It figures... almost 3 months out of warranty and WATER LEAK
09-03-2010, 05:29 PM
#1
6th Gear Member
Thread Starter
UPDATE - It figures... almost 3 months out of warranty and WATER LEAK
TSB 08-26-7 and I are becoming intimate.
My Stang is a garage queen but has been driven in the rain, long distance, on numerous occasions and has sat out a few times in good, long downpours and I never had a drop of water, so I figured I was golden. I decided to drive her to work today and of course, there was this one blob on the radar right over my work location. It poured for a good hour or more. After I got home, the passenger carpet was wet by the kick panel and the inside of the access door was wet. Seems there's this little plastic "awning" over the SJB plus some closed cell foam taped so that any water that rolls off the "awning" won't allow the SJB to get wet. Nice fix, Ford.
I could reach my hand up and could feel toward the front of the "awning" where it seemed to be coming from by or near the firewall. Guess I'll be ordering the items in the TSB since I wouldn't trust the local podunk Ford dealership any farther than I can throw them.
Maybe it's time to look at an '11...
UPDATE:
I pulled the cowl off and found that the one OE grommet seal (is that what it's called? more of a gasket, I suppose) over the grommet hole not only came off with the cowl but that the top edge was damaged (see the pic below). I'm not sure if it was damaged during removal since the "stud" that fits into that last hole over the fender is of a slightly different design than the others and is a bit tougher to remove. See the pic with the 2 of the "studs" circled.
While I had the cowl off, I checked the drain hole (which is actually a boot that you reach down between the battery and valve cover and feel under the firewall; prior thread in the forum that has very good pics and description) and it was clean as if it just came off the assembly line. There's a pic of that, a;so, looking straight down into the cowl well.
I applied automotive RTV to the back side of the grommet seal and to the damaged area and reset it in place, this time with the damaged side down. I'll allow it to cure and reinstall but since I usually don't take the car to work if I KNOW it's going to rain, I'm not sure when I'll be able to see if that did the trick. I'll keep my fingers crossed but it's a good chance I should just get the newer parts per the TSB.
Fortunately, this is one of life's LITTLE misfortunes.
My Stang is a garage queen but has been driven in the rain, long distance, on numerous occasions and has sat out a few times in good, long downpours and I never had a drop of water, so I figured I was golden. I decided to drive her to work today and of course, there was this one blob on the radar right over my work location. It poured for a good hour or more. After I got home, the passenger carpet was wet by the kick panel and the inside of the access door was wet. Seems there's this little plastic "awning" over the SJB plus some closed cell foam taped so that any water that rolls off the "awning" won't allow the SJB to get wet. Nice fix, Ford.
I could reach my hand up and could feel toward the front of the "awning" where it seemed to be coming from by or near the firewall. Guess I'll be ordering the items in the TSB since I wouldn't trust the local podunk Ford dealership any farther than I can throw them.
Maybe it's time to look at an '11...
UPDATE:
I pulled the cowl off and found that the one OE grommet seal (is that what it's called? more of a gasket, I suppose) over the grommet hole not only came off with the cowl but that the top edge was damaged (see the pic below). I'm not sure if it was damaged during removal since the "stud" that fits into that last hole over the fender is of a slightly different design than the others and is a bit tougher to remove. See the pic with the 2 of the "studs" circled.
While I had the cowl off, I checked the drain hole (which is actually a boot that you reach down between the battery and valve cover and feel under the firewall; prior thread in the forum that has very good pics and description) and it was clean as if it just came off the assembly line. There's a pic of that, a;so, looking straight down into the cowl well.
I applied automotive RTV to the back side of the grommet seal and to the damaged area and reset it in place, this time with the damaged side down. I'll allow it to cure and reinstall but since I usually don't take the car to work if I KNOW it's going to rain, I'm not sure when I'll be able to see if that did the trick. I'll keep my fingers crossed but it's a good chance I should just get the newer parts per the TSB.
Fortunately, this is one of life's LITTLE misfortunes.
Last edited by Nuke; 09-05-2010 at 10:38 AM. Reason: Updated 9/5
Doooooo iiittttt
09-03-2010, 06:01 PM
#4
6th Gear Member
Thread Starter
2) I've been wanting to test drive an '11 and the closest Ford dealer with a manual 5.0 is 60 miles away. Maybe soon. I've already told my sons that if they're looking for an inheritance, talk to their mom. She took almost everything in the divorce. Whatever I've recouped is for MY play time. My license plate frame doesn't say "SPENDING MY KIDS INHERITANCE" for nothing.
But I've digressed...
09-03-2010, 07:08 PM
#6
6th Gear Member
Thread Starter
Thanks, hammeron. I have the TSB printed and will probably pop the cowling off and check the obvious this weekend. Since she's in the garage, it can rain all it wants. It just annoys me that it never leaked when it WAS in the rain previously and now, past warranty...
09-03-2010, 07:33 PM
#7
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: West Bloomfield, MI
Posts: 43
Sorry to hear that, but Murphy's Law will get you every time...
You should definitely make that 60 mile trip to test drive the 5.0. You'll fall in love with it.
Slightly off topic: you should get a 2011 GT and put the rear window louvers on it. People either love 'em or hate 'em. I would love to see them on an '11. Your '07 is badass
You should definitely make that 60 mile trip to test drive the 5.0. You'll fall in love with it.
Slightly off topic: you should get a 2011 GT and put the rear window louvers on it. People either love 'em or hate 'em. I would love to see them on an '11. Your '07 is badass
09-03-2010, 09:01 PM
#8
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Missouri
Posts: 1,009
That's horrible luck! The new 5.0s are awesome, and if you can reasonably afford it id go for it. My local dealer has a black on black one with a body kit, vossen wheels, an ebiach pro kit, and matt black stripes.... it was incredible.
09-03-2010, 09:09 PM
#9
S197 Section Modder-ator
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Orlando FL
Posts: 13,373
Damn Nuke!
Murphy's law for sure.
The only thing that is supposed to get wet on the passenger side is well, the passenger.
Hammeron's right... start with the cabin filter and follow down every grommets.
Murphy's law for sure.
The only thing that is supposed to get wet on the passenger side is well, the passenger.
Hammeron's right... start with the cabin filter and follow down every grommets.
09-03-2010, 09:36 PM
#10
6th Gear Member
Thread Starter
