Spiffy Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 ok, so I've got a problem with my '82 wagon... the windows are ALWAYS fogged up... always... and I have to scrape ice off the INSIDE on cold mornings... I don't know why there's always moisture in there... there's no obvious leaks, nothing is damp, but the windows all condensate so much they drip with water... this morning on my break I went out and wiped all the windows down... 4 soaking wet paper towels... went out at lunch 2 hours later and the windows were still clear... got in and drove it home 5 miles and the windows were all fogged up again within a couple miles... heat works good, but the defroster is constantly fighting a losing battle agaist my visibility out the front windshield... (also my defroster doesn't seem to hit the spot right in front of the driver, but that's another issue) could there be water stuck in my vent system? the reason I'm asking is because (although I've had the car for 11 months) when I bought it there was a hole in the front windshield and I know some water must have got in there... but it's been dry (new window) inside for 11 months now, with a working heater... so if there was water in there it'd be gone by now... so where could all this moisture be coming from? I don't think the heater core is leaking or anything, at least not THAT much if it was... seriously, I've never had a car with such a bad moisture issue... thought maybe it was water caught in the doors... but my seals aren't that horrible, and I've never heard any water slashing around in there... and all my power windows still work good... any obvious things for me to check? --Spiffy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Probably wet carpeting. The underlayment (insulation stuff) holds wetness like crazy. Rip out the carpet and I bet you find the culprit. It can stay wet for years under there. Probably got wet when the winsheild leaked. Also make sure the floor pan grommets are in place and sealed. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Or lock the doors at night so the local kids dont steam it up overnignt:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RdNkBrt Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 if you dont want to rip the carpet up, you can get a little space heater and run it like crazy inside with the windows down.... thats what i did, seemed to work well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiffy Posted December 19, 2006 Author Share Posted December 19, 2006 if you dont want to rip the carpet up, you can get a little space heater and run it like crazy inside with the windows down.... thats what i did, seemed to work well. this is what I was going to try next... put it in the garage with a little space heater in it for the weekend... let it just stay at like 80° all weekend... I'll pull up a piece of the carpet to see if it's still damp deep down there... it just feels so dry up on top... and it's not squishy... as least not the couple places I checked... --Spiffy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyromanic Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 this is what I was going to try next... put it in the garage with a little space heater in it for the weekend... let it just stay at like 80° all weekend... I'll pull up a piece of the carpet to see if it's still damp deep down there... it just feels so dry up on top... and it's not squishy... as least not the couple places I checked... --Spiffy I have the exact same problem with my lifted 85 wagon. If you figure it out, let us know!! I don't have a garage, so that's not an option. I track a lot of snow into it, maybe that's where it comes from. Yea, ice on inside of the windshield sucks. Pyro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Subenstien Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 I put a dehumidifier in my brat when I left the t tops out on a rainy night after 1 to 2 days it was bone dry Good luck:drunk: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subi81 Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Left my sunroof open and it of course it rained cats and dogs. Did the space heater thing and it worked pretty well. If this is just a persistance occurance and the carpet is dry check your vapor barriers. They are the plastic sheets behind the door covers. Basically they keep any mosture that falls through the window felts from getting into the interier of the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prospeeder Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 my car fogs up pretty easily, but the Defroster quickly gets rid of any fogging, but it seems as soon as i set it to vent, it just starts fogging up right away. Its really annoying, arnt there vent systems towards the rear of the car? mabye there clogged up or somthing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdahoJak Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Sounds to me like your fresh air intake/vent is plugged up or not working properly. When you drive by something that smells (like a dead skunk or deisel exhaust) do you smell it almost instantly? If not that's a good indication you are not bringing in any fresh outside air. I know our old VW bug would fog up real quick if the outside air intake vents were shut-off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 For any of you that have A/C, the condensor drain (under the heater box) tends to clog up. The drain passes through a rubber hose near the (US) passenger's left foot. Anyone who gets fogging of the windshield (without similar fogging of side/back windows) should check this and the air intake drains in the engine compartment. Wet carpet and floor grommets are major check points. Also, check for moisture in your trunk or hatch area. Taillight seals tend to allow water in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyromanic Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 For any of you that have A/C, the condensor drain (under the heater box) tends to clog up. The drain passes through a rubber hose near the (US) passenger's left foot. Anyone who gets fogging of the windshield (without similar fogging of side/back windows) should check this and the air intake drains in the engine compartment. Wet carpet and floor grommets are major check points. Also, check for moisture in your trunk or hatch area. Taillight seals tend to allow water in. Well, I HAD AC when I got the car, but when I did the tranny swap to 5 sp, I removed it, as it didn't work anyway. All my windows fog up even the rear. Pyro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellets Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Mine was a small leak in heater core. Replaced core and it stopped. Not a small job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiffy Posted December 2, 2009 Author Share Posted December 2, 2009 I think I may have found it... I was looking in the wrong spot all along... I was concentrating on the front window and door seals and the couple of small gashes in the pan... posted this in 2006 and didn't find it... in 2007 I had a baby and didn't have time... in 2008 I was in wisconsin and it was frozen so it was impossible to find it then... now it's 2009 and I'm back in the pacific northwet... ... last month I caught my car in a half-fogged state while on a break at work... it was the rear that was fogging up first! so without me in it breathing heavy and fogging up the front with my breath and damp clothes it was actually the rear fogging up first... so I started poking around back there and found wet carpet... and a wet metal panel to the right of the rear door latch... and wet behind the rear door panel... so I started checking out the rear door window seals... the bottom corner chrome pieces had popped up a little and debris was accumulating under there... and I noticed that the rear window seal was actually 4 pieces... 1 piece around the top and sides... 1 for the bottom... and 1 for each bottom corner... 27 years of exposure seemed to cause shrinkage of the rubber, and with small debris creeping in that made the gaps between the rubber pieces increased... so I put duct tape over the seeming gaps and that seemed to help for a week or so... it was pretty dry again today so I put a bunch of clear silicon in the gaps, and under the rubber inside and out near where the pieces join... I also put some along the side and bottom of the outside of the window seal... so hopefully this was my moisture issue... the rear cargo carpet/mat is draped over some milk crates in the garage... it has already dripped a small river in just one day... the passenger side rear carpet is also wet, so either need to get a space heater in there or remove the carpet... I noticed that under the rubber the metal seems a little rusty, so I think I'll have to remove that bit of rust before I replace the window... my defroster overlay on the window is toast, and now I need a new seal, so it's an even better reason to replace the window and seal... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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