Please help identify what is behind this seam - water leak troubleshooting

[ramchol76]

I am troubleshooting rain water leak in passenger side for a while. I narrowed down to specific internal and external water intrusion spot.

When I pour water in exact spot between two wipers into the cowl, the water seeps out of the exact spot shown in first picture 'water intrusion.jpg' i.e. passenger kick area corner, can someone guide me with what is behind the water seeping spot, which area I need to further investigate. how the water poured into cowl emerges from the intrusion spot?

btw, I already removed the cowl and re-sealed the HVAC intake service access panel. the water is not leaking through fresh air intake.

also I already excluded that the water is not intruding through
1. windshield sides
2. door seal
3. door grommet
4. no sunroof
5. leaks only when rains so not from AC or coolant


thanks a lot!

 

[M123]

Capillary action can make it impossible to find, in some cases water can climb from a surface to a other.
I will recommend you looking for some trace fluid you can see with UV lights. Some plumbers have this, but pick a method that doesn't ruin paint or interior.

Otherwise you will work with this problem for weeks before you find your source to it.

 

[ramchol76]

Capillary action can make it impossible to find, in some cases water can climb from a surface to a other.
I will recommend you looking for some trace fluid you can see with UV lights. Some plumbers have this, but pick a method that doesn't ruin paint or interior.

Otherwise you will work with this problem for weeks before you find your source to it.

thanks, I will look for UV light device to trace...

 

[M123]

You over there call it dye.

Something like this
https://www.brightdyes.com/tracer-dyes/

Or
https://tracerproducts.com/leak-detection-uv-lamp-leakfinder/

 

[Doubeleive]

I would take the wiper cowl off and have a closer look from the outside could just be a open seam that needs some sealant.

 

[ramchol76]

I would take the wiper cowl off and have a closer look from the outside could just be a open seam that needs some sealant.

I already opened and inspected visually the seam. But you are right, it might have invisible leaks as I found the seam sealant fragile. should I take away the existing seam sealant and reseal. what sealant I should use?

right now the suspect is 1 of 2
- bad seam sealant in wiper cowl (i am planning to lake some water by blocking cowl ends to test this)
- water flowing out of wiper cowl entering behind fender area

thanks

 

[ramchol76]

You over there call it dye.

Something like this
https://www.brightdyes.com/tracer-dyes/

Or
https://tracerproducts.com/leak-detection-uv-lamp-leakfinder/

thanks for the links, checking which one wont stain.

 

[Doubeleive]

I haven't had to do it before but if possible (if there is room to work) I would clean off the old stuff as much as possible so you have a good clean surface and apply fresh sealant, I would pick something that will bond to metal and is watertight. maybe ask a local bodyshop what they recommend? if you have a autobody paint supply shop in your town they probably carry a commonly used sealant also that might be your best source of information for what to use.

 

[ramchol76]

I haven't had to do it before but if possible (if there is room to work) I would clean off the old stuff as much as possible so you have a good clean surface and apply fresh sealant, I would pick something that will bond to metal and is watertight. maybe ask a local bodyshop what they recommend? if you have a autobody paint supply shop in your town they probably carry a commonly used sealant also that might be your best source of information for what to use.

Access was a problem even to inspect it visually, I am sure it will be great challenge re-seaming it fully.

 

[Doubeleive]

Access was a problem even to inspect it visually, I am sure it will be great challenge re-seaming it fully.

you might try a grease gun (a new one that hasn't had grease ran thru it) because they come with a hose and you can take the tip off and then you could stick the hose tip in there and hopefully get it on good enough. just an idea anyway.

 

[ramchol76]

These pictures show the condition of my seam seal in cowl.

btw, are these really sealing a seam or its just created for water barrier? asking this because it is raised by almost an inch. I am searching any thread about this seam seal.

 

[exp500]

Check the cowl drains at the bottom rear of the fenders. Are you able to easily break/crumble the existing seam sealer? If it's crumbly then you have alot of work to remove/clean. Another trick is a piece of 5/16-3/8 clear tubing on a caulk gun, use a self leveling urethane like osi quad so you dont make dams on the horizontals. Any resealing, you must be sure of a bond with new sealant, A bead on top may not seal,has to be stuck to whatever base you have so "stir" as you apply. An rv supply also has good urethanes that are easier to apply and flow nice.

 

[ramchol76]

Check the cowl drains at the bottom rear of the fenders. Are you able to easily break/crumble the existing seam sealer? If it's crumbly then you have alot of work to remove/clean. Another trick is a piece of 5/16-3/8 clear tubing on a caulk gun, use a self leveling urethane like osi quad so you dont make dams on the horizontals. Any resealing, you must be sure of a bond with new sealant, A bead on top may not seal,has to be stuck to whatever base you have so "stir" as you apply. An rv supply also has good urethanes that are easier to apply and flow nice.

yes, the seam sealer is crumbly in sections. thanks for the sealing inputs.

on the 'cowl drains at the bottom rear of the fenders' reference... In my case as in this picture, the cowl water just pours out between and inside fender. can you point which drain you are referring to?

 

[Doubeleive]

hard to say, if I had to guess I would say it is just a water barrier but freaking gm has decided to just glue a lot of things together anymore i noticed a lot of it on my yukon when looking under/behind stuff, I see less spot welds and more glue looking stuff.

 

[retiredsparky]

Sometimes leaks can be found by blowing high pressure, high volume air (shop vac or leaf blower) into the vehicle interior while using a soapy solution that can be spread around areas of possible leaks. Bubbles may show up at the location of water leakage. Hi volume air is needed because the HVAC external air source and the external air vents will leak out the air being introduced.

 

[ramchol76]

Sometimes leaks can be found by blowing high pressure, high volume air (shop vac or leaf blower) into the vehicle interior while using a soapy solution that can be spread around areas of possible leaks. Bubbles may show up at the location of water leakage. Hi volume air is needed because the HVAC external air source and the external air vents will leak out the air being introduced.

thanks for the idea, I am planning to try this method. it is easy to mount the shop vac (not sure CFM is enough), and I can close the HVAC air intake vent temporarily and conduct testing. mounting leaf blower can be difficult.

found this
https://cfnewsads.thomasnet.com/images/medium/827/827741.jpg
https://news.thomasnet.com/fullstor...tic-body-air-leakage-tests-on-vehicles-827741

 

[newTahoeguy]

Anyone have a part # for cowl drain end pieces 2013 Tahoe ssv