Convertible leaking problems...ARG.

techium

New Member
Dec 8, 2005
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Jersey
So my convertible top has been leaking for quite some time, it leaks from the bottom right and left hand corner of the rear window seal. I tried to seal it up but with no luck, any tips?

Also, i have this phantom leak. My passenger side back floorboard gets SOAKED when it rains. I mean absolutely drenched. And when I took my back seats out, under the passenger side back seat was soaked too. The weird thing is the carpet that leads from the floor board to the seat is completely dry every time.

Before I drive my car off a cliff while simultaneously igniting explosives planted within it, can someone give me a clue as to what the hell is going on? My whole damn car may as well have flood damage it's so moldy smelling.
 
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This is a common problem. The rear window assembly is a separate assembly from the main top and can be replaced for $250-375 installed depending on the shop. However many people say you can get a tent repair goo at gander mountain that will seal it back up. You may be able to patch it if you do not want to replace.

As for the water on the floorboards you have a clogged drain line or hole. Remove the rear seat and look for it something is clogged. Run some water on the drivers side and look underneath for where it drains out. Look for a clogged drain in the same spot on the passenger side...
 
+1 on the rear windshield. I doubt it can be patched with a tent repair kit. 1st problem is apply it. Need to remove in order to apply.

2nd. it leaks from the particular spot because the top folds 180 degrees at that spot. A patch would need to be as flexible as the original. Doubtful.

Tell me, would you go to the trouble to remove, repair, and re-install a part that is likely to leak again. Not me.

Regarding the wet pass floor boards. I had the problem as well. Traced it to the seam along the door sills. Tried drilling extra drain holes, no luck.

I ended up re-sealing the seam between floor pans and the door sills. Sprayed some lizard skin over the area. Worked.
 
Yeah I used to say the same thing about repairing the top, "do not try to rig it, use new parts".

However many people have reported good albeit temporary results with the tent repair kit and I think I am going to give it a try.
 
Replace/repair rear wind screen.

I personally agonized over the repair/replace issue for a very long time. I attempted multiple times to patch the spot. In my case, there just was not enough access to properly apply the patch. When the top was closed, it was too tight and too near the edge. When opened, it was already folded and the other parts of the top got in the way. I simply could not find a position that afforded the access needed to apply the patch.

I tried every top position between open and closed with no luck.

I then looked at doing the removal/replacement work myself. IMO, many of the same skills needed in upholstery work are needed to correctly install a convertible top. Generally, I do well with black/white engineering tasks, the “left brain artsy” stuff doesn’t come as easily.

When faced with having to pay someone to do the work, it just didn’t make sense to pay someone to remove/repair/replace the original rear wind screen. Frankly, the lion’s share of the job was labor. The part itself is really not that expensive.

Lesson learned. I absolutely love my convertible. In fact, I loved it to death. Repeated open/closing lead to the early failure. Now I try to look closer at the weather before opening the top. I try to minimize the number of times the top is changed. For example, I will leave it open when stopping briefly where as before, I would close it to go into a store and then re-open.
 
re-seal floor pans

Any ideas on the floorboard? its just a circle of wet on the floor, no stream of water leading to it, nothing just randomly wet.
I found a water leak between the floor pans and door sills. The seam was re-sealed with foil tape over standard seam sealer. Leak stopped.

I spent a great deal of time tracking the leak down. The water traveled down along a seam in the wheel well and eventually exited in a designed location under the car. What I found is the water would pool in a channel between the inner/outer door pinch welds. In my case it was very near where the front seat belt attach. The water had to flow long enough for the cavity to fill up. Then it would weep under the seam and pool in the floor pans.

I was not able to fix the leak by drilling additional drain holes. Nor was I able to find any drain holes that were clogged.

The thing about the leak was it was very slow. It took an extended rain before the carpets would get wet enough to detect. Further, the sound insulation “wicked” up small amounts of water making it seam like the leak was coming from somewhere else.

My first attempt to fix did not work. Applied regular seam sealer right over the seam. It just leaked closer to the front of the car.

Second attempt, applied more/longer bead of seam sealer. While still wet, covered with water proof aluminum foil tape (similar to what is used to seal AC ducts). A water proof spray similar to lizard skin was applied over the area as a rust preventive measure (just in case it still leaked). As far as I can tell, it does not leak.

Hope this helps.
 
Hi Peps,

I love my vert too and the top is up and down quite a bit and now I am in the same boat as you guys :rolleyes: I have not had the leaking on the back floor area but the top leaks good when up on both sides now is getting worse now that summer is over.

I will probably look to replace it with the cobra fabric top does anyone know if its worth doing?

br
 
I will probably look to replace it with the cobra fabric top does anyone know if its worth doing?

br
Isn't this personal preference and $$? If just the rear wind screen is leaking and the rest of the top is OK, then $$ can be saved by replacing JUST the rear wind screen. Obviously, you would want to match the fabric of the rest of the top.

If the entire top is in need of repair/replacement, then it really does get down to personal preference. I would assume only a small difference in price. The cost of labor should be the same.

IMO, the Cobra top does look nice when combined with the right color car. A black top is my favorite.
 
I personally agonized over the repair/replace issue for a very long time. I attempted multiple times to patch the spot. In my case, there just was not enough access to properly apply the patch. When the top was closed, it was too tight and too near the edge. When opened, it was already folded and the other parts of the top got in the way. I simply could not find a position that afforded the access needed to apply the patch.

I tried every top position between open and closed with no luck.

I then looked at doing the removal/replacement work myself. IMO, many of the same skills needed in upholstery work are needed to correctly install a convertible top. Generally, I do well with black/white engineering tasks, the “left brain artsy” stuff doesn’t come as easily.

