Argh...

[VTEC_Inside]

My Accord made it to and over 400,000km without incident, but within the following 600kms has found ways to remind me that its old as f#$k.

1. Drivers side axle seal has sprung a gusher of a leak. Brightside, I though rear main seal for a sec or two there.

2. Its leaking water again from the cowl area to the interior. I would have fixed this area previously, but its in a cavity of the "frame" that is all but impossible to access. Open to ideas for something liquid that I could pour down there that would seal the opening when it dries. Rubberized undercoating is my current favorite idea.

[J86]

Do you keep this car for any reason other than nostalgia?

[VTEC_Inside]

Do you keep this car for any reason other than nostalgia?

Primarily because it was my first car and I have an irrational attachment to it.

Secondly, it keeps the RSX out of the salt in the winter.

[S204STi]

Water leak may be from windshield.  Also could be that your cowl drain is plugged, causing water to pool and back up into the interior, in which case a sealant may not help.

[VTEC_Inside]

Water leak may be from windshield.  Also could be that your cowl drain is plugged, causing water to pool and back up into the interior, in which case a sealant may not help.

I've been down this road before with the car. I had a area of the cowl repaired a couple years back, which is still holding fine. This is an area just as the water drains over the passenger side edge of the cowl area. The run off from the very passenger side of the window drains there as well. Its a small ass hole, but difficult to access and repair.

There are fairly large cowl drains on both sides with only a thin rubber flap to control the flow over each.

I'm not too concerned with what I'm going to fix it right now as I am with getting the damn carpet to dry in -4c weather.

[JWC]

When I worked for a Honda dealer back in 1986-89, there was a TSB about a leak in the right front fender/cowl area that intruded to the interior.  Been too long to remember the details.

[VTEC_Inside]

When I worked for a Honda dealer back in 1986-89, there was a TSB about a leak in the right front fender/cowl area that intruded to the interior.  Been too long to remember the details.

Oooh, now that is interesting... Not surprised given how they chose to seal the area... I'll have to check into that now out of curiousity..

[AutobahnSHO]

As far as good liquid to seal stuff up,

A couple years back I wanted to glue the 'dead pedal' I found at the junkyard in a CRX si to my base-model CRX carpet. (Yes, it was just glued to the carpet.)

The Advance autoparts guy recommended a tube of some fairly thick glue for gluing insulation to house windows. It's yellow (even after it dries, which takes a few hours) and really sticky but once it dries it is semi-flexible, doesn't crack, and holds tight to most things I've used it on.
(Glues to metal, carpet, wood, plastic, etc...)

I still have that first tube and use it...

[VTEC_Inside]

Pulled the blower motor assembly out just now.

I can see the general area that water is getting in. Now I need to get something to seal up the surface rust, then I'm going to apply liberal amounts of silicone to the area.

Autobahn, if you've got the name of that stuff you used, or if anyone  has a better suggestion than silicone I'm open. I've used Silicone before in other areas and its held up fine, but I'm sure there is probably something more appropriate.

I may still pull the cowl cover and attack it from both sides, but thats dependent on the weather.

[VTEC_Inside]

Its not leaking anything right now so I should probably check the tranny fluid level, but its f'in cold and now its dark too so....

I've got Friday off and its supposed to be a bit warmer so I'm going to fix the water leak one way or another then. Its one thing to drive leaking tranny fluid, another to drive without heat.

[heelntoe]

how about JB weld or one of those truk bed liners?

[VTEC_Inside]

how about JB weld or one of those truk bed liners?

I looked at a bunch of different options at the store before I just said f it and stuck with my tried and true silicone.

I meant to update this earlier.

The rear brake lines run through the inside of the car and they come through the firewall right there. I would have like to have lightly sanded the area, but didn't even want to think about accidentally damaging one of those lines.

I hit the area with 2 light coats of Tremclad rust paint on the Thursday. On Friday I went silicone happy, caked it right into the area where I believe the water was actually coming through and spread it across the rest of the potential area. I let it sit a bit and doubled it up.

Put the whole thing back together later in the day after the silicone had tacked over.

So here we are the following Monday and despite driving with the floor vent spewing full heat full blast for the combined hour and a half drive to/from work, the carpet is still wet. Oh and the silicone fumes were giving me a headache too... Sigh...

Oh well, I've got it off the floor so I guess it will eventually air dry.

[AutobahnSHO]

At least it's done-

Sorry I don't remember exactly what my glue's called- I got it at Advance Auto, it's a generic brand, white tube, says something about window insulation..

[VTEC_Inside]

At least it's done-

Sorry I don't remember exactly what my glue's called- I got it at Advance Auto, it's a generic brand, white tube, says something about window insulation..

No worries.. I'm pretty sure the silicone I used will be fine.

When the warmer weather returns I'm going to pull the cowl apart again and use some of this flowable silicone that I bought in there.

Carpet is still wet today btw... I've been driving it with the heater on the floor full blast. Soaked up quite a bit yesterday and left a fan going under the carpet for a few hours... Put the fan back in there today.

Friggin carpet underlay is better than a sponge at holding water, and this -8c temperature isn't helping matters.

[Rupert]

I'd replace the stuff under the carpet if I were you. Carpets themselves usually dry out reasonably quickly, but the underlay seems to mold before it dries. That's been my experience, at least.

[VTEC_Inside]

I'd replace the stuff under the carpet if I were you. Carpets themselves usually dry out reasonably quickly, but the underlay seems to mold before it dries. That's been my experience, at least.

I've been pretty lucky in that respect. I usually notice if I've sprung a leak quite quickly so the water never sits there for very long. This time it was frozen the first bit anyway.

I left the fan in there overnight last night and it seemed to have dried out the one side pretty good this morning. I aimed the fan at the remaining damp section this morning and left it there till just a few minutes ago. Didn't bother to check but it should be 99% dry at this point.

I won't be laying it back into place until I check it over completely.

[Rupert]

Ah, nice.

[VTEC_Inside]

Glad I had another look before putting the carpet down.

Seems I didn't fix the primary (if not only) source of water.

The ugly part was that I had to cut away some rotted sheet metal around one of those brake lines, fucking nerve-racking.

The good part is that the leak is entirely sealable from the engine bay side. I will be cleaning up the interior side as well for as proper a patch as possible but...

Now I just have to wait for the area to dry again before I can clean it up and seal it.

Suffice it to say that I'm not happy about having had to pull the blower again, and further having to STILL fix it. However, combined with my previous efforts my next go at it should ensure that I NEVER have to worry about a leak in that area again, well that is until the firewall rots entirely and separates from the rest of the car.

[VTEC_Inside]

So its all cleaned up.

Put a couple of coats of Tremclad rust paint on it yesterday. Wanted to silicone it today and it rains a slushy mess. Sigh...