Black Sealant Leaking from Door

[TacomaKevin]

Hey guys,
I've done several searches of the forum to find what I'm looking for but have failed, so here's my problem/question.

I've got a '99 eclipse RS and on hot days, which most are here in Phx, this black sticky crap leaks out of the doors onto the plastic sill. This stuff is a PITA to clean off and if I just leave it there it sticks to, and rips the gasket off the door....VERY ANNOYING!

Anyway, I was talking with a lady at work with the same car, who had the same problem and she said there was a "recall" for this problem and that the dealer took care of it for her. So I called up the dealer and they said "yeah, we know of the problem, bring it in and we'll take care of it...". Well today I go in and they say there is nothing they will do about it

I'm positive I'm not the only one that's had this problem so I'd like to know what you all have done to remedy the issue. For now I keep WD-40 and a rag in my car....

PLEASE HELP.

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[DSM90AWD]

If you drop the door panel you will see that Mitsu affixed a plastic vapor-barrior with a black tar-like substance to the door.

IMO this stuff is "melting" and is ozzing out the panel. If it is.. can drop the door panel and remove whats left of the tar and affix the vapor barrior with a diffferent adhesive (though in AZ may get by w/o a barrior at all ).

 

[TacomaKevin]

Yes, that's exactly it, the crap is melting and leaking out.
I was kind of hesitent to remove the door panel and try to remove all of the stuff because I wasn't sure exactly what it was and how much there was or what it was covering.

So if it's just for that piece of plastic I assume it's just a "line" that just follows the shape of the door. Guess it shouldn't be too hard of a fix.

What is the main purpose of that plastic anyway? I figured it was to keep water out of the interior but I'm not completely sure.

Thanks for your input,
Kevin

 

[DSM90AWD]

Yup.. keeps mosture and drafts from passing thru to the inside of the door panel / car.. kinda like Tyvek.

It's not that difficult to remove.. just make sure you use a stiff putty knife (or the proper trim tool) to release the panel fasteners. First time I did mine I muscled it off and broke all but a couple of them damn things

 

[slipkid]

THANKS for this thread. I've had this exact same problem for awhile now and assumed it was something wrong with the motor leaking for the power windows or something like that. Couldn't understand why the "motor oil" was so thick and sticky though.

I want to take my doors off and clean this crap up now that I know what it is. I've already scrapped quite a bit of it off the running board or whatever it is called, and not had much success really getting it off (always leaves black stuff stuck to it). After I scrape off whatever I can is there some sort of cleaner or "goo gone" type of chemical I can use to dissolve this crap? Also if I do manage to get the stuff off the plastic liner without ruining that, what would be a suggested adhesive to use to put it back on? Thanks for any suggestions

 

[dannyd97gst]

THANKS for this thread. I've had this exact same problem for awhile now and assumed it was something wrong with the motor leaking for the power windows or something like that. Couldn't understand why the "motor oil" was so thick and sticky though.

I want to take my doors off and clean this crap up now that I know what it is. I've already scrapped quite a bit of it off the running board or whatever it is called, and not had much success really getting it off (always leaves black stuff stuck to it). After I scrape off whatever I can is there some sort of cleaner or "goo gone" type of chemical I can use to dissolve this crap? Also if I do manage to get the stuff off the plastic liner without ruining that, what would be a suggested adhesive to use to put it back on? Thanks for any suggestions

If removed on a hot day a plastic puddy knife will remove a majority of the " dumb gum", as I call it. Plus as you stated any adheasive remover will get the rest off.

Duct tape will hold the moisture barrier up just fine. The door panel will also help hold the duct tape and moisture barrier on.

 

[slipkid]

If removed on a hot day a plastic puddy knife will remove a majority of the " dumb gum", as I call it. Plus as you stated any adheasive remover will get the rest off.

Duct tape will hold the moisture barrier up just fine. The door panel will also help hold the duct tape and moisture barrier on.

THANKS!