Leaky Boxster top seal 1998
 

What's missing here ?
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Rain falls down the crack, but gets picked up by the rain trays.
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New top put on last year, put in storage for a year, pulled it out of storage for an intended fun wine (rainy)weekend in Sonoma in February,
Raintrays flooded over drenching cabin and destroyed my immobilizer.
Wine: $220 :)
My labor: "free" (about 8 hours, carpets had to come out and dry for 1 month)
Immobilizer replacement: $1037 with shipping :mad:

Did my convertible top guy miss a vital seal ?

Are your drains clogged? The flooding seems to indicate such.

+1 on clogged drains.

yeah the tops aren't completely waterproof, but doesn't look like you're missing any seals to me. Mine has exactly the same gap at the front when looking straight down and I've not had any internal leaks.

Open your top to service position and check the drain holes each side, about where your screwdriver is pointing, in the foam drip trays underneath. must be clear of all debris and blockages. try pouring some water down and check it all comes out under the car. also check all around the rest of the drip trays for any holes.

Really ? That 5" x 1/4" gap is normal ? Looks like the grand canyon. No wonder old Boxsters smell a little musty.
Back Drains were all clear. The rain trays were intact (no holes or tears). I did not check the front drains near the battery. It was a torential downpour for three days.
What happens if the front drains are clogged ? i.e. Where does it flood to?

Their is a shroud (for lack of a better word) that channels rain from the back of the roof to the foam trays. It clips on to the firewall to properly direct water to the foam tray. Could yours not be attached to the clips?

And did you check the drains to make sure that not only was there no debris on the surface but that water drained freely?

Paul,

Where did you get your immoblizer? I just recently bought one for significantly less.

ECU doctors in Oakland Park, Florida.
Mine was totally ruined by the cabin flooding. No windows, locks,alarms, front or rear trunk access, and no OBD2 communication (therefore no smog and registration).
Price included reprogramming and matching the DME with the immobilizer and new key fob. It was plug and play ready. Still way cheaper than local dealership $2750 (labor and parts and programming)

Fit screens to the drain holes otherwise the problem will recur.

Sometimes an installer can tear holes in the foam trays when installing a top. The smallest hole will allow a lot of water to enter behind the seats.

Is there a chance that these plastic water deflectors are missing?

They appear to aim the water toward the drain area.

YES,
My used '98 never had screen deflectors. Never knew about them.
Is that stock on a 1998 ?
It had hardly ever been out in the rain until that fateful trip to Sonoma.

No wonder I felt like Moses parting the Red Sea.
Holy Crap !