Got stuck on the way home in a major rain storm..., Leakage around the front targa seal? coming in along the A-pillar Options

[DRPHIL914]

O.K. so all the seals are new within the last couple years. the front targa seal was installed by me - its a 914rubber product seems to fit correctly and the top fits nice and tight to it.

The most water intrusion was on driver's side along the base of the A pillar. it is dripping just in front of where the speaker pod is, close to the front of the door. It seems to me it is coming in under the -pillar trim.
could this be getting in under the front targa bar seal?

I might have to do a test with a hose and flood or spray at a specific location to see if that is where it is coming in- any other ideas would be appreciated.

Like i said, have not noticed this with a light rain, just 2x now with really heavy rain.

Phil

[bdstone914]

Was the trim that holds the seal removed? Originally there was some butyl between the trim and the body to prevent leaks.

[DRPHIL914]

Was the trim that holds the seal removed? Originally there was some butyl between the trim and the body to prevent leaks.

Bruce,

I did not remove the trim, but the seals i replaced were really old, probably original to the car is my guess, so thats a good possibility that its getting in along or behind the trim that holds the seal.

Would it hurt to put a bead of sealant behind the front top seal and the frame? i was thinking of using the 3m weather stripping adhesive.

[r_towle]

It leaks, and that surprises you?

[DRPHIL914]

It leaks, and that surprises you?

It probably shouldn't but it was more than just a drip.

Are the vent he behind the front tara seal for air venting or water drainage and where do they go to?

[r_towle]

If I read this right, it's leaking at the a pillar.

Look at how that lines up with the window closed.
Does closing the door slightly push the a pillar forward?

You can adjust the door up, lift it, and it moves things forward.
You can remove front triangle and adjust the main vertical window post forward.

In the end, having the a pillar move slightly when you close the door, and really compressing that rubber is the key to getting that place to not leak.

For the targa, make sure you have the right roof, there are two.
Adjust the front clips to pull it forward more.
Crush the front gasket, mine are really tight to close...no leaks.

[DRPHIL914]

If I read this right, it's leaking at the a pillar.

Look at how that lines up with the window closed.
Does closing the door slightly push the a pillar forward?

You can adjust the door up, lift it, and it moves things forward.
You can remove front triangle and adjust the main vertical window post forward.

In the end, having the a pillar move slightly when you close the door, and really compressing that rubber is the key to getting that place to not leak.

For the targa, make sure you have the right roof, there are two.
Adjust the front clips to pull it forward more.
Crush the front gasket, mine are really tight to close...no leaks.

It does compress pretty tight along the front. - this top is the correct late top-i have 2, one with the sun roof in it which is an early one and that one the windows dont quite fit the same but this one is a late top.
-i will try to re-adjust the front clip to make sure its as tight as possible, but it does seem really tight there, but i think you might be onto something regarding the tightness of the triange and whether or not htat is compressing the seal right thtere. I also noticed that at the very top corner the fit of the seal looks a bit off and might be where the water is making its way thru- and that makes sense, if it comes in there it would get behind the a-pillar trim and then leak down to where i see it coming thru.

- thatnks for the advice, i am going to try and adjust the top fit , it then should compress that top edge or corner better and then i will test it with hose
- also suggested was the possibility of the water getting behind the metal trim that holds the seal.- i checked this last night at that is sealed good, so i dont think thats it. -its either getting under the top front leading edge and then following down along the inside to the pillar and down, or its at that very edge of the top where the targa top side seal pulls into the edge block . I m not sure if i am describing this correctly so i will take some pictures and post later. its also not happening on passenger side like it is on the driver's side.

[Mikey914]

Well it is a 914, so no matter what you do, with enough rain it will leak.
That being said, adjustment may be the issue. The window has a little lateral, and forward aft movement that can be adjusted, not much, but it it's not touching it can't seal.

[damesandhotrods]

After driving a 914 in PNW I found if you didn’t crack the windows open a little, it was fairly leak free. At slow speeds water does collect on the roof. The only real leak problem I had with the front Targa seal is that it becomes a river which drains at each window.