leaky astro

[woodman]

hi folks. long time lurker here, need a little help. i have a 1995 safari, and a 1994 astro . i love them both. but the94 astro leaks, when it rains. above the windshield. and at the top of the back doors. does anyone have any ideas or alittle dutch boy with big fingers. thanks in advance.

[ihatemybike]

Gees, more Dutch stereotyping.

While I will admit I stuck my finger in a dike once, I have never once worn wooden shoes, planted or harvested tulips, or used a windmill for any purpose.

Also, I am capable of tanning and I don't have weak bones.


And now some answers:
Your windshield probably needs to be removed and reset.

Check the seals around the back door for cracks and tears. Clean them and treat them with silicone spray or Armor All to keep them soft and pliable.

[wagonmaster]

Make sure it is actualy the back doors and not the rear side windows. We chased a leak for months until I figured out it was the side windows, not the rear. Used black silicon around the molding. Can't see it and it doesn't leak anymore.

[canadavan]

The classic windshield leak on these vans is often caused by the exterior plastic trim that fits into the slot between the glass and the roof. For whatever reason they seem to shrink with age and allow water to pool in the groove above the windshield. Given time, presto, you've got yourself a leak.

Try having a windshield shop pull the trim off and inspect it.

[LiftedAWDAstro]

The rear door seal leak can only be fixed by fitting new seals. I had to do this once to my 98. The windshield will need to be removed and re-sealed most likely.

Another option is to park it under cover and only drive on sunny days.

[sfeaver]

Where did you get the rear door seals from? And how much roughly? I have the same problem, i vaselined them up last summer and it worked for a bit. But its wet in the back again. Time to replace the seals and be done with it.

I also had the windsheild leak, and a body seam under the front fender was leaking too. Gave it some more sealer and its good to go now.

Scott

[Water Boy]

So, then, your van must have .....

Incontinence is the lack of voluntary control of liquid functions. Incontinence mostly occurs in older vans but can also occur in newer vans. Incontinence is usually referred to as water when leakage occurs that cannot be helped or stopped. There are two different types of water incontinence, rain and wash. Incontinence of rain is when leakage occurs when it is raining. It can also occur from melting snow or ice. However most van owners do not realize that it is a physical condition. Although, most times this water is not a big deal and is not serious and you may just need to use duck tape to restrict the invasion. Incontinence of wash however is when the van has the need to get washed or rinsed and cannot help but leak.

[kings-x59]

Ditto Scott's question: Where did you get the rear door weatherstripping? Has anyone found a source other than the dealership? The first time I looked, the weatherstripping was about $250. Much later I looked again and it had gone up to about $300. Needless to say, my rear doors still leak a bit. $300 bucks...sheesh.

[wagonmaster]

Don't laugh..try JC Whitney mail order...they have all manner of weatherstrip and what I've used is very good.

[sfeaver]

I didnt see anything on JCWhitney.. But how about this site: http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/ ... atalogid=2

Not sure exactly which one it is, one page back it only lists two thogh, the most expensive ones. If thats the right ones, then thats what they cost. At least it should fix the water leak!

Anyone dealt with these people yet?

Scott

[kings-x59]

no laughing here. I bought my weatherstripping for the driver's, passenger's, and sliding doors from JC Whitney.

Yeah, actually I recently bought window weatherstripping from the allways auto site. I couldn't find it anywhere else. I had no problems. It took a while to ship, not sure why, but it got here.

[sfeaver]

I think I may have found a solution to the rear door leak without replacing the weatherstripping. While that would be the best fix, it is by far the most expensive.


There is a rubber seal on the bottom of the plastic trim piece that goes alone the back edge of the carpet. If this piece has ever been off before, the seal gets broken. Thats where the water comes in. If the weatherstripping was good, the water wouldnt make it close enough to this point to get inside. But if this seal is good, it will keep the water out at least.

This picture is after a rain storm, you can see how far the water gets. This will keep the carpet dry!

By the way, the bead of silicone did absolutely nothing! I think this stuff I used was glazing putty. So far it looks good, I'll let you know if it does leak.

Hopefully that will help someone else save the cost of weatherstripping.

Scott

[sfeaver]

Well an update.. That rubber putty stuff lifted up and let the water in. So this time I am going to try a bead of silicone all along the back under the trim piece. Hopefully that will work. I priced the seals from the dealer who gives me about 30% or so off list and it will still be over 500 bucks for the seals.

Scott