89 Horizon wet passenger carpet when it rains. Seam on car separated.

[AngelesRunner]

89 Plymouth Horizon / Dodge Omni probably a potential problem for all model years of the Omni / Horizon

The carpet on the passenger's floor got wet each time it rained. Pulled off the scuff strip at the bottom of the door area that protects the end of the carpet. Pulled off the plastic side kick panel that would be at the right side of the passengers right foot. Peeled back the carpet and then lifted up the black pad that sits at the bottom of the firewall. All is wet. Slight rust spots rising on the floor.

There is a seam between two of the metal body panels just where the passengers toes would be when seated. That seam has a gap. Spray from the road is splashing through the gap.

I would figure to dry everything out and then clean the ends of the seam and seal it by welding or sealant.

Anyone encountered this? Welding or sealant? Silicone or asphalt based sealant? Or, silicone sealant for the gap protected on the road side with a layer of asphalt based undercoating?

[omniac]

I have not had any issues with this as the floors on my 1986 GLHT were rotten to the point I needed to cut out and replace. I did however run the car for nearly 2 full years without a carpet to track down where any potential leaks were located. The majority of the moisture inside the front floor pans came from the door weatherstrips. I gave up trying to find good condition L body weatherstripping and eventually replaced it with Dodge Spirit weatherstripping...all dry now !

Another common area for water leaks is in behind the inner fender splash shields. The caulking dries up and eventually allows water inside.

[AngelesRunner]

For the inner fender splash shields pull off the wheel/tire , then the plastic fender liners? Go after any caulk that you see? And replace it with? What?

How did you ask for Dodge Spirit weather stripping? Do you get a roll? or is it preformed and shaped for a door's shape as purchased?

[omniac]

replace the caulking with autobody seam sealer - brush on style - available at most autobody supply stores. I applied thin coats and let it dry thoroughly between coats. I then top coated it with rubberized undercoat.

I got the weather stripping from a salvage yard - not sure if it can be purchased now from the dealer or not...especially since 1995 was the last year the Spirit was produced

[4 l-bodies]

There are many potential places where l-bodies leak. Some are behind front fender. Some are in cowl area. I would suggest using either water or air to verify the actual leaks. I've even seen leaks in the taillight housings causing the front foot wells to pool water. I would be skeptical that that seam your talking about is your main or only leak. Does it get wet whenever it rains or just when you drive it? Does it make any difference if the car is pointing nose up or nose down when it rains? When you think you've got it repaired, leave the carpeting up for a while to make sure. Been there and done that many times.
Todd

[wallace]

I've got the same leak as you. I've got the carpet out and I went ahead and removed the rustiest pieces it is right at the seam you see looking from the wheel well on the outside. I'm going to cut out the rest of the rusty stuff and weld in a patch. This is the only spot on mine that is really bad. The 3m seam sealer stuff is what I use too.

[AngelesRunner]

Door weather stripping is good. Carpet at the side, just under the door, doesn't get wet. When I fixed the window winders I resealed the plastic sheet that is under the door trim panel all the way around with silicone sealant. Carpets did not get wet in the rain if parked. Only when driven 15 miles to work or back in the rain. The wet pattern is from the seam straight back and down. There is a GAP at the seam about 9 inches wide where the two pieces of metal don't even touch.

I'm thinking of cleaning everything at the seam down to bare metal and then beating the edges together as close as possible and then going to a welder for brazing or welding and then coat and waterproof everything.

I only have tiny spots where rust has raised the paint on the floor but not yet broken through. I will clean, prime and paint all of these small rust places.

The local Dodge dealer doesn't carry anything specific for an L body but while I was asking at the parts counter another customer said you could get most seals and weather stripping at softseal.com I haven't tried them yet.

And for 4 l-bodies:
What is the cowl area. Please describe it as I don't know the word cowl in association with a car.
Thank You.

[4 l-bodies]

And for 4 l-bodies:
What is the cowl area. Please describe it as I don't know the word cowl in association with a car.
Thank You.

Cowl area is the area behind the firewall that contains the hinges, HVAC vent, wiper motor and linkages, etc. Water collects their thru the vents in the hood and is supposed to run down outside and exit down inside of fenders to the ground. Sounds like you have found your leak. Many, many times on these cars the seam sealer shrinks and some of this water will run inside the car instead of to the ground. Take a good look at all these areas because you could patch your one area only to have it start to leak in others. Rusted out foot wells in L-bodies is very common. Completely dry out area before you put insulation, and carpet back in place or you will just trap moisture inside the car.
Todd

[AngelesRunner]

I started digging and scraping with a screwdriver and found out that the metal of the firewall and the metal of the floor is rusted back about 1 inch from the seam where they meet at the front seat passenger's toes. I knocked off rusty chunks until you could see daylight through the seam. I cleaned as much as I could and then filled the seam and the metal within 1 inch both inside and outside the car with seam sealer using a putty knife. I have it smoothed now and it is drying. We have about 5 days of 50 degree weather before it may get bad. After the seam sealer dries I'm going to spray it on both sides with undercoating.

Understand that this is not permanent. I'll cut and weld when it is springtime. I've dried out the carpet and padding with a hair dryer for a day. I only want this to hold through the rest of the winter so I can drive back and forth to work.

In the spring I will pull out the seats and remove the carpeting and then get to any rust that I can find on the bottom of the car, inside or out.
Right now I'm waiting on rear brake parts to do SLH2 to this 89 Horizon.