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Joined: Jan 2003
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New CEG\'er
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New CEG\'er
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Posts: 42 |
It's leaking inside the car. Looks like it's coming from between the evap housing and the rubber seal behind it. Has anyone replaced this and is there any way to get at this without taking the ENTIRE dashboard out? I'm about ready to push this one into a lake...
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 2,319
Hard-core CEG'er
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Hard-core CEG'er
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The ac shop I use would inject a sealant to attempt a repair. Labor to re & re dash, parts and recharge make it a prohibitively expensive repair.
Alternately, she could consider a dash fan for that trendy windswept retro-look. 
98 Mystique LS v6 atx 163,000km
97 Contour LX v6 atx 163,000km
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 17,248
CEG road warrior
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CEG road warrior
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 17,248 |
Heather(Locochick) had this problem.....costed her OVER $1K to fix!!!!  
Hector
2003 Rally Red Mitsubishi Evolution VIII
257HP/259TQ
2005 Lapis Blue Mazda 6s
RET: 00 Cabernet Red Ford Contour Zetec ATX SUPERCHARGED
160HP/141TQ
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 42
New CEG\'er
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A far as I can tell without tearing it apart, it's coming from the drip tray. I can get that out without tearing the dash apart. I'll silicone whatever is leaking, and I'm putting a new firewall seal in. We'll see how it holds. BTW...the evap housing has been superceded 2 or 3 times. Looks like Ford can't quite get it right.
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 2,319
Hard-core CEG'er
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Hard-core CEG'er
Joined: Mar 2002
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My prior response assumed refrigerant leak had been detected. Are you now saying it's simply condensate (i.e. water) which would imply drainhole to bottom of firewall is plugged?
98 Mystique LS v6 atx 163,000km
97 Contour LX v6 atx 163,000km
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 271
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 271 |
Originally posted by PhatDoggy:
A far as I can tell without tearing it apart, it's coming from the drip tray. I can get that out without tearing the dash apart. I'll silicone whatever is leaking, and I'm putting a new firewall seal in. We'll see how it holds. BTW...the evap housing has been superceded 2 or 3 times. Looks like Ford can't quite get it right.
I am just about to go outside and try to fix mine(same problem). I was thinking about taking out the old foam firewall seal and using aquarium silicone to seal it because my leak is coming from right up against the firewall and the seal seems to be made out of a foam that doesn't look like it could seal anything.
1996 Zetec MTX
NO Mods it's only a matter of money now though.
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 17,248
CEG road warrior
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CEG road warrior
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 17,248 |
I wish Heather would get on here and share her experience with this. Talk about a PITA. Damn Ford! 
Hector
2003 Rally Red Mitsubishi Evolution VIII
257HP/259TQ
2005 Lapis Blue Mazda 6s
RET: 00 Cabernet Red Ford Contour Zetec ATX SUPERCHARGED
160HP/141TQ
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 42
New CEG\'er
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OP
New CEG\'er
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It's simply water, but the drain hole is definitely not plugged. It does drain under the car, but apparently not all of it. I'll know more next weekend when I tear it apart, but I suspect there may also be a crack or some defect in the drip pan. Problem is, to replace the evap housing with the updated part, you need to pull the entire dash. Not gonna happen.
Next weekend, I'm taking care of this leak and a bad water pump. Fun, fun, fun...
OT question...anyone know why this board isn't sending me email when there are new posts? I seem to have it set up to do so in the "My Home" section.
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 42
New CEG\'er
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Originally posted by fingas:
I was thinking about taking out the old foam firewall seal and using aquarium silicone to seal it because my leak is coming from right up against the firewall and the seal seems to be made out of a foam that doesn't look like it could seal anything.
I don't think that seal is supposed to be watertight. I think it's just a weather seal from the engine compartment. I could be wrong and that very well may be the problem, but that foam seal is so "fluffy", I don't see how it could seal anything - even from day one. The drain appears to be a plastic pipe that runs through the foam seal. Check out the drip pan and that pipe really well when you pull it. My guess is there is something wrong in that area. I found that you can get the drip pan out from underneath, but you'll need to disconnect the heater core to do so.
Please report back if you do the job. I'd like to know what you saw.
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 42
New CEG\'er
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New CEG\'er
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I replaced the firewall seal this weekend. What a b*tch of a job! The old foam seal looked a little stretched around the drain tube, so I could see water getting back inside the car through there. The new one is a much tighter fit, and I smeared some RTV around the tube where the foam seal presses against it, as well as around the perimeter where the seal contacts the firewall and where it meets up with the plastic drip tray. As soon as we get a little humidity around here, I'll be able to tell for sure, but I'm fairly convinced that it's tight again.
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