Here we go again H20 in rear! MGM Tudor 1986

[Toploader]

So after the latest heavy rains in NYC I find that the drivers side rear foot well carpet is SOAKED in water, like someone dumped a water bucket back there:-(

So the question........is the rear q-window the culprit, or could the water be pouring in from the opera lamp housing?

I took the opera lamp out to look behind it, but there really is nothing to seal up, the housing has a small gasket that surrounds it, and it is still soft and pliable.

In the past this happened while I was in the car, and water looked as if it were pouring in down the seat belt and behind it????????????

[Grand Marquis GT]

How's your window and door seals on the passenger side? Also, what is the condition of your vinyl top? I'd drop the headliner and sail panels to make sure you don't have any rot in the roof.

[gadget73]

could be a lot of things. Suspect you're going to have to pull some trim and have a friend wash the car while you sit inside with a flashlight looking for water if nothing is obvious once the trim is out.

[Toploader]

First step........worked some 1/4 breaker bar foam caulking around the window outside molding, if it leaks during the next rain, I will then pull out the opera light and shove some kind of plastic or foam in there to stop water on carpet syndrome.

could be a lot of things. Suspect you're going to have to pull some trim and have a friend wash the car while you sit inside with a flashlight looking for water if nothing is obvious once the trim is out.

[His Royal Ghostliness]

Honestly I would not jump in caulking stuff till I knew where the water is coming from. You could very well make the situation worse by blocking a path that is normally used for most of the water to drain off before it gets a chance to enter the passenger compartment. I would do what was suggested and pull some interior panels first, for all you know the fix could be as easy as smearing something like dielectric grease on the foam gaskets for the coach lights (I actually do this on cab lights for trucks, the gasket is still removable while the grease repels any water that may attempt to sneak in under int, it works awesome every time).

[Toploader]

So here is an update
Having the car on the mean streets of NYC does not allow one to just pull the interior out to get access to the window moldings and plastic pieces.

So.......I attempt a down and dirty........first I remove the opera lamp housing and am able to just fit my fingers in the cavity with some duct tape and I cover a round cut out in the steel body.......I then proceed to do the same on the long hole........understand these holes were covered over on the other (inside) side with a wide dum dum type of material. Before I closed up the lamp into the body I fit a small piece of plastic bubble pack behind the lamp housing.
Next I was able to just get my hands inside the rear seat window plastic piece..........in there are the seat belt retractor assembly, and the other side of the body cutouts for the opera lamp............I managed to get strips of duct tape in there to re-reinforce that dum dum material.
Now I wait till the next major rain storm.............if this fails to stop the water, I will have to drive out to Long Island to my buds house, and remove the interior to gain proper access.
The plot as they say thickens..........stay tuned
PS........it's a good thing FoMoCo carpet has a bottom that is a kind of plastic material.........and not just padding...........so yes a lake was in the rear foot well, and after several towels were employed to soak up the deluge, I am glad the carpet does not allow water to collect on the steel below.

[Hearsesrock427]

Dude, I've been having similar problems. I didn't even think about the coach lamp thingies on the side of the car. I remember when I was prepping for the slicktop conversion that I yanked and fidgetted with the vinyl top material around there, on both sides. I was a dumbass. All that pulling probably loosened the lamps a tiny bit, and all but assuredly dislodged that wide dum dum material that covers the inside of the holes where the lamps are mounted. There's three holes. A small-ish one, then a big one beneanth it, and then another small-ish one below it. I also goofed around with the seat belt retractor assembly stuff, and that probably dislodged some more of that hole covering material. D'oh!

I remember back when I was doing early slicktop conversion prep work. There was ZERO covering on the inside of the coach lamp holes. I could put my fingers through and feel interior of the lamps themselves. That's how how it's supposed to be!

So now I explained both my leaks. Small tiny leak that makes the power seat control fabric area stuff a little wet, and the humungous leak that soaks BOTH rear footwells. The '89 goes in for the slicktop conversion and other assorted body work on Tuesday. I'll let my guy know what's up, and that I've found the problem.

You're the man, Toploader!

[Toploader]

Mr. Hearse....Thanks for the shoutout, but if only I had a normal house with a driveway to work on my car ,LOL! Street parking in NYC is not a place to be pullings cars apart This Tudor is a great car, but the H2O leaks have really pissed my off!!......I have to wait to list a final report if I stopped the leak...that DUM-DUM material is like what a/c fittings used to be wrapped with back in the day..only much wider. I also had a very bad leak on the drivers side floor mat area....I almost stopped that leak.....but it really depeands on the dirtection the wind is pushing the rain and how heavy the downpour is. LOL.....as Miami Bob knows, I am looking to be called the man by a new soon to find, Sicilian girlfriend

Dude, I've been having similar problems. I didn't even think about the coach lamp thingies on the side of the car. I remember when I was prepping for the slicktop conversion that I yanked and fidgetted with the vinyl top material around there, on both sides. I was a dumbass. All that pulling probably loosened the lamps a tiny bit, and all but assuredly dislodged that wide dum dum material that covers the inside of the holes where the lamps are mounted. There's three holes. A small-ish one, then a big one beneanth it, and then another small-ish one below it. I also goofed around with the seat belt retractor assembly stuff, and that probably dislodged some more of that hole covering material. D'oh!

I remember back when I was doing early slicktop conversion prep work. There was ZERO covering on the inside of the coach lamp holes. I could put my fingers through and feel interior of the lamps themselves. That's how how it's supposed to be!

So now I explained both my leaks. Small tiny leak that makes the power seat control fabric area stuff a little wet, and the humungous leak that soaks BOTH rear footwells. The '89 goes in for the slicktop conversion and other assorted body work on Tuesday. I'll let my guy know what's up, and that I've found the problem.

You're the man, Toploader!

[Hearsesrock427]

Edit: Meant to say "That's not how it's supposed to be!" with regards to being able to just feel around the inside of the coach lamps once you pull the seat belt retractor stuff out of the way. And having space to work on a car makes a huge difference. Here's to hoping the rear footwell leak issue is gone for good on your '86! Only time wil ltell, as they say.