I Drive a 1996 Chevy Ark ...

[Nick S]

With the way this thing leaks, you would think that I drive an ark. Every time that it rains I find myself strategically placing towels throughout the cabin to catch leaks before I park the car for the night. The most common places for leaks are behind the passenger and driver seat and in the passenger seat foot well by the speaker. Is this why people leave their Corvettes in garages and only drive them when the weather is nice? If I had bought this car new and paid the sticker price for this car, I would have gone nuts. What the heck was GM thinking when they engineered/made this thing?

Oh, and don't think that the weather stripping is old and that is the cause of the leaking. I have had some stripping replaced with GM stuff by professionals and other portions I have replaced myself with GM weather stripping. The weather stripping is as new as when the car rolled from the factory.

The leak that I love the most is the one by the passenger side door. I've read that it is actually a leak in the windshield that rolls down the inside of the molding, hits the inside of the door, and then drops on the floor. I've tried sealing the inside of the windshield to prevent this, and I will try again, but that is crazy. That doesn't happen on $15,000 cars that are 10 years old, let alone a $40,000 one.

I always wanted a Corvette, and I've had one for about a year. However, now I can understand what people were always complaining about when they talked about the build quality of these cars. Warping door panels? What in the world is that about? When someone sees that you have a Corvette and sits in your car, try explaining that to them. "Yeah, just push the panel back up to reattach the door panel on my expensive American sports car."

Do Corvette owners overlook all of these things just because it goes fast? Because, I can find less expensive cars with these same problems that go just as fast.

I think that I now know what a bad marriage must be like. I love the car, but at the same time I'd like to drive it into a ditch and be done with it. Geez, does anyone else feel my pain, or is it just a car and I need to get a life?

**** END OF CRAZY RANT, step off of soap box ****

[tlong]

The leaking is atypical. I don't have an answer to your frustration except fix it or move on because life is too short to be ****ed at your car.

[Tuna]

What he said!

Sounds like new weather stripping is in order - but I see that has already been done. May not be done right. The roof may need realigning, etc.

When I bought my first Vette in 91 - a new 92, it had a minor leak on the left side where the roof and the windshield meet. After a little adjustment, it never caused me any more problems. Last year the windshield had to be replaced and that required new weather stripping around it - which prompted replacing all the other pieces around the roof, halo bar, etc.; you can't just replace one piece without it effecting the ones it meet up with.
Still didn't leak and I drove it daily, rain or shine. Sold it a couple of months ago after 14 years and 114K miles.

Corvette owners don't overlook these things - this is a big deal.

[Nick S]

Ok, sorry about the rant. I don't mean to upset those that are having a wonderful ownership experience. I just needed to vent and to find out if it was me, or if these cars don't do well in rain. Apparently, it is just me. Which is a good thing.

I put way too much time/effort and pride into my car. The car is like an extension of me. So, when I'm driving a leakmobile down the road, it isn't just the car that is leaking.

I may just have to take it to the dealer or a glass place and have them look at it. Otherwise, every time that it sits in the rain for longer than a few hours, I will be wringing out towels that have been dripped full of water.

The leak on the upper rear of each side window is odd. Over time, the water manages to find a way of getting in between the weather stripping for the top and the window. Then it drips down and hits the carpet behind each seat. Not enough to puddle, just to make things damp.

Thank you for the suggestions.

[tlong]

I was not just blowing you off sir. I think this problem is terrible and would definitely put a hurt on your attitude. I have both tops and they don't leak at the windows. Perhaps an adjustment of the door glass?

You said it leaks at the front of the doors? Strange because there are 2 weatherstrips meeting there; one from the door and the big one at the hinge side. They aren't mating correctly.

Water inside the car must be eliminated for obvious reasons. My Helms has a whole section on leaks and repairs. I believe they showed it in a spray booth setup to diagnose. That is a dealer, and you know how vette people feel about that!

You need a vette shop. Maybe some CACers can suggest a reputable location in your area for advice.

I love my '96. it sounds like you do also and hope this cry for help leads you to the fix.

Cheers

[Nick S]

I wasn't accusing anyone of blowing me off. I'm sorry if I came off that way. I'm happy about the responses. It gives me a direction to channel my anger with the leaks.

It looks like the water in the rear of the side windows comes in where the roof seal on the side of the glass top and the seal that goes across the back of the car and down the sides meet. It only drips in if it has been sitting in the rain for hours at a time without moving.

The leak on the passenger side that dampens the area on the floor by the speaker is definitely not weatherstrip related. It leaks from somewhere behind the molding that goes around the windshield. The leak comes down onto the molding, travels to the opening in the molding by the door, goes down the door or the fuse panel door, and then drips onto the floor. This leak also only develops if the car is sitting in the rain for several hours without movement. I guess this problem is another reason to buy the Helms manuals for the car.

Again, please accept my apologies if I have offended anyone. I obviously started this post off the wrong way and with the wrong attitude.

Nick

[tlong]

No sweat! No apology needed. Let's fix it!

One thing I thought about.... have you ever put any spa lube on the weatherstripping? It is silicone lube that keeps it supple. Don't know if that would stop the leeching. The way the window hits it closed is critical.

The other thing about the windshield molding is beyond me and needs a pro eye. Have you ever taken it to a Corvette specific shop or just a dealer?

The kids at the dealership will usually put you in a world of hurt. This can be fixed. Stand by for the cavalry.

[toms94]

In a heavy rain, mine leaks a little. And I haven't figured out just where. No leaks whatsoever when I wash the car, only when it rains for a while or quite a bit in a short period of time. I have some suspicions, just nothing firm.

[Nick S]

I started to use one of the heavy silicone gels on the weather stripping. It seemed to seal any small openings in between pieces of stripping; however, it tends to be really messy and leave a nice film on the windows of the car for several washings. Also, if you happen to rub up against it getting into or out of the car, it can make your clothes a mess.

The silicone gel worked really well on the front of the doors where the door stripping meets the bottom of the stripping that comes down around the windshield. Nothing gets in there, except for the mystery drip through the windshield.

I had the weather stripping around the windshield replaced by a glass place. I gave them the GM weather stripping, and then watched them install it. The stripping on the doors and roof I bought from GM and replaced myself. It was really easy. I can call the guys that I know at the Chevy dealership and see what they can do, but I think that I might be better off with the glass place because the dealership often farms this kind of work out to them. I trust the Chevy dealer enough to take their advice. This will in all reality depend on how much they would want to "diagnose" the problem. I would hope that I can fix this myself.

Also, I might put back on the solid roof instead of the glass roof. It's weather stripping isn't new, but I think that it sealed better.

Nick

[Aurora40]

It's possible that the side windows need adjusting. Are there any gaps between them and the stripping when they are up?

[Nick S]

I'll take a look at the gap between the side windows and the weather stripping when I go out to the parking garage to leave work. It is still raining. So, it is good to have a parking garage.

[Nick S]

Ok, I looked at the side window weather stripping. It looks to me like the piece of weather stripping that runs from one side of the car to the other on the rear is not quite sealing with the weather stripping that runs along the side of the roof. The mismatch is a little different on each side. It is just enough that if enough water accumulates on the outside that eventually it will begin to drip into the car. That is the only piece of weather stripping that I have not replaced. So, I guess that I will be replacing it, and see if that fixes the problem.

As for the windshield problem, I'm not sure what I want to do there. I'm sure that $1000 and one new windshield later, that problem will be fixed. However, that is a little expensive. I'll talk to the Chevy dealer and see what they think.

[6 Shooter]

NASCAR boys like duct tape.