Rust causing water to leak in from under my car on rainy days...need quick cheap fix

[2point0T]

I have a 1996 Jeep Cherokee. I noticed that on the floor in front of the passenger seat a puddle of water on the carpet has appeared a couple times. There is no leak from the door or the roof and I have concluded it's coming in through some parts of the body that are rusted away under the driver side area. I need a way to prevent further rust and eliminate this leaking that only happens when the roads are wet. I think the leak comes from in between layers of the steel/aluminum right around the bottom of the firewall.

Any ideas or experiences with this would be highly appreciated. I need to eliminate this water from getting in, and stop that rust or put some reinforcements in place. Doesn't have to be pretty but had to work.

[Shipman]

Ive ran into this problem on previous cars and thought the firewall too. Its actually coming from the seal around the windshield. The black part under your wiper blades as well is a common spot. There is most likely a space in there thats allowing the water to run into the base of the floorboards and cause that puddle.

[2point0T]

how can I confirm this....the pattern of wetness in the carpet would indicate that it is not coming from above...

[Shipman]

Correct, what Im saying is that the leak is making the water running down the inside of the body where it meets the window. Once the water gets to be enough it will start to seep through the carpet. Its not dripping from above, its running down slowly to the bottom of the floorboards from an unseeable location then just collecting there until its enough to where you see it. Im not 100% sure this is your issue but that would be my best guess. Like I said, Ive run into this problem before and this is what it was.

[2point0T]

Ill see if i can test it somehow....how did you end up fixing it...ya know if it was from the windshield molding?

[schaffer]

Could also be the heater core leaking too.

[Shipman]

I sold the car lol, thats how I fixed it. I would assume you would be able to use some type of sealer just around the rubber seal and that would do it. And you could just use a bucket of water on a dry day and see if the water collects again after you pour the water along the seal.

[2point0T]

today I saw the water dripping from under/behind the glove box.....hmmm

[c7scayman]

today I saw the water dripping from under/behind the glove box.....hmmm

I think that is A/C condensation. Hopefully not freon.

[Reds82]

its a common Cherokee thing the seal where the hvac gets fresh air under the wipers goes bad at the body the water runs down the vents and drips right under them rotting out the floors. If you search about them many places will have info about the fixes you can do