Replacing Door Weatherstripping - Do It Yourself Job?

[zeppo]

Could these be the source of water in front and back passenger floor I have been trying to find (see photos)? I have no idea if tears like these allow water into the cabin.

Also, how do I remove the piece of trim that I am pointing to in the picture? Is it simply a matter of prying it up with something, or would I break something trying that? And would I be opening up a can of worms if I did, as in, being a pain in the tail to put back on without further !Removed! things up?

Finally, if I replace the stripping, is it advisable to stick with what the Lexus parts counter offers, or can I get an after-market replacement installed that will do the trick just fine?

thanks

zep

[Southwest Jim]

Zeppo,

I didn't reply before as I have no RX specific help to share, but your latest post got me thinking about tracking down leaks on other vehicles.

Leaks are incredibly frustrating to trace because the water can travel so much from where it starts. We used to put squares of blotting paper or paper towels in different areas around the pooled water under trim or the carpets so we could tell which direction the water is coming from. In my experience, it would be really rare for water to travel up from the door sill.

There are a few other things you can do: lift up the carpet and trim, go in the car and watch while someones runs (not pressure washing, just running) a hose over the sunroof, in the air intake vents by the base of the windshield, and door seals. It sometimes can take several minutes for the water to travel, so be patient or you'll get fooled up by seeing the water when your helper with the hose has moved on past the area that is leaking. The vents by the windshield wipers collect debris and those drains get clogged up easily.

Although the newer cars have better drains, I have seen drain tubes which are not clogged but are cracked or leak at the connections. It sounds like your leaks occur while parked, so you probably don't need to look for wind-blown leaks like missing floor pan plugs or fire wall plugs.

This is all generic advice; I'm sorry I don't have any RX specific help.

Leaks are difficult to track down, but usually in the end the cause is pretty simple. Think of yourself as a detective and have patience.

Jim

[zeppo]

Thanks, Jim. I actually suspected a cracked drain tube in the front, but I have no idea where the tube runs and exits the car.

Does the tube run inside the car under the mat beneath the carpet and actually exit the car right below the front passenger's feet?

The other problem with that theory is, assuming the drain tubes are getting water from the sun roof exit holes, then it wouldn't make any sense that I still got water after putting a tarp over the roof. That's what got me thinking it might be water tracking along the door weather stripping and entering inside those tears in the photos.

The other problem I have is that I have no idea how to begin to take off the interior trim pieces that are necessary to remove in order to peel back the carpet. I'd like to do that to make sure it gets dried out even if I stop the leak, whereever it might be.

[1990LS400]

Take a look at this thread: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/topic/86587-2006-rx330-water-in-floor/?hl=water

It's about a water leak on a 2006 RX330 that was caused by a gap in a body seam behind the rear bumper cover.

I've never seen an interior water leak caused by a defective side door seal - only from blocked sunroof or A/C drain tubes, defective or improperly installed windshield gasket, defective rear hatch/trunk gasket and the worse leak I've ever seen which was caused by a tail light gasket that a body shop installed upside down during a collision repair.

[zeppo]

Thanks. I had actually read that thread already, except I didn't notice that it continued beyond the first page, so I never read the relevant conclusion. I will try pouring water around that seam where his problem lay.

Are there instructional videos or tutorials anyone is aware of that show how to remove the interior trim?

I'm afraid I'll break something if I just go to prying these things off. I would particularly like to pry off the trim that I point to in the pics I posted, as well as the on that has metal "LEXUS" plate attached to it rear passenger door well so that I maybe peel back the carpet and peek into the channel. Also, I guess I should start with the lowest interior panel in the right side of the hatch area that would reveal where the water might enter.

[zeppo]

Okay, I finally found a post that described how to remove the trim at the bottom door wells, so I pried the rear one up. That allows me to see that the tears weatherstripping that I posted are clearly not the problem, since the metal bends curves up a half inch to prevent this.

After taking a closer look, I also see that removing interior paneling in the hatch area would be a royal pain in the tuckuss, so I won't go there for now.

Since the specifics of weatherstripping now seems irrelevant, I will take up my problem again in my

Water Leak Into Passenger Side Floor thread.

[DavidGeorge]

Zeppo,

Can you provide a link to the post that described how to remove the trim at the bottom door wells please?

I need to change my door seals.

Thanks in advance.