Went swimming in my viper ...

[AMong]

I got my car about 3 weeks ago and have only washed it once ,during that wash I noticed drops of water coming from the top of the windshield , down onto the shifter and into the passenger side seat. I figured, no big deal , I would get the winshield seal and we would be all good.

But this past weekend I went down to a show in orlando (which we recieved best in class, by the way ... ) and it poured all the way down there and all day and night while the car sat in the hotel parking lot. I went out in the morning to get in the car and the shift boot was full of water as well as the ashtray , but when I went around to the passenger side of the car I was greeted with about 1/2 an inch of standing water in the passenger side floor/footwell. Took about 5 towel soak loads just to get the standing water out from underneath the seat.

The water seems to be coming from somewhere else besides the top of the windshield , maybe the bottom the the windshield and down through the dash ?? But that doesnt explain the water underneath the seat. Mark Jorgenson suggests it could be the door seal, or a rubber plug in the floor of the car..

I also have water coming in through the seal in the back hatch glass , which is soaking the area around the spare tire ...

So that is 3 or 4 different leaks in the car, has anyone else ever had a problem like this before ? Im taking it in to a local viper tech next monday , but Ive got to pull the passenger seat up and carpet to dry it out , before it mildews and molds.

The car has only 3000 miles on it and does not appear to have ever been in the rain before , so I am probably the first person to run into this with this car. any suggestions or ideas ?

 

[hemibeep]

I doubt it is the windshield. There is enough urethane gluing the glass in, it would keep a titan sub from leaking. If the floor plug were the problem, then it would not have held the water. Door seals are so-so, but I would suspect the ac blower on the passenger side.

Might see if the shop has a smoke generating machine that blows smoke at the seals to look for a leak(from the inside blowing out)

No clue about the center console? ?

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Is this a RT/10? What year? FL had the rain from hell last week and the RT/10 is not good in those conditions. I always keep a large spare towel handy in case I'm caught in heavy rain.

 

[NHL2133]

You've had a really bad string of luck with that car, I hope better days are on the horizon for you both!

 

[Ron]

The windshield leak is fairly typical (center top) and is usually the result of a hollow in the roof frame that the normal amount of urethane don't fill. I had to have my windshield removed (broke it) and the frame hollow glassed then a new windshield installed.

The heavy rain overwhelmed your cabin air intake drain valve (duckbill valve underneath airbox under hood near AC dryer). No solution other than putting plastic over opening (opening is directly beneath passenger hook "speaker" screen) until rain stops or removing duckbill valve temporarily. Floods passenger footwell when it overflows.

 

[PSilverGTS]

I had many areas that have leaked in my GTS. Still have some minor leaks. Areas to check:
-the hatch window seal, look at the top corners, they can peal away from the body causing water in enter behind the plastic panels and into the hatch and under the seats - use black RTV to fill the gap
-pull the door sills off and check the front area where the metal has glue - on my Viper both sides had pinholes and allowed water to easily enter the car - I used flowible silcone in these areas
-the plastic behind the door panels where poorly sealed allowing water to enter the Viper - door panels are easy to remove, the plastic is difficult to get a good seal because it bunches up in the corners - I used weather striping sealer, but was difficult to work with, heard that the rubber stuff from the factory is available at parts stores
-I put black RTV around the windshield weatherstripping - not sure if this was leaking, but did it anyway
-raised passenger side door - some water was coming in the top back corner, door was rubbing anyway
-patched the holes behind the door speakers where the wires come through

The Viper is a great car, but they all seem to leak. The hatch window slowly came about. I think the rubber loosen over time from the heat of the summer. I sent many hour tracking down and fix these leaks. I still have a small leak coming in on the driver's side in front of the seat that wasn't there before . It's a good thing these car don't rust easily. Good luck!

 

[AMong]

You've had a really bad string of luck with that car, I hope better days are on the horizon for you both!

Thanks, but in actuality , Im having a blast with the car and love it .. if it werent for rain and low lifes , everything would be great ...

I guess we will start from ground zero and get some water on the car and see where its coming in. Think its neccessary to pull the seat and carpet out to dry ... or should I put a dehumidifier or a fan in it for a couple days ? - I dont want any mildew or mold ...

 

[MacManInfi]

...-raised passenger side door - some water was coming in the top back corner, door was rubbing anyway...

How tough was aligning the door? My 97 GTS passanger door hangs a little low and hits the weatherstripping as it closes. Would like to take care of it myself. Typical door adjustment?

 

[AviP]

...-raised passenger side door - some water was coming in the top back corner, door was rubbing anyway...

How tough was aligning the door? My 97 GTS passanger door hangs a little low and hits the weatherstripping as it closes. Would like to take care of it myself. Typical door adjustment?

Check out this link. http://vca2.viperclub.org/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB14&Number=345525&Forum=All_Forums&Words=door%20adjustment%20hinge%20&Match=And&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=345525&Search=true#Post345525

 

[AviP]

...but when I went around to the passenger side of the car I was greeted with about 1/2 an inch of standing water in the passenger side floor/footwell. Took about 5 towel soak loads just to get the standing water out from underneath the seat.

There is a plug under the car that can be removed in case of flooding.