When faced with having to pay someone to do the work, it just didn’t make sense to pay someone to remove/repair/replace the original rear wind screen. Frankly, the lion’s share of the job was labor. The part itself is really not that expensive.

Lesson learned. I absolutely love my convertible. In fact, I loved it to death. Repeated open/closing lead to the early failure. Now I try to look closer at the weather before opening the top. I try to minimize the number of times the top is changed. For example, I will leave it open when stopping briefly where as before, I would close it to go into a store and then re-open.

If you wait until this weekend I should have some pics up on the rear glass assy replacement. I was having a small leak around the bottom of the window and then couple weeks ago I went to put the top up and the rear glass poped out at the top where it is glued. The PO had a new top installed before I bought it but they did not replace the rear glass assy. At this point I have the top peeled back and the old glass assy off, I'm just waiting on late model resto's slow ass shipping to get the new glass.

I did call some trim shops and got quotes from 545 to 600 bucks. The only upside to paying someone is for their warranty on the work in case it leaks or has other issues but like wmburns I am the DIY kind of guy and decided to do it myself. As far as floorboard leaks go I have not had that issue yet.

The rear glass assy. with defrost was 220.00 bucks.

Good luck
 
I'm having some similiar probs, when it rains I'm finding a leak where the water runs downs underneath my front speakers under my door. Then leaks onto my driver side floorboard. Is this something I could just apply some type of sealant to?
 
I'm having some similiar probs, when it rains I'm finding a leak where the water runs downs underneath my front speakers under my door. Then leaks onto my driver side floorboard. Is this something I could just apply some type of sealant to?
IMO, you have a different problem. Likely your weather seals are bad. Perhaps the top is out of alignment and is not sealing well against the glass. It could also be the weather seal along the windshield.

Use a water hose and try to get a better idea of the leak path. This will help to determine what the best fix really is.

Personally, I think it best to replace weak weather seals.
 
If you wait until this weekend I should have some pics up on the rear glass assy replacement. I was having a small leak around the bottom of the window and then couple weeks ago I went to put the top up and the rear glass poped out at the top where it is glued. The PO had a new top installed before I bought it but they did not replace the rear glass assy. At this point I have the top peeled back and the old glass assy off, I'm just waiting on late model resto's slow ass shipping to get the new glass.

I did call some trim shops and got quotes from 545 to 600 bucks. The only upside to paying someone is for their warranty on the work in case it leaks or has other issues but like wmburns I am the DIY kind of guy and decided to do it myself. As far as floorboard leaks go I have not had that issue yet.

The rear glass assy. with defrost was 220.00 bucks.

Good luck

Hi,

Did you ever mange to take any pics of the job? I am really getting to the point where I need to replace mine is leaks really bad now :(

Thanks
 
Hi,

Did you ever mange to take any pics of the job? I am really getting to the point where I need to replace mine is leaks really bad now :(

Thanks

I'm done with the job and did take a few pics that I will have to dig off my wifes computer. I can tell you that I would rather have a root canal then do this again, it sucked but it's done and it does not leak. I can tell you that there is a ton of stapels you will be pulling out and make sure and use a really heavy duty manual stapler or use an air stapler like I did.

Since you have to take off the black side trim around the top I went ahead and sanded them down and shot them with 2 coats of gloss black and 2 coats of clear to freshen them up. I will take a pic of the finished product tonight.
 
I'm done with the job and did take a few pics that I will have to dig off my wifes computer. I can tell you that I would rather have a root canal then do this again, it sucked but it's done and it does not leak. I can tell you that there is a ton of stapels you will be pulling out and make sure and use a really heavy duty manual stapler or use an air stapler like I did.

Since you have to take off the black side trim around the top I went ahead and sanded them down and shot them with 2 coats of gloss black and 2 coats of clear to freshen them up. I will take a pic of the finished product tonight.
Did you use the special stainless steel staples for vert tops? If not you will have to redo it.
 
Does anyone have a picture of the drains? I have looked and cannot find where the water is to be drained. I ended up drilling holes under the back seat to allow the water out.
There aren't any drains under the rear seat area. Any water there is not supposed to be there.

Normally the convertible top drains in a body cavity between the inner and outer skin. There is a tension wire near the rear window. It points down to an anchor eye that pulls the fabric tight. That is the design drain location.
 
There aren't any drains under the rear seat area. Any water there is not supposed to be there.

Normally the convertible top drains in a body cavity between the inner and outer skin. There is a tension wire near the rear window. It points down to an anchor eye that pulls the fabric tight. That is the design drain location.

Yep, and one of mine broke when I reconnected it. I had to buy a replacment from Ford.
 
Adjusting top?

Got a few different leaks, gonna check the drain plugs/ door sill seams this weekend at my husbands shop to see if I can stop the magical wet moldy carpets I keep getting when it rains. Now for all you fellow vert owners, a question to pick your brains. My husband is under the impression there is a way to "adjust" the way the top seals line up, but after searching and scouring all of SVTP, the Corral, here, and the all knowing but not always share worthy google, I could only find this thread, that was even remotely similar to my issues.

The reason we are wondering about adjusting the seals themselves is because they all seem in really good shape, but leak at the joints, like the seals dont quite match up perfectly.

Now if it matters, I drive a 97 Cobra convertible, but I am under the impression that all SN 95s (94-04) have the same top frame and drain lines.
PLEASE HELP!
 
You might need to be a bit more specific about which seals unless I missed it in your question?

My vert used to leak around the front drivers side window seal sometimes right where the speaker is and found that it doesn't always seal up that well when the door is closed. I just make sure the seals and the windows are cleaned regularly and i haven't seen the issue for a while now.

Of course that doesn't help the rear window leaking :rolleyes: