Water leak - driver front door

[Kudrow]

Yes another water leak thread.

I have 100% tracked it down to coming in between the door and the door card on the drivers front side. I have removed the bottom rubber and the drain holes are clear AND water also drains out the holes where the yellow clips hold the rubber in. If I run a hose on the outside window and indirectly direct the water down the front of the door (e.g simulating the same sort of pressure as decent rain or auto carwash spray), it runs out the drain holes and the clip holes AND between the door and the door card and this is where it then spills over into the cabin and onto the carpet.

My question is, before I pull the door card off, what is it typically given the above? Is it the top external seal that causes this on the outside? I mean the top seal would not keep out all water in a torrential rainfall or carwash but I've read it is supposed to direct water down the door in a certain way? Last I checked, the inner plastic seal and sticky black butyl rubber was still very much intact.

Cheers.

 

[mtd]

Yep, mine is the same. Intact vapour barrier and new seals too.

I am yet to get to it, but I aim to fix this with some re-design. See this thread. Water can splash in through the door cavity hole (cup holder) and collects between the door and vapour barrier at the door bottom. There is no butyl around the hole because it's a moulded vapour barrier to allow for the cup holder - however it DOES get in. I assume it was considered water would come from the top of the door (where there is a butyl strip). Problem is, it collects at the door bottom (because there IS a butyl strip) until it bloats the vapour barrier out, and finds its way down. This can also cause the butyl to come away (no big pathway needed) on the bottom.

 

[Fu Manchu]

You need to replace the weather proof plastic sheet. New butyl. Better plastic and it needs to have the butyl positioned so that it doesn’t sit below the drain indents that direct water to the inside of the door.

Car Builders do the kits.

The weather strips on the external part of the door will also need replacing. It should have dual seal against the glass but the first external seal degrades and breaks away.

If you have chrome ones, I’d suggest converting over to black (chrome are expensive as fk) and when buying them, get a spare set.

 

[Kudrow]

I assume the water is supposed to be caught by the butyl (instead of running through any gaps from degraded butyl) and then run through this hole (red circle) and out the standard drain holes? (This is someone elses photo).

 

[Fu Manchu]

Correct. There wasn’t much effort put into this part and for years it didn’t matter too much. Now that other seals have degraded these issues start occurring. Some unfortunate people had these issues from near new.

The butyl needs to be placed to direct the water into those holes and not run lower than them. Otherwise the plastic fills with water, sometimes leaking through and into the cabin from behind the door card.

 

[Kudrow]

After I removed the door card I could see the two places the water was getting in because of the aged factory butyl. I did not have time to source new butyl so I used Sikaflex to reseal the bottom which you can see by the (grey) Sikaflex. This worked. I have also ordered new weather seals. And I put Sikaflex over the screw holes for the screws that hold the door card on also as there was a few tiny drops also coming through.

Now the water hits the plastic film and goes out the correct drain holes.

 

[Fu Manchu]

Only problem now is, using the sikaflex means the doors internals either remain unserviceable or you will need to buy a new weather sheet and new butyl. Once you try to remove the plastic to fix a window reg, motor, door actuator, you’ll tear the plastic and the whole lot is rooted.

The butyl is soft and resealable.

 

[Fu Manchu]

$40 for a door kit that does two doors.
$80 to do the whole car is pretty good value.
https://www.carbuilders.com.au/door-restore-kit

 

[Kudrow]

I have already ordered a full kit for the future.
I'll gladly cross the bridge of replacing the plastic in the future if I need access to the door cavity.
Right now I'm just over the moon that I've stopped the leak!

 

[VS_Pete]

A kit for any car?