Flooded car of epic proportions - looking for ideas on drying things out....
 

I could use some guidance on dealing with a water-logged vehicle...

Full disclosure; 2003 3.2TL Sport. Around 150k miles, rebuilt transmission in the last year. I figure I've had the car for 5+ years. 2+ years ago sold it to my daughter who, ahem, is not as fussy as I am to paying attention. In any event, I know there was a minor leak in the trunk (it's either the rear brake light gaskets or the trunk gasket - yes, I've been searching). My daughter noticed that in heavy rain she would see a drip here or there. Fast forward 18 months, and the windshield got whacked. Safelite swapped the windshield, and (my opinion) the flood started. Car began having starting issues (crank and crank, no start). When I finally looked at it, it was obvious that the security system had shorted out due to water (which is why it would not start). I happened to catch it at a good time, and the car started and ran perfect. So, I'm sure the issue is water inside.

We duct taped the sunroof - still getting huge amounts of water into the vehicle (we're talking 2"+ standing water in the driver's area). Inspecting the outside, I noticed that the gasket installed by Safelite did not seem to match the Acura - there is a 1/4" gap in each upper corner of the windshield. I'll post a picture as soon as I find my wayward cellphone). I've never swapped a windshield, but what they are telling me is that the gasket is cosmetic, that's it's the seal inside that keeps the water out. Not sure if it passes my sniff test.

Okay, so eventually, I'll solve the leak. For the moment, a tarp over the entire car serves the purpose. On to the more challenging question of the day - how to dry out the dash? There is clearly lots of water in there, as any battery left attached discharges. Just put in a new battery, and things are clicking and rattling, a few beeps, etc, but the lights don't come on, the ignition is non-responsive, and I can't even pop the trunk in the rear.

Ideas? I'm thinking of picking up a small dehumidifier and letting it run for a week :) If I can get the car running, cleaned up and dry, I've got a $2,500+ asset. So I'm motivated. I know this is going to became a saga, so will keep this post updated.

Do you have access to a garage to leave the car in for a while?

A closed up car with water inside is going to get worse. The water needs to be able to evaporate and get out. Covering it with a tarp may keep more water out but will not help to get the water out.

You need to get the windows, sunroof and maybe doors open. Better if you can do this in a warm and dry environment.

Maybe pull a front seat and put the dehumidifier in there if you can't park it somewhere you can open it up.

Reminds me of when my old Camry had a sunroof leak....

i had a leak going into the spare tire well in the trunk. it was the rear brake light gasket. resealed it and it stopped. maybe this will help that one leak.

Wonder where my post went? Hmm.. Thanks for the suggestions. This might get as ugly as having to pull the dash, which may exceed my patience limit for this project.

I have access to a garage, but unfortunately it's a bit of a clutter. I have a fan moving air up under the dash, but each time I connect the battery, the whirs, clicks, and beeps start, so I'm concerned that there may already be significant corrosion. The dehumidifier arrives tomorrow, and I'll add it to the fan to see what I can dry out. We've got a week of nice weather in Atlanta - mostly 60s - and then it's supposed to snow Saturday. File that under wtf.

Below is a picture of the upper right edge of the windshield. I think you can see how the gasket does not completely overlap over the roof. As I said in the original post Safe lite is adamant that this cannot be the source of the leak. The driver's side has the same issue.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...88a685a947.jpg


Trunk water - brake light gaskets - noted. I had seen other posts about that, and as soon as I can get into the trunk, I'll go after those. Easy fix with some silicone.

The rubber trim ring that goes around the windshield pictured above does not seal the windshield. Below the trim ring where the glass seals to the body is where all the action is.

Iggy thanks. Just eye candy then.

For anyone following this, I've had a fan running for 10 days, a humidifier and I'm not making much progress. Tarped over the sunroof and windshield an I still had 1"+ of water on the drivers side. Then I read this:
https://acurazine.com/forums/second-...rommet-974720/