4 Wheel Drive/SUVs/Hood Vent Leak

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Expert: - 6/20/2006


Question
I have a 2006 Wrangler, parked outside under the hot Miami sun daily for 5 months.  Now that it has started raining, I find water on the driver side floormat.  As the water appears to be in the middle of the mat, my guess is that it is coming throught the vent.  

Could you please tell me how to get access to the vent drain for a visual check?

Thanks.

Answer
Eric,

This seems to be a common problem with the Wranglers.  The vent drain on most of these is a rubber tube that looks similar to a piece of bicycle inner tube.  It can plug up with small leaves and dirt. You should be able to find it next to the fire wall under the hood.  Many times, you can help stop this by making sure that the heater, and vents are turned off, as this should shut the vent door stopping much of this water.

On my Wrangler, it was leaking through the vent, and going into the heater/fan assembly, and filling up the passenger side.

Carl

4 Wheel Drive/SUVs

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Carl Brandt

Expertise

Will discuss suspensions, lifts, lockers along with tire suggestions. Trail ratings and possible requirements needed for specific type of trails. Safety equipment and what you should carry with you. Certified off-road instructor. I am not a mechanic, and 4-Wheeling is a hobby, so if I can't answer a technical question it is due to my mechanical knowledge being related to vehicles that I have owned, or have worked on. I do not have manuals on all vehicles.

Experience

40 plus years of 4 wheeling in a variety of vehicles. At the present time, my major off-road rig is a 94 Jeep Wrangler with a spring over and a 1 1/2" suspension lift. This gives me a total lift of 7" or so. I have lockers front and rear. I have removed the track bars, and sway bar for maximum articulation. I am running a stock 2.5 ltr 4 cylinder with a Jacobs ignition along with a cold air high flow filter. It has 4.56:1 gears with a Dodge NV4500 transmission along with a 3.8:1 Atlas II transfer case. This gives me a final ratio of 105:1 in low gear/low range. Other vehicles I own, are a 96 Ford F-250 with a 6" lift, posi rear end, 36" Hummer tires, 5 speed with a fuel injected 460 ci engine, an 87 Samurai with an 8" lift, Ford 9" rear end with a spool, Chevy Dana 44 front end with an electric locker, 5.88 gears, 16% reduction in high range and a 6.5:1 low range with 35" Baja Claws, and a stock 2003 Grand Cherokee Overland. Trails I have run are the Rubicon (10 times), Dusey Ershim, Fordyce Creek trail, McGrew trail, several trails in Moab, Utah along with local monthly runs.

Organizations
Lost Coast 4x4's Cal 4-Wheel Corva UFWDA Blue Ribbon Coalition

Education/Credentials
Certified off-road instructor - Certificates in engineering/electronics

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