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Thread: Drip, drip, drip

  1. #1
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    Drip, drip, drip

    Haha. Well it rained for two days in Houston and my roadster was parked outside both days.

    We get in the car and noticed it was coming from the seals the door glass touch. I have washed the car twice since ownership and I haven't noticed it leak.

    My question is do I need to adjust the glass to go up higher to form a tighter seal? Or is it time for new seals? They look to be in good condition. Soft not brittle or hard.

    I did the sliders on the driver side but haven't touched the opposite side (both sides are leaking).

    Thanks, Tony

  2. #2
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    You should have seen one of the roadsters I had awhile ago after a rain... went to sit in the car and there was a puddle in the driver's seat!

    Usually its the weatherstripping that fails near the A pillar area where the top meets the frame. It often looks ok but on the car I had that leaked if you looked carefully from the right angle, you could see the sky through the gap between the window and weatherstripping. You can mend it temporarily by shoving some fuel tube or similar into the weatherstripping (the ghetto yet common bodge job), but I'd advise just replacing it. If you want to properly diagnose first, rest a garden hose on the roof and let it spray out across the top over the leaking window area, and sit in the driver's seat and you may be able to track down the leak that way.

    I wouldn't suspect the vertical adjustment of the window is the culprit but if you post some pictures showing how it sits we may be able to tell you if its too low. I would just check vertical alignment drivers vs. passengar side to see where it should sit. If the vertical adjustment was the culprit it likely wouldn't seal across the entire surface of the weatherstripping and you'd have less drip drip drip and more sploosh sploosh sploosh

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  3. #3
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    There is also a plug at the top of the A-Pillar that can leak. The water runs across the top of the window so it looks like the window is leaking. It's an easy fix. Just use some silicon seal to seal the plug again, but be sure not to get the seal in the drain hole. There are some DIYs on here with pictures if this doesn't make any since.

    Edit: OOPS - never mind. I just noticed you have a Coupe. This fix is for Roadsters.
    Last edited by khammack; 12-28-2014 at 10:46 PM.
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  4. #4
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    The hole is filled already on the a pillar khammack. And I am talking about the roadster not the coupe.

    I'll see about snapping some pics.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Graham,

    Yeah no puddle. Even after the two day rain. I thought the seats were dry we drove 3 hours home and then I found out that the left side of my jeans were wet haha. I'll look into replacing it when I decide about a top. Probably will have more want to fix it then.

    Plus I'm kind of broke right now.

    Yeah window adjustments weren't changed just installed fresh grease & sliders (driver side only).

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by jajou318 View Post
    ... it was coming from the seals the door glass touch... do I need to adjust the glass to go up higher to form a tighter seal? Or is it time for new seals? They look to be in good condition. Soft not brittle or hard...
    You can make the door glass press tighter against the soft seals. There is a bolt on the bottom rear of the door which I believe pivots the top of the glass in and out.


    And window seals on the top can be adjusted outward. The soft rubber sections are mounted in channels that bolt to the frame of the top. The rubbers can be removed from the channels, the channels can be removed from the frame of the top, and reinstalled with washers under them.
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  6. #6
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    Mine had this issue. Just siliconed the top of the gasket/plug at the a-pillar and that fixed it immediately. Seems like a common issue.

    Here's a picture I found of my crappy fix that works


    - - - Updated - - -

    but the new black roadster's top doesn't even come close to closing correctly yet lol
    Last edited by ADAz3M; 12-29-2014 at 10:02 AM.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by jajou318 View Post
    ... it was coming from the seals the door glass touch...
    Quote Originally Posted by ADAz3M View Post
    Mine had this issue. Just siliconed the top of the gasket/plug at the a-pillar and that fixed it immediately...
    I believe they are not the same leak. The A-pillar leak drips water from the corner of the windshield to the floor. The OP said his water is "coming from the seals the door glass touch". These are the soft foam seals on the soft top, around the top of the door window. His water was apparently coming down the window.
    Last edited by Vintage42; 12-30-2014 at 11:16 AM.
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  8. #8
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    When my A-pillar was leaking the water was running down the window. Maybe try the old closing a dollar bill in the window to see if there is a gap in the window rubber.
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  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by khammack View Post
    When my A-pillar was leaking the water was running down the window. Maybe try the old closing a dollar bill in the window to see if there is a gap in the window rubber.
    I'll try that as well as someone shining light from inside to see if it comes out. Usually garaged and don't usually drive in the rain but still need to address this. Just not on my important list right now.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vintage42 View Post
    I beleive are not the same leak. The A-pillar leak drips water from the corner of the windshield to the floor. The OP said his water is "coming from the seals the door glass touch". These are the soft foam seals on the soft top, around the top of the door window. His water was apparently coming down the window.
    Mine would leak by the middle of the window bc of that issue

  11. #11
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    With either the A pillar leak or the window seal/soft top seal leaks, the water can trickle down the window OR A pillar. Depends on the angle the car is sitting and exactly where the leak is happening. I've seen it both ways from both leaky points (and on the leaky puddle car I mentioned, it went down the A pillar AND down the whole window... non discriminatory leaking!)

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  12. #12
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    Just installed a hardtop. Wind noise was drasticly decreased. But now i'm really noticing where I'm not perfectly sealing. However i found this nice little gap (probably happened when i replaced the door lock actuator). Any advice or a part number to replace the whole seal around the window? I'm worried about the interior of my door rusting up, seeing a lot of water get in that crack.

    IMG_2065.jpg

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by vikrampatel86 View Post
    ... i found this nice little gap (probably happened when i replaced the door lock actuator). Any advice or a part number to replace the whole seal around the window? I'm worried about the interior of my door rusting up, seeing a lot of water get in that crack...
    I am not seeing the outside crack you mention, or it is not very big.
    It is normal for a little water to get into the door, running down the outside of the glass and down past the rubber wiping gasket.
    That water will drip and splash in the door, but a plastic or foam sheet liner, sealed by butyl tape, prevents it from getting out of the door and onto the inner door still.
    The door lock actuator is protected from water that gets by the wiping gasket, by a little sheet foam cover that is stuck to the inside of the door with butyl tape:
    http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f2...psb164cab9.jpg
    If your door liner and actuator cover are in place, some water in the door should not hurt.
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  14. #14
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    As vintage says, some water can run into the door, but should run out the drain holes in the bottom of the door. Just check to see the drain holes are not blocked. If they are, you should be able to run a small screwdriver (or something similar) through the holes to clear them.
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  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by khammack View Post
    ... run a small screwdriver (or something similar) through the holes to clear them.
    I think a fuzzy wire (smoking) pipe cleaner would be ideal. Soft so would not scratch the painted edge of the hole.
    Best thing is, whenever the door panel is off, washout the bottom of the door and clean the holes then. My door bottoms had dirt in them.
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