[Vwdiesel] Rabbit leaks water

[Sandy Cameron]

At 09:53 AM 08/03/2007 -0800, you wrote:
>I'm trying to chase down a water leak in an 81 Rabbit on the passenger side.
>When I reach up under the dash and behind the glove box there is a little
>water on the tube for the air vent.
> 
>I think the water originates in the front and runs under the front seat to
>the rear floor.  Would some of you guy's relay some of your experiences?
>I'm running out of places to look for sources.  Thanks
> 

The classic windshield leak starts at the TOP of the windshield, where the
gasket mates to the car body.As it ages ((don,t we all, I'm trying to type
this after having had a TIA on tuesday [mini-stroke] and my brain is not
sure where the keys are))....it goes limp (!) and no longer seals.

'nuff about aging, silicone to the rescue!

If you pull back rhe lip where it touches the body, tou will find a channel
underneath that goes all the way around the window.  Water leaks in at the
topu, finds its way around the groove to the bottom of the windshield , then
thru a crack in the seal, into the car. It can be  deceptive, taking a day
or 2 to fill up (IE, a time delay) and drain in to the car.

It can fail the garden hose test, then appear to dump water on a suuy day.

The fix

Buy a hand sized tube of silocoe bathtub caulk, clear or black.
cut the tip off near the end for a small point.
slip the tip under the lip ofte rubber moulding and in a continuous mortion,
squeeze a sealing  bead across the top and down the side filling the channel
under the rubber.
Clean up quickly with a wet rag. I start in the top middle, and do each side
seoparately.

Very importat to clean up immediafely.

Sorru for the typos, I should recover in a few days

Sandy