Door sill bubble

[FE 065]

I just noticed the passenger door sill on my '99GTS has a bubble in it, about 2" behind the bottom door latch and about 1.5" wide and long. I'm wondering if anyone else has ever had one of those...

The bubble area is OE black like the rest of the sill, and doesn't look to be repainted. It's more or less tight against the interior side of the black door sill. Seemingly too far inboard to be caused be a hot spot from the top of the round resonator case. Even if the case could be the culprit.

I'll pull the sill and check it out when I get time before I drive it anymore. Just curious if it's some sort of factory defect that occurs now and then with Gen2s

 

[cycloneGTS]

Have same bubbles on both sills, in location you described. These have been noticable since the car had less than 3000 miles (bought new). I was told by dealer that although it was covered under warranty, they would have to remove the body panels to replace the black part of the sill. I chose to live with it (it has not worsened in 3+ years).

 

[FE 065]

Thanks for the feedback

Did you or the dealer ever take off the sills to see if there was anything going on under there to cause it?

 

[SylvanSRT]

i had a similar one on my '02 and those pieces cannot be changed if i am remembering correctly they are bonded or part of the frame. give Rod Harris a call at Dick Scott Dodge and he may be able to recall better

 

[FE 065]

Just noticed my typo.. This is on my newly acquired '01 ACR with 2500 miles, not a '99 GTS. So far it almost seems to be a creampuff era problem then..

Something melting that part of the sills during the assembly process?

Odd.

 

[95Viper]

Is the exhaust modified? Are the cats/exhaust wrapped in the sills?

 

[FE 065]

Haven't ever looked under the sills since getting it a month ago. I think it's all OEM.

I'd think any hot spot from the high point of the resonator's OD would show itself further outboard somewhere near the center of the sill rather than all the way inboard right next to the door sealing rubber.

Looks like the weather's going to preclude any more driving it for a while anyway. I'll check inside the sills before I do drive it again though.

 

[Kevin ACR]

With the side cover off, from memory, I recall there are paths that the heat follows up to that point and also up the rear fenders. If you feel the rear quarter panel and the edge most closest to the door edge you will feel how hot it gets. I came up with a double nutted bolt that I slipped in up high in teh channel above the exhaust to create a stop/holder that I formed some heat shielding and kind of wedged in there to keep some of the heat from moving up. I also used ultra high temp RTV to seal what I believed to be the openings that allowed the heat to travel up and hit the bottom of the black piece that is deforming. Must be very common.

My sills both have some deformation that appeared some time after I picked the car up new at the factory, that's when I tried to come up with a method to contain the heat and not allow it to travel up.

It has not gotten worse, but SylvanSRT is right, it is a bonded piece and the fix scared the crap out of me so I let it be. It would mean either unbonding that piece that is held with super green adhesive that is used at the factory to put the "hockey stick" shaped black piece in or just doing body work on that area. Those were the options that were given to me and I decided to keep it the way it is.

Sorry I don't have any pictures to show what I found but if you have your sills off you can see what I'm speaking of. There are openings for the heat to travel up to that area in.

 

[FE 065]

I can picture what you're getting at Kevin. Good to hear. I'll be sure to take a look under there asap.

 

[95Viper]

Haven't ever looked under the sills since getting it a month ago. I think it's all OEM.

I'd think any hot spot from the high point of the resonator's OD would show itself further outboard somewhere near the center of the sill rather than all the way inboard right next to the door sealing rubber.

Looks like the weather's going to preclude any more driving it for a while anyway. I'll check inside the sills before I do drive it again though.

What I mean by checking if they are wrapped is that heat has to escape somewhere and if they are wrapped it will be hotter somewhere down the line.

 

[FE 065]

Okay, I'll just pull both the sills off when I can, and have a look at what's going on.

I'll probably be rearranging things under there anyways..