This jeep (94 xj) leaks like like a **** but I'm slowly getting them all fixed. Windshield has been replaced, tons of other leaks fixed. Yesterday I'm leak testing the front windshield and find that water is rolling off the windshield, down the firewall and into the cab through the fuse panel. And not a little bit of water either. It's Niagara falls levels of water.

So, I take it off, RTV the part that's bolted into the firewall from inside the cab with two torx bolts, put it back together, no difference at all. Still more water than you can imagine.

I'm thinking of separating the little trunk of wires from the fuse panel by undoing that 1/4" bolt that's in the engine bay holding it all together. If I do that and silicone or RTV the mating surfaces will that fix it or not do anything? I'd make a little gutter or rain shield to go over it but my XJ is a manual so the clutch master cylinder is in the way.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance

 

Sounds like the thing you need to do. It's weird that it's leaking like that.

 

Agreed. But that's jeeps for you. No such thing as normal problems with XJs.

 

I'm interested in what you do and any pictures you can take. I believe water is getting in there on mine as well.

 

Okay. I'm gonna try to mess with this on Monday or Tuesday and I'll upload some photos and stuff.

 

I think there is supposed to be a foam gasket sandwiched in there. You should be able to goober it up with some silicon though.

 

You're right. There's a foam gasket on the inside of the cab where the back of the fuse panel meats the firewall. The issue looks to be that the water is getting into the connector of all the wires themselves. The one that's held onto the fuse panel with the 1/4" bolt. That's my guess anyway. Was wondering if anyone else had experienced this.

 

I can't say I've had a 94 fuse panel and back connector apart, but my 89 has the gasket and the connector itself is packed with grease. Fresh grease in my case after I cleaned it and replaced the pins in the fuse block. I siliconed the edges when I put it back together. You also have a few other penetrations in the area that could be leaking.

 

The hood gasket should be stopping most if it. The clutch master flexes the metal of the firewall constantly and that seal may also be leaking.

 

on every XJ or mj I have had and that’s a lot. to get the water to stop I would pull the fenders both sides and there is some factory liquid metal of some sort. Or body caulk I don’t know what they call it but must remove and reseal. It’s where they tack weld all that stuff together. It may still look good but it’s not. Seal the **** out of it.

 

This is what I was going to say.

My XJ was missing the hood gasket (I think it's called a cowl seal?) when I bought it. So. Much. Water. Got. Under. Hood. I replaced the seal when I bought it and I'm quite sure almost no water makes its way past it. It's worth having.

 

My cowl seal appears to be in good shape and water still comes down the windshield frame and down where the firewall and fender apron meet just as the OP said.

 

Well thanks for speaking up. I looked at some old (blurry) photos and realized the PO gooped a bunch of RTV in this area. So the cowl seal helped me, but I bet this RTV gets a lot of credit too.

 

I know my connector has grease in it too. I've had it apart before. Should I repack it with more grease and then silicone or do you think that just the silicone would do?

....hood gasket? I don't think I have one of those. Is it like weather stripping on the doors but for the hood or something?

I had to make a lot of new seals in the process of redoing the floors. (the rust... Oh God the rust....) I didn't touch any of the fenders though. I did have to touch up where the wheel well meets the firewall because water just puddles up there because it's a low point. (what a great design)

Do you happen to have a picture of what you're talking about?


That might be my next step then because my DJ doesn't have any sort of weather stripping or seal for the hood. Did you get yours at a junkyard or pick it up new somewhere?


Typical XJ. All the right pieces, none of them fit together correctly. Lol my doors are like that. Been a PIA to try and get those to seal even with new weather stripping.

got a picture? I had to RTV my weather stripping to get it to work properly on the liftgate and rear doors. I imagine you're talking about something similar but I don't even had a cowl seal or good gasket or whatever it is so I don't know how they even connect.

Thanks everyone.

 

Cowl seal I bought was new from Precision Replacement Parts (www.prp.com). I bought CS 6110 84 (cowl to hood seal). It takes like 5 minutes to install. Just snaps in.

The RTV is in the corner, where the firewall meets the inside fender.

My XJ is at a shop, so this is a screenshot of an old photo. It's really hard to see. This was taken when I bought it, before paint and replacing seals (or really doing much of anything). The cowl seal here is the old one. There were a few "pieces" of it, but it was half RTV and half missing when I bought it. It was parked in a yard for a few years before I bought it, and I live on the west coast so the angle it was sitting at let water pour down the back side of the engine (CPS, distributor, etc). Thankfully I think that angle kept the water off the firewall, because my floors were solid with very little rust.

The cowl seal has since been replaced as stated above and the RTV removed from the seal area. RTV also used to be in the corner of the windshield and in the seam of the cowl panel as well. I removed all of that when I painted.

I kept the RTV in the corner that is circled in yellow dotted lines.

There is also RTV inside the fender area as described by others above.

My wiring harness /pass thru to the fuse box also has a bunch of RTV around it.

I redid all of the seals and the windshield when I bought it, and removed all of the silicone the PO gooped around the seals. I kept the RTV around wiring harnesses and between body panels.