1987notchback

i have been chasing a water leak for awhile now with no luck. the rug on both driver and passenger sides where the floor board meets the firewall is wet. could it be the weather stripping on the hood/firewall? but if thats it then where is it comming in my firewall? Help

86 5.0L

;sounds like a blown heater core, have fun with that.

uedlose

good old water leaks SUCK!!! what have you done to find it? spray it with a hose and start looking have someone spray it while you lay under the dash with a flash light to look. does it do it just sitting or when you drive it? also you can soap the car up with a wash job and turn the heater on high shut the doors and start looking it will bubble up the soap where it leaks air at water can enter at some of the spots. start narrowing it down dry the car out then start at the roof with the hose then work your way down to the cowl area then down the doors and under the hood at the fire wall then you may find yourself under the car. it is not fun but a few beers and a pretty girl in a string bikini on a hot day with a water hose helping out sure makes for a good time LOL any how good luck

TrimDrip

If it has a faint antifreeze smell to it when you turn the heat on, it is most likely the heater core.

It is a good idea to unplug the heater core lines and flush it ever so often...along with the rest of the system.

projectresto83

Does it leak all the time or just when it rains? If its just when it rains its a possibility that the cowl has rusted through because the drains are clogged.

1987notchback

thanks for all the good tips, i will let you know how it goes. dumb question, to check if the cowl is rusted do i just un screw the cowl and it will be visible? oh yeah it leaks nothwhile driving and while parked. thanks again guys

projectresto83

Yea you can take the plastic part off and look down in the corners and see what it looks like. You can also see some under the dash. If you remove your fenders you probably have a bunch of crap built up in the drain areas.

1987notchback

cool thanks for the tips i appreciate it. i am in the process of fixing up my interior so i was going to take the dash apart to clean it up and paint it. any special way to replace the heater core if that is the problem? i looked it up in my shop manual just was not sure if you guys had any suggestions. plus it is raining here for the weekend and i do not have a garage so i have time to think about this... thanks again mike

uedlose

if it is the heater core the dash needs to come out. don't just look for rust holes, a body seam that has had seam sealer fail is a very good culprit. If it is raining there it could be a prime time to start climbing under the dash and looking for leaks. Do you have a away to pressure check the cooling system that will help tell you if it is a heater core. Have you been losing water in the Rad?

1987notchback

looks like it is the heater core... not 100%, i will do more investigating today. radiator is low and i smelled the carpet it is sweet. i do not have access to a pressure tester.