Huge water leak

drcreeperxo

drcreeperxo

New Member
I bought my lancer off an old guy back in september, said the car has been garaged most of the life their family had owned it. From what I can tell the car is rust free apart from some tiny spots on the roof where paint has been chipped off. I saw a post the other day on the facebook page of the passenger side firewall being rusted to hell, and other people mentioning that could cause water to come through onto the ecu and other things. As the rain is coming to SA, I've noticed a severe water leak from the passenger side behind the glovebox, could this be just as rusted as the pictures I saw? I also had the windscreen replaced when I bought the car, is there any chance it was just shoddy sealing from the guy who did it, or am I about to have an awful winter? My carpets are already wet at the moment and I've had to resort to using a car scent thing to block out the watery carpet smell that wont be drying up for another couple months. On that note I will probably check regardless of the replies over the winter holidays after exams, at the start of july, I may have to convince my parents to let me park the car in the garage when it rains. Let me know how bad this could be on a scale of 0, its a <$100 fix or 10, I need to sell the car asap and just buy an fto. For reference I've probably sunk 10k into the car so far on quality of life and a dash of performance (brakes + bushings)
 
You'll have to pull up the carpet and have a look to see how bad it is. Also advisable to take off the window wiper cowl cover (after taking off the wipers) and see if there's any rust.
You can use kitty litter sprinkled on the footwell floor (keep the carpet pulled back) to help dry out moisture fairly affordably, but do know you have to replace it frequently.
 
If it makes any difference I don't care too much about the carpet as in december while I do my engine swap I'll be putting in new carpet, rust wouldnt be too much of a problem under the carpet given how dry it usually is in SA I would hope
 
Best bet is to pull the windscreen cowl then, cause this is directly on/part of the firewall and will show the hardest/most expensive spot to fix. If its all clear, then its likely the windscreen sealant. Is it definitely water, and not coolant?
 
Yeah definitely water, only happens when I wash the car or it rains, if theres no rust would I test if its the windscreen seal by pouring some water in spots and seeing what leaks and what doesnt?
 
Investigate the extent of how bad it is- Its a *poo*ty spot , but you may be able to get away with a rust-stop treatment, and resealing and isolating that whole section with new metal sheet+sealant or similar.
 
Yeah I'll tear apart the dash next month and I may end up having to weld upside down. This lancer has really been kicking me down over the last couple of weeks - first news about how my engineering would cost 5.5k, now the water leak means me having to tear the dashboard out just to even have a chance to fix leaks its a bit ridiculous
 
Dash out
HVAC out
You might find windscreen needs to come out
Cut out cowl
Replace that sheet metal and install a new intake spout. It doesn’t need to match the oem shape. I think a piece of 5” tube would be enough.
Paint and seal
Reinstall.
Bit of a job tbh
 
Hey mate, I've had this problem arise when I took out my dash the other month.
I've got the exact same rusting on my mirage.

What I did wouldn't please an engineer but it's what I did. My dash was already out so access was somewhat better.
Ended up removing as much rust flake and barely holding on metal. Hit it with rust converter in the immediate area.

Then to prevent it from reoccuring I made a wall Infront of the rust with expanding foam, and put a little tube in so water wouldn't pool up and rust through again. I did leave about an inch gap above the expanding foam to the top of the channel so that air could still go into the blower from outside the car.

Not the reccomend fix but a fix none the less. Between this rust, forgetting the layout of the dash loom, and a non preferable compression test result, my 1.8 swap isn't going the smoothest. So best of luck to ya
 
Hey man i appreciate the reply and yeah to be honest I was going to weld if I were to keep the car, but I'm going to try to sell it so I'm going to try use spray foam or JB weld etc to ensure a permanent fix that won't be a scam to try to sell. Hopefully your engine swap goes better, its a real shame the unlucky turn of events that lead to me needing to sell it or I'd be more than happy to also commit to an engine swap. If it helps at all it may be a good idea to head to your local DIY wreckers (u-pull-it in SA) and take out the dash loom so you have a safe reference for how its laid out, and also get a workshop manual like the haynes one which has full wiring diagrams hopefully including that loom. Something I do recommend is doing a decent engine rebuild (which should give you better compression) while the 1.8L is out of the car - if its your first time take videos, notes, and organise to ensure you know exactly how to put it back together. It shouldn't cost you any more than $3k if you do it yourself (I think may be an overestimate) and itll ensure your engine will be in perfect condition at least for the next 60-80k km's, and gives you a more stable engine for if you want to turbocharge down the line for the much needed power in these little cars. Still bummed how expensive it is to get a reasonable 130kw/t is out of this car - at least if you dont want to risk defects
 
It's the giant p plate on the car that ruins your chances at fun. I have been hammering around in the banana for 6mths now and no police interaction at all. I get waved through RBTs and stuff too. Nobody wants a bar of me, even with the very obvious front mount intercooler and doses. Back in my silver CC or red CC I was pulled over every weekend without fail. Very lame that I haven't been able to flaunt my engineering cert yet.
 
Thats insane, I've mostly been scared off by all the stories about SA, NSW, and VIC cops being quite aggressive with their pulling over and checking the car if they notice at all that its modified - namely the custom exhaust hanging out the back would warrant being pulled over, then once the recaros and aftermarket steering wheel are spotted its game over unless I have the engineering cert
 
Ive replaced all the gaskets and seals that don't require the head to be pulled, done timing and pumps. I'm spending way more on the storage unit than I have in new parts and a parts car. I'll end up buying and rebuilding another motor once this motor is in.
I've got the Haynes but there's no under dash photos which sucks. I'll figure the loom placement out this arvo hopefully.

In terms of cop attention... I've been lucky. It had an obnoxious red body kit on it when I took it to storage. I got waved through an RBT by the batton holder, much to the anger and disappointment of the copper who was waiting for his next victim. I think the (green) p-plate being bolted to the bumper helps.
 
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