Does this gap seem appropriate around the door?

imactj2004

imactj2004

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does this gap seem appropriate around the door?

I’m chasing a leak and starting to think that the PO swapped with a different year door. Not sure if that would make a significant difference but to my eye the roofline and windshield gaps seem way too large.

thoughts?

EC1E8A97-0084-4F4C-9A05-C75C72F35579.jpeg


DFDF9C81-ED41-4BD5-B5BB-84BC1F812114.jpeg


A17618F8-B79F-4581-94C2-A07894ED96EE.jpeg
 
LONGJP2 said:
Not saying it's the source of your leak, but it looks like these upper bolts have been removed for some reason.
The one with rust usually means a tool was used on it. The other one looks like it's the wrong color.
Maybe the windshield frame has been replaced.
Have you tried running a hose on it to find the leak?
Click to expand...

yes, have run a hose but thats not where leak is. Leak is at top, where roof meets windshield. Ive repleace the windshield seal up there, as well as door seal, and water still comes in at that corner then trickles down the windshield and door jam.
 
imactj2004 said:
So every jeep owner accepts two inches of water in the footwell after every rain?
Click to expand...

No. There are tons of threads on here about it though. Most owners go through a lot to figure it out. I guess it's something we deal with to have the ability to remove doors, lower windshield, take off top, etc.
 
That gap is adjustable by loosening the door's hinge bolts that thread into the door. Leave the hinge bolts that thread into the tub alone! Loosen the bolts just enough so you can use a wooden wedge etc. to move the door around enough so it's more centered in the door opening.
 
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imactj2004 said:
does this gap seem appropriate around the door?

I’m chasing a leak and starting to think that the PO swapped with a different year door. Not sure if that would make a significant difference but to my eye the roofline and windshield gaps seem way too large.

thoughts?

View attachment 402796

View attachment 402797

View attachment 402798
Click to expand...

I am not an expert on jeeps, but have lots of experience chasing water leaks on vehicles. Here are some of my suggestions and observations.
Most vehicle manufacturers channel the water away from area of potential leaks so spraying high pressure to find a leak is misleading. With that said here is how I go about finding leaks. I know you have a good idea of where it is coming from.
Start with someone in the vehicle with a flashlight shinning the light around the jam see if you can see light outside in the seal area. With someone inside the vehicle have someone just run water over the vehicle. Start low at the bottom hinge area and move up slowly. This allows you to look for the leak in small areas to isolate concern. When you identify the leak area, inspect that area for obvious concerns (torn weatherstrip, hole in metal, screw missing) if you isolate it to the door weatherstrip as you indicated there are a couple ways to check the seal. There is a spray tracing powder you can spray on the weatherstrip, then shut the door carefully and push to engage the secondary latch. When you open you can see the witness mark we’re the door sealed or not. I prefer the dollar bill method, put a dollar bill in and. Close the door on it. You should have resistance pulling it out. This will check a few inches at a time. It won’t work in the corner but you can test the top and front right up to the corner.
On your vehicle your door looks low, seems someone put a washer in the hinge pin to raise the door. I would pull the door off and inspect the hinges. The top also looks back to me but it could just be the seal you have up there. Check the windshield to the cowl to see if it is all the way back. The doors frames also crack at the rear where the door meets the window frame. This can cause the top not to seal. Here is a picture of my door to top gap.
Sorry it won’t let me attach a file right now. I will try in a bit.
DAFEB11A-E8B0-410C-AFDC-473CE13007C0.jpeg
 
Last edited:
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is it leaking in the passenger front foot well?

it's common for the cowl drain to become clogged which causes the cabin air inlet to flood in rain water.

to fix it, remove the cowl cover and clear out the drain with a coat hanger.
 
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Feralkid said:
is it leaking in the passenger front foot well?

it's common for the cowl drain to become clogged which causes the cabin air inlet to flood in rain water.

to fix it, remove the cowl cover and clear out the drain with a coat hanger.
Click to expand...

no, its where hard top meets windshield on both driver and passenger side. When the door is closed, I can see light peeking through where the top of the door meets at that point.

Gonna try Jerry’s recommendation to lift door up a bit for a better fit.
 
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NskLJ said:
I am not an expert on jeeps, but have lots of experience chasing water leaks on vehicles. Here are some of my suggestions and observations.
Most vehicle manufacturers channel the water away from area of potential leaks so spraying high pressure to find a leak is misleading. With that said here is how I go about finding leaks. I know you have a good idea of where it is coming from.
Start with someone in the vehicle with a flashlight shinning the light around the jam see if you can see light outside in the seal area. With someone inside the vehicle have someone just run water over the vehicle. Start low at the bottom hinge area and move up slowly. This allows you to look for the leak in small areas to isolate concern. When you identify the leak area, inspect that area for obvious concerns (torn weatherstrip, hole in metal, screw missing) if you isolate it to the door weatherstrip as you indicated there are a couple ways to check the seal. There is a spray tracing powder you can spray on the weatherstrip, then shut the door carefully and push to engage the secondary latch. When you open you can see the witness mark we’re the door sealed or not. I prefer the dollar bill method, put a dollar bill in and. Close the door on it. You should have resistance pulling it out. This will check a few inches at a time. It won’t work in the corner but you can test the top and front right up to the corner.
On your vehicle your door looks low, seems someone put a washer in the hinge pin to raise the door. I would pull the door off and inspect the hinges. The top also looks back to me but it could just be the seal you have up there. Check the windshield to the cowl to see if it is all the way back. The doors frames also crack at the rear where the door meets the window frame. This can cause the top not to seal. Here is a picture of my door to top gap.
Sorry it won’t let me attach a file right now. I will try in a bit.
View attachment 402948
Click to expand...

wow, that top gap definitely is a lot narrower than mine
 
had water in floorboards on mine and replaced both door seals with aftermarket and same thing but worse. after extensive searching i found oem mopar seals for doors as well as the cowl/windshield and windshield header seals. mopar seals are out there but not easy to find especially the windshield header seal. mopar seals have cured my water intrusion. most of my water problems were at the drivers side of the windshield header seal about 4 inches from the end of the seal. windshield header seal has 3m tape on it and there was a small area that wasn’t stuck to the windshield frame. getting all of the old sticky off the windshield frame was crucial to getting a good seal. stopping the water intrusion liked to have run me crazy.
 
this is streaming INSIDE the door.

brand new header seal. WTF? I cant even think of where the water is coming from
to get to this spot.

8B683B08-9F06-4248-BC0C-EDAE37754E64.jpeg
 

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Feralkid said:
is it leaking in the passenger front foot well?

it's common for the cowl drain to become clogged which causes the cabin air inlet to flood in rain water.

to fix it, remove the cowl cover and clear out the drain with a coat hanger.
Click to expand...

Or an old speedometer cable.
 
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