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> After washing
> my 240 today I noticed a small puddle of water on the passenger side
> front floor tray. Upon further inspection the carpet against the
> firewall was also damp and there was water driping from the wiring
> harness but seemingly no cause. I suspect the wiper motor seal is the
> problem. I could be wrong. Any ideas, anybody?
There's are all kinds of ways for the front floors to get wet. I'll list all I can remember.
o Wiring harnesses (or any line) that goes through the firewall are a common source of leaks. The rubber grommets may become dried or dislodged. Make sure wires and hoses are not at a steep angle that opens the grommet. Clean and apply fairly thick siliconized grease or RTV sealent (marine grade with UV protection tends to last a little longer).
o The wiper motor rubber mounting collar is another good place. Under the dash, unclip the control arm from the motor shaft. Now remove the wiper motor to get to the collar. Re-do the seal with caulk or sealent (as above). Clean-up, neutralize and prime any rust around the opening. The wiper arm pivot holes are not known for leaking, but could be checked. Access is awkward from under the dash and requires removing the wiper arms and dropping the pivot gearcase.
o The windshield gasket may have separated from the glass. This problem is most common in the lower corners and especially if the car has carried a heavy roof load, has been in an accident or a less than perfect replacement windshield has been installed. It can be very difficult to spot this except by blasting water around the window. Clean and re-caulk with clear RTV.
o The heater box also has drains to carry away any water. If these become clogged, water can overflow and find its way to the floor. From underneath the car on either side of the tranny you should see two wedge tipped rubber hoses sticking out. Make sure they are open and free of trapped material. Many people prefer to cut the tips off to allow better drainage. Debris may also collect in the heater box. Access is from the sides of the console. Unclip the rectangular plastic inserts way down by the firewall for access. Clean out all debris.
o There are plastic knockouts in the body behind the side kick panels (these were intended for floor fresh air vents present only on non A/C models). These knockouts can also be a source of leaks.
o If the door hinges has not been kept lubricated the hinge may wear allowing the door to hang out a little. This mostly affects the driver side. Also, if the door has been hit or the body twisted in an accident, the door may not have been refit properly. Check by closing the door gasket on long paper strips and see if they easily pull out. If it's just a small area then you can try putting some packing behind the gasket to get it to stick out a bit more.
o The water collection tray under the sun-roof has drains tubes in each corner. These go down the roof pillars and come out under the car. If these become obstructed with debris or if the sun-roof panel is misaligned or the felt gasket is severely worn then water will overflow the tray. Depending on the levellness of the car, the water can come down just about anywhere. Blow out, suction out or ream out these lines regularly, especially if you park near trees.
To prevent your floorboards from rusting through (major trouble) make sure you thoroughly dry out the carpets as soon as possible. A wet/dry shop vac is useful for this. Peel the carpets back and using absorbant pads get as much water out of the floor insulation as possible. Now leaving the carpet up, let the whole thing dry. A hair dryer or heat lamp can be used to speed the process. You may want to spray a light coat of WD-40 (the WD stands for water displacement) onto the exposed floor area before putting the carpet back down.
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