I recently noticed in my 1987 245dl that there is a persistent puddle underneath the front passenger seat, in the rear seat foot area. This happened last year and I had the windshield replaced and fitted with the newer type of seal. Now its happening again and Ive heard that it almost always is the windshield. Are there any other places I could check for leaks? Also, Ive heard its good to check for rust by pulling up the carpet when there has been a puddle or a while. How do I go about doing that, is it pretty straightforward? Thanks,

Colin

To test to see if it is / is not the windshield leaking, try this:

Take a bucket of water and carefully pour it into the slotted cowling, one side at a time. Stick you head up under the dashboard on each side in turn and look/listen for obvious leaks. if you find one, then, that is your problem.

Repeat on t'other side.

Open the hood. inspect the body seams beck behind the hood hinges. Sometimes these seal sealants can dry out and crack, allowing a leak. Before pouring any water here, inspect down lower around any cut-outs in the firewall. these are normally occupied by a myriad of metal plates with throttle & parking brake cables, etc. pasing through. Around the edges of these bulkheads 9as I call 'em) you'll see seam sealant just peaking out.

here is where you want to carefully pour some water, go under the dash, etc.

The trick is to work from the lowest areas -- up.

Also pour water around wiring harnesses and AC/heater hoses, those hood hinges, etc.

Only then do the windshield test.

For this, you'll need some soapy water. Bubble soap make a great testing solution. Consentrated car wash liquid soap is another.

Again begin near the bottom, center and work toward the sides. "Sheet" the soapy water onto the glass.

Then, go inside the car and use the blower end of a "Shop Vac" of similar blower, aiming it at the seam on that side. if you are blowing bubbles, there is your leak.

Continue working higher up.

Don't be surprised is you find a leak in the firewall, directly behing the engine. inside, the leak will drip from up above the heater box.

Finally, be sure to clear the drain tube of the Ac on the passenger side of the transmission tunnel.

Now, if it is a wagon yuo have leaking on you, your trouble is with the cargo windows, bottom edge and corners. The best repair is to remove the glass, fix the rotted pinchweld, and replace the galss, using a good window sealant.

First, try prying up the outside lip of the rubber window gasket with a putty knife and squirting in a silicone window sealant. Work from the lower corners toward the middle of the lower edge. Chances are good you'll only need to go about 8-12" from either corner.

For luck, buy some new well-nuts and R&R your roof rack. Correct any rust you find beneath the rack's mountings.

Hi Colin-

I had a similar leak problem.... originally i thought it was the windshield, too , but in my case it turned out to be the gaskets and plugs that fasten the roof-rack to the roof....if you still have the factory roof-rack and installation hardware, you'd be wise to check them and make sure all the rubber doo-dads have not rotted out (as mine did).

good luck!

>the rubber doo-dads

"Well nuts", by any other name......

Colin:

Excellent advice from the other posters. I can add only that I found a water leak in my '79 GT at one of the holes for the screws that held the fresh air vent assembly on the driver's side near the base of the A-pillar, and on two of my cars, the grommet where the windshield wiper motor shaft passes through the cowl/firewall has leaked.

Colin -

The 1983 245GL I bought in 1992 had what seemed like gallons of water in all four foam carpet pads. One big hole under the driver's seat that I had a jake-leg body guy patch - $300.

I would recommend that you immediately pull all the carpet and pads, and put in something temporary. We fortunately had a set of those Volvo Floor Trays, and put them back in on top of about 20 layers of old newspapers.

When the papers soaked up water, they're easily replaced. This system will start the drying process, or at least end the wetting process, while you determine the leak location.

Carpets are easy to pull. The other posts are good. You will need to unscrew the two screws at the bottom of the control panel cover. They are right below the lower radio location. Just loosen the control panel cover enough to finagle the carpet out from under. You can finagle the carpet out from under the kick panels, too. But, you may have to remove all four panels when re-installing.

The black trim pieces on each door frame must be removed to re-install the carpet, but you might be able to finagle the carpet out from under when removing it. Tricky around the bottom of the B pillar, though.

The seat belt anchor is 17mm, an aircraft nut, and don't loose the spacer.

The front seats come out easier if the back is cranked way forward. Also, be sure to unhook the seat heater connection, if you have'em. Under the seats, amongst the old french fries and miscellaneous coins, you will find a small screw holding down the rear heat air duct. Remove and be sure to save it.

On a 245 the rear seat doesn't have to be removed.

While the front seats are out, remove the center console cover (a screw and bezel on each side) and check for other coins, dead creatures, etc. I found a brand new Cross pen in said 1983 245GL. And, turn the seats upside down and see if they need the spring systems re-built. there should be four (4)springs on each side.

One of the posts referenced a plastic cover over a hole into the rocker panel. You will see them easily with the floors bared. There is a way to slip a flexible 3/4" or so tube into the inside of the rocker panel and use a vacuum to get out all the whatever glop that may be in there.

Hope this is helpful.

Good Luck,

Bob

:>)

Check the firewall for water leaks. Check the cowl vents that are in front of the windshield to make sure they aren't clogged. When leaves get in there, they go down into the rocker panels/door sills, but you can clean that area out. Rear side windows can also leak.

To pull the carpet up in the rear, you'll want to remove the bottom part of the rear seat (I think you have to in a wagon). Push the the bottom edge of the seat towards the rear of the car to unhook the metal rod that runs along the bottom edge of the seat. There's a hook attached to the floor on each side, and it's just about centered between the door and the hump in the floor on each side. In my car, I wasn't able to get the rear seat out until I pulled out the front passenger seat so I could get more leverage. The front seats come out easily by removing the 4 13mm bolts/nuts (a deep socket is helpful). One of the rear bolts on the front seat is behind a plastic cover. Use a screwdriver to pry out the plugs on either side of the cover, then pull it off.

Once you get the seats out, remove the plastic door sill covers. Just grab the bottom on one side and pull up. It might feel like it wants to break, but the plastic is just held on with some metal clips. With those removed, you can loosen the b-pillar plastic trim by pulling off the black flexible trim that goes along the door opening. I think you need to take the nut off of the bottom seat belt mount to pull back the carpet. At this point, you should be able to pull the carpet back. Along the front door sills behind the carpet, there are some large round plastic plugs. If you pull those out, you'll probably see leaves and other debris. Clean that area out if there's anything there, and poor some water down the cowl vents. It should drain out just behind the front wheels.

You'll probably find at least some rust on the floor. My '87 244 is totally rust free and solid on the outside (from VA, with 150K) but I found some surface rust on the floors. I noticed the tar-based pieces stuck to the floor would trap water, and that's where I found the most rust. I ended up just leaving the foam pads out from the rear since they just trap more water against the floor.

Good luck.

Nice write-up!

Colin, I found water in the same spot on my 84 245. My leak was along the bottom edge of the side cargo windows. You can only see the water for about 1 inch befor it dips behind a side panel and under the rear seat and carpet then comes to rest in the footwell behind the front seats. Test the windows for leaks with a hose. Once you fix the leak you need to pull all of the carpet and padding out and let them dry and check for rust damage. I had several holes in the floorpan to be repaired. To remove the carpet you need to remove both front seats (4 bolts each), the door sills pop off with a hard pull, also the seatbelt anchor bolt. There will never be a better time to shampoo the carpet. If the rear windows are the problem, post back and I'm sure everyone can give you some helpful hints.