically, inside the dashboard.
I hate to think of the mess it’s made of the electronics, but I’ve got to get to the bottom of this.My worry is that what I’m going to find is the part of the frame the windshield sits on is rotted through.
Does anyone know if there’s a decent way to determine this without completely removing the dashboard, or attempting an at-home windshield removal? I’ve got nothing, so I guess this is just a desperate plea 🙂
I asked the windshield shop I trust, and they say if it’s rotted out they wont touch it- after removing the windshield they just say “sorry, you need to take it to a body shop”- which means having it towed. Bleh! At the same time, I’ve never removed such a large window- or installed one.
Any advice?
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before you take anything apart. use a garden hose to squirt varias areas
to see where the leak is. check the cowl drains are not clogged.“What are cowls?” I asked.
Quick search for 1991 civic cowl brought me to a picture, and before you know it a thread on vents that leak water into the dashboard.
It’s all about knowing the right word, eh?
The cowl is where air enters for the car. either the green circled
section or to the right where the other hole is. there will be drains
in there.Fancy that- I’ll take a look to see if I can find them after work- if they work anything like sunroof drains, I can pretty much guarentee they’re clogged with mud or something similar.
[quote=”netman86″ post=92920]Fancy that- I’ll take a look to see if I can find them after work- if they work anything like sunroof drains, I can pretty much guarentee they’re clogged with mud or something similar.[/quote]
Keep us posted on your progress. 🙂
You’re gonna love Friday’s video. That said, the bases are pretty much covered here. I will add that you should not attempt to remove the windshield on your own. It requires special tools and if you don’t have them, it makes the job very difficult.
Keep us posted on what you find.
[quote=”EricTheCarGuy” post=92954]You’re gonna love Friday’s video. That said, the bases are pretty much covered here. I will add that you should not attempt to remove the windshield on your own. It requires special tools and if you don’t have them, it makes the job very difficult.
Keep us posted on what you find.[/quote]
It’s not the cowl- its the windshield. It’s coming in on the right (and left) and running down the A pillars.
I was tempted to pull that glass myself, but it looks like a huge PITA to put back in. I know I had pulled a quote for a replacement, the glass is all pitted anyhow. I think this just became someone elses problem!
unfortunately I just pulled up the quote, and its almost $300.You don’t need to take off the glass, just pull off the plastic window trim around the top and sides. Then use a flashlight and a screwdriver to poke in the channel. You will probably find some holes. Again, not a huge problem, get a big tube of silicone caulking, squirt mass quantities of it into the channel, and push the trim pieces back on. That should stop the interior rain for a few more years.
Up here in Maine they use something called calcium chloride on the roads instead of salt or sand.
I never did find a proper study on the stuff (Perhaps I’ll have to write my own…) but I’ve concluded that it should be outlawed. Sears missed the jacking point and put a dent in the rocker panel of my toyota- a solid car from nevada that never had a spec of rust. That was less than a year ago- today there’s a hole there I can fit my boot through.
I had considered sealing that windshield from the inside- but all that will accomplish is trapping this evil stuff between the glass and the frame- within a few years it will not only be leaking again, but there won’t be any frame left to re-mount glass to!
edit:
just adding some pictures I took when looking at it yesterday
http://images.netman86.com/projects/cars/Blue%20Honda/Moisture_Problem/gallery.phpGood find. I wouldn’t attempt the repair yourself. I would have a glass company do it. Like I said, special tools and such. Perhaps you can shop around and find a cheaper price. As for trying to seal it the way it is, I haven’t had much luck with that. Once it gets to a certain point it’s just better to take it out and reseal it and be done.
Keep us posted.
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