[jblood37]

So my convertible top is leaking and it smells like mildew or something. It's leaking into my passenger side back floorboard, like a small puddle. I think it may be because of the seal over the passenger window, but not sure. Any suggestions?[/code]

[superbeef1000]

replace the bad seel and shampoo the carpets then call it a day

[jblood37]

How much would it cost, and how hard is it to replace? Should I replace all of mine while I'm at it? I'm not sure if the seal is the cause, but I don't know what else it could be. The top isn't ripped or anything.

[superbeef1000]

im going to guess and say maybe a couple hundred bucks and yes i would replace all of the weather stripping at the same time this could prevent leaks in the years to come ,as for a shop maybe a this job could be done at home with a good how to book

[steve_stang2003]

Originally Posted by jblood37 So my convertible top is leaking and it smells like mildew or something. It's leaking into my passenger side back floorboard, like a small puddle. I think it may be because of the seal over the passenger window, but not sure. Any suggestions?[/code]

Are you sure it's the top?
Mine was doing that and it turned out to be the weld seam between the frame and the passenger floor pan.
Ford was cheap on the seam sealer and what would happen is the water would go down the cowl in front, normally, run through the frame (under those plastic sill plates with Mustang written on them) and then instead of exiting out the drains in the rear, it would run into the floor pan through the welds.
If your door, seat, etc is not wet it's not from up above.
Look to see if you can find water tracks to see where the leak is coming from.
There are drain holes in the rear in front of the tires that get clogged and cause a backup of water.

Also, as far as the carpet is concerned, if you have a puddle, pull the carpet up and use diluted bleach on everything because the mold will continue to grow even after you fix the leak and the car will stink.
Park the car in the sun with the top down because the UV rays kill mold.
Good luck!

[jblood37]

Originally Posted by steve_stang2003 Originally Posted by jblood37 So my convertible top is leaking and it smells like mildew or something. It's leaking into my passenger side back floorboard, like a small puddle. I think it may be because of the seal over the passenger window, but not sure. Any suggestions?[/code] Are you sure it's the top? Mine was doing that and it turned out to be the weld seam between the frame and the passenger floor pan. Ford was cheap on the seam sealer and what would happen is the water would go down the cowl in front, normally, run through the frame (under those plastic sill plates with Mustang written on them) and then instead of exiting out the drains in the rear, it would run into the floor pan through the welds. If your door, seat, etc is not wet it's not from up above. Look to see if you can find water tracks to see where the leak is coming from. There are drain holes in the rear in front of the tires that get clogged and cause a backup of water. Also, as far as the carpet is concerned, if you have a puddle, pull the carpet up and use diluted bleach on everything because the mold will continue to grow even after you fix the leak and the car will stink. Park the car in the sun with the top down because the UV rays kill mold. Good luck!

It's just that one spot in the rear passenger floorboard. Nothing else is wet, like the seats or door. Yeah I planned on taking the carpet out after I fix the leak. Thanks man... i hope it's nothing too expensive.

[02StangGToWNEr]

You probably should replace all the seals. And you can get a kit at www.latemodelrestoration.com I believe.

[steve_stang2003]

If it's only one spot, right in the middle of the rear passenger floor pan, you have the EXACT same symptom I had.
I swore one of my friends was pulling a fast one on me by pouring water in the middle of the floor because nothing else was wet and how can a spot in the middle of the floor get wet like that?

My advice:

Pull the rear seat cushion, just the bottom.
Pull the passenger seat which is 4 bolts.
Pull the rocker panel cover which just snaps off.
Pull any trim that is holding the carpet on the passenger side.
Push the carpet back over onto the drivers side as best you can.
Pull up the padding as well and spray it with mild bleach solution and run it through the dryer.


Now,look for water and signs of water tracks.

Park on an incline, nose up or on ramps and with a garden hose, run water into the cowl by the wipers.
Look in the little holes along the frame and you will see the water running through there.
This is normal and it SHOULD exit at the rear drain hole.

I'll bet you see the water run right into the floor pan through the seams in the welds.

If you DO, then either get some seam sealer from Ford, or use some silicon rubber (RTV) to seal the seams.

If you DON'T see any leaks, put the rear of the car up on the ramps and run water along the metal rim around the edge of the top and see if it leaks into the car.

Either way, my car had the same problem and 3 other people I know also had the problem so it is common but a real WITCH to diagnose.
I almost sold my car because of it.

FWIW we all had this on the passenger side.
The drivers side was sealed fine and if you pull the carpet up over there you will see the difference in the amount of seam sealer used.
Also the seam sealer is the stuff that looks like peanut butter that follows along the welds.
Ford hasn't figured out how to do this properly in 10 years because the S197 guys are having leak problems as well.

[jblood37]

Wow... I didn't know it could be something crazy like this. Thank you very much. I will def. try this sometime soon!