1998 buick regal - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

grendel · 10-28-2004, 04:24 AM

this is kinda a silly question, but...

my '98 buick regal has developed a problem where after it rains, the front passenger side floorboard ends up soaked with water. the first time it happened was after a significant rain that caused flooding on several roads that i had to drive through. hitting those flooded areas would cause that spray of water to go up into the wheel well, so i just kind figured it was an isolated incident. that kinda thing happened maybe 2 more times, but even then it only seemed to happen when we'd had heavy enough rains to cause flooding in areas where i'd driven.

then, a couple of weeks ago, we had a big-ass storm overnight. i'm talking HUGE storm. a big enough storm to cause rivers of rainwater flowing down the sides of our streets. my car was parked on the street, with the passenger side against the curb (where the water was flowing), and when i went out to go to work in the morning, there was water again. this was the first time that it had ever happened as a result of the car just sitting somewhere during the rain. a few nights ago, that happened again - only this time in my driveway. granted there wasn't as much water in the car this time, but it didn't rain as hard either.

now all that blabbering is leading up to this question... is this going to be a problem for my mechanic to look at? or is it more a body shop kinda thing or maybe even a detailing place? or does that depend on exactly where the water is getting into the car from the outside? i think i know where it's dripping to get into the floorboard, but i haven't looked under the hood to see how it might be getting to there from outside yet.

irseg · 10-28-2004, 05:59 AM

Generally water gets into that area of the car through either a leaking windshield, or a damaged rubber grommet where wires go through the firewall. Ever have the windshield replaced or electrical work done on the car? Tracking down a leak can be a real pain, especially if it's behind the dash. I'd say the best thing to do would be to remove the trim that holds the carpet down, pull the carpet/padding out of the way, and get someone to spray the windshield and firewall with a hose while looking for leaks. Good luck!

Craven Morehead · 10-28-2004, 01:31 PM

How about the weather stripping on the door? The rubber seal may be leaking at the bottom.

10-28-2004, 04:24 AM	#1 (permalink)
grendel Psycho	1998 buick regal this is kinda a silly question, but... my '98 buick regal has developed a problem where after it rains, the front passenger side floorboard ends up soaked with water. the first time it happened was after a significant rain that caused flooding on several roads that i had to drive through. hitting those flooded areas would cause that spray of water to go up into the wheel well, so i just kind figured it was an isolated incident. that kinda thing happened maybe 2 more times, but even then it only seemed to happen when we'd had heavy enough rains to cause flooding in areas where i'd driven. then, a couple of weeks ago, we had a big-ass storm overnight. i'm talking HUGE storm. a big enough storm to cause rivers of rainwater flowing down the sides of our streets. my car was parked on the street, with the passenger side against the curb (where the water was flowing), and when i went out to go to work in the morning, there was water again. this was the first time that it had ever happened as a result of the car just sitting somewhere during the rain. a few nights ago, that happened again - only this time in my driveway. granted there wasn't as much water in the car this time, but it didn't rain as hard either. now all that blabbering is leading up to this question... is this going to be a problem for my mechanic to look at? or is it more a body shop kinda thing or maybe even a detailing place? or does that depend on exactly where the water is getting into the car from the outside? i think i know where it's dripping to get into the floorboard, but i haven't looked under the hood to see how it might be getting to there from outside yet.

10-28-2004, 05:59 AM	#2 (permalink)
irseg Junkie Location: Florida	Generally water gets into that area of the car through either a leaking windshield, or a damaged rubber grommet where wires go through the firewall. Ever have the windshield replaced or electrical work done on the car? Tracking down a leak can be a real pain, especially if it's behind the dash. I'd say the best thing to do would be to remove the trim that holds the carpet down, pull the carpet/padding out of the way, and get someone to spray the windshield and firewall with a hose while looking for leaks. Good luck!

10-28-2004, 01:31 PM	#3 (permalink)
Craven Morehead Custom User Title	How about the weather stripping on the door? The rubber seal may be leaking at the bottom.