Dash Air Leak

XJflexer · Apr 12, 2006

I have a '00 XJ. My front seat passengers complain of cold air rushing in from under the dash and around the glovebox area while driving at speeds above 35mph. Heat is still coming out of the floor vents as designed, but this is a rush of air flooding in into the cabin around the glovebox area. I never noticed any water on my floor after rain. Does anobody have any idea as to where this might be coming from? I've looked for holes in the firewall and floor, but everything is solid.

RichP · Apr 12, 2006

There is a foam seal behind the heaterbox...another real and major PIA job....

XJflexer · Apr 12, 2006

Bah...I was kinda of afraid of that. I should probably take care of it before water discovers it. Maybe I'll just fill my dash with that home type spray in expandable insulation foam....HA!

Thanks for the reply!

RichP said:
There is a foam seal behind the heaterbox...another real and major PIA job....

XJ Jeepin Girl · Apr 12, 2006

Last week when I washed my car, I found a puddle on my passenger side floor mat (a brand new floor mat, btw...). And I found that the water was leaking in from right under the glove box, probably the same place as your air leak? I couldn't really figure out where it was coming from though.. I think it was just because I was parked on a hill, because I never have problems with leaks when it's pouring? Good luck, though.

Matthew Currie · Apr 13, 2006

My 95 has this leak, and it's gotten worse and worse. But before you dig too deep, make sure that it isn't the fresh air door. There's a little door that opens only when the heater control is pushed all the way to the left (off). Make sure that the foam is all right, and it's closing tight.

XJflexer · Apr 13, 2006

XJ Jeepin Girl said:
Last week when I washed my car, I found a puddle on my passenger side floor matQUOTE]

I'd bet your is leaking from the same place as mine. Fortunately for me, I never park on a hill so I've never had an issue with water coming into mine. But, it looks as though I'll be pulling my dash sometime within the next...few years....HA!

Good luck with your water leak.

XJflexer · Apr 13, 2006

Matthew Currie said:
My 95 has this leak, and it's gotten worse and worse. But before you dig too deep, make sure that it isn't the fresh air door. There's a little door that opens only when the heater control is pushed all the way to the left (off). Make sure that the foam is all right, and it's closing tight.

Is your air still coming through the vents into the cabin, or are you getting a flood of air rushing in from under the dash? My air coming in is totally separate from the floor vents. It's coming in form all around the glovebox.

Matthew Currie · Apr 13, 2006

XJflexer said:
Is your air still coming through the vents into the cabin, or are you getting a flood of air rushing in from under the dash? My air coming in is totally separate from the floor vents. It's coming in form all around the glovebox.

That sounds more like my problem. It remains unsolved, but I am assuming that it's either a bad gasket or a rust hole somewhere behind the dash. There's also the possibility that it's less direct. My Jeep has rust in all sorts of places, including the roof, and it could be blowing in from just about anywhere. It's gotten worse over the years, and the temporary solution has been to stuff rags under the dash. It's very annoying, especially in cold climates. The only way I can see to get at it would be to take the dash and heater assembly out. I've never found any source for the air externally. I even took a fender off, hoping to find a passage around the door jamb, with no luck. I had planned to dig for it this spring along with a bunch of other rust repair, but at this point, the problem looks as if it will go forever unfixed, because unless things go wrong I expect to be buying a very clean 99 Jeep tomorrow, and I'll probably sell the leaky 95 cheap and as-is, rust, leaks and all.

XJ Jeepin Girl · Apr 13, 2006

I'd bet your is leaking from the same place as mine. Fortunately for me, I never park on a hill so I've never had an issue with water coming into mine. But, it looks as though I'll be pulling my dash sometime within the next...few years....HA!

Good luck with your water leak.

Yeah, it sounds like the same place/leak. Be careful washin' your car!

Dash Air Leak

XJflexer

NAXJA Forum User

RichP

NAXJA Forum User

XJflexer

NAXJA Forum User

XJ Jeepin Girl

NAXJA Forum User

Matthew Currie

NAXJA Member #760

XJflexer

NAXJA Forum User

XJflexer

NAXJA Forum User

Matthew Currie

NAXJA Member #760

XJ Jeepin Girl

NAXJA Forum User

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