W123Leak and door problems
 

Hello guys, its been a little while but I'm back to ask the gods for some wisdom...

I have a 1981 240D. About a month ago (after some serious winter stormage out west in Seattle/Vancouver) I noticed my rear right floor mats were soaked through. Like standing water in the car. But ONLY the back passenger side seat. The front passenger floor is damp, but it sometimes dries out during less humid weather. The rear right side never dries out- even after I vacuumed an inch or two of water out of the floor, and a few more out of the mat.

The other problem (hopefully linked?) is with the rear passenger door. It has been making a creak/cracking noise for a while now. It probably just needs some grease, but the other night a friend opened it a little hard and it was almost impossible to shut. I thought it was seized at first. Is there anyway water could enter the car through the door, affecting that funky hinge, perhaps? I haven't noticed any rust spots on the right side of the car so I don't think its getting in from the bottom...

The other idea I got involves windshields and glass seals. I just had a new front windshield put in (due to possible leakage in the old) but the rear glass is old. Furthermore my trunk has been damp for some time and I've noticed drips on the plastic wheel well lining as well as condensation inside of the trunk (sometimes frost). Is there any way the drainage gutters could be leaking into the trunk?

I drive in the rain a lot between Seattle-Vancouver and Vancouver-Whistler so my car doesn't get to hang out in the driest of climates. Gotta get this fixed...among other things, haha :)

see ya soon!
Thanks for the help!

1981 240D 328k "Sexy Cede"

I'd say your windshield is still leaking. You could use some butyl sealant between the seal and the body to seal it up. Water enters there, drips down the front and drains to the rear which is the low point.

The creaking is most likely a bad door check strap unit.

The leak in your trunk could be your rear window seal or a tail light seal.

Good luck.:)

look for rust in the hood spring area, I had the same problem. One day after I washed it I had 2inches of water in the rear floor that was caused by a huge rust hole near the hood spring.

True, I almost forgot the hood hinge area.:D Both sides on mine were rusted through. Then there's also the area under the battery tray.

I don't think the water can be entering from the trunk area because just before the rear floor wells is a bulkhead that would stop any water from further back. I vote for the windshield leak. I too lived in Portland many years and when this occured w/my W123, the water was getting under the rear floor mats w/very little in the front foot well. It turned out to be a leak at the windshield.

Well, the windshield is a possibility. The other possibility, aside from holes that should not exist in the firewall is, in fact, the rear window seal. Water in the trunk and rear floor are a symptom. Water in the rear floor is also a symptom of a windshield/firewall leak, but those won't get your trunk wet.

My 300D leaks at the passenger side rear glass, and I finally found it after pulling the package shelf out and running water over the back glass. Check that rear seal for shrinking and cracking, as I bet it could use with being replaced.