I have owned a '96 Chrysler Town and Country van for 10 years. It has had one problem that has made me scratch my head on many occasions. It’s the rain trough that is located directly under the windshield. What’s supposed to happen is the rain should flow under an edge or cap at the top of the trough and bottom of the windshield. The water collects here, and is directed to flow out the left and right flexible drain hoses down by the firewall.
If you own this van, park it in a garage, because everything under the sun from seeds to pine needles goes down into this area and clogs the flexible hoses. This would be OK if there were a manual that told you to how to check the trough and clean it out. I added a piece of automotive weather stripping to shrink the gap and try to get the big stuff to stay out. It helped a little.
When the flex tubes become clogged, it gets interesting. The water overflows this trough and collects under the dashboard near the heater core –- or something that gets very hot but does not short out. Then, when you make a left turn, the water pours out of a floor vent on the passenger side and is hot enough to burn the passenger’s foot. Ask my wife. It’s not just a little bit of water, either. It’s enough to soak through the carpet and flow out a drain hole on the passenger side.
I started cleaning out the flex tubes every year, but last time, I yanked them off. Now, the water and debris pours down on my motor pulleys on one side and the brake lines on the other. But no more hot feet. Either they should have built a better rain gutter or they should have created a design that didn’t require a gutter and downspouts.
This entry was submitted by Frank M. Bretz and edited by Rob Spiegel.
Tell us your experiences with Monkey-designed products. Send examples to Rob Spiegel for Made by Monkeys.
I think it's safe to say that all production cars have body drain holes that require maintenance. Typically the holes should be cleaned every 6 - 12 months, maybe even more frequently, depending on the amount of detritis that falls on the car. Owner manual maintenance schedules that I have seen specify this cleaning operation and interval.
What happens if you don't clean the drain holes? Flooding as described in this article, or corrosion of body panels such as door skins, fenders, and floor. Carpeting and inner door panels can also be affected. My F-150 often has a swimming pool in the bed (sometimes referred to as a redneck jacuzzi) after a rain storm because the bed drain holes easily clog. Eventually the holes will rust, enlarging the openings so the bed drains more easily.
Rain drainage is not the only source or water problems with cars. A 2000 Mustang I own had a design defect where condensate from the A/C evaporator dripped onto the exhaust pipe near the catalytic converter. This eventually causes the pipe to crack and leak exhaust. Ford's documented fix is to weld up the crack using a particular welding process and materials, which most repair shops would not have. The pipe is stainless steel, so ordinary welding processes cannot be used with any degree of lasting success. A new aftermarket catalytic converter assembly costs about $600.
My windshield gutter is slightly flawed as well. My 2008 Nissan windshield gutter was not installed as one piece and was instead installed as one long piece with two side corners. For some reason the one side corner has fell off so pollen has been collecting there and the rain water flows under the hood. I admit I feel lucky after reading this because I much rather clean out the gutter then have to deal with hot water leaking on my feet.
I have a major aversion to water and vehicles. My 02 Ford F150 has a problem with water leaking through the bottom of the windshield seal and into the power control module effectively shorting out a few of the relays. The only solution is to pull the windshield and reseal. Made by Monkeys
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