Water in the passenger footwell

[rjd2]

Hi all, so I am working my way thru my newly acquired '83(thanks for all the help here, all you people on this forum are great!), and I have a question:

I recently had the car into a shop for some help with the cooling system, and they had stored the car outside for a period. It got rain, which I don't let happen at my house(it's garaged). When I got the car back, there was water in the passenger side footwell. I was able to dry it out fine(fiberglass floor pans! whoo hoo!), but it got me to thinking about trying to actually solve the problem, because who knows, maybe it will get rain again someday, however unlikely it seems now?

The door seals that run down the side of the door all look pretty good. the drivers' side door seal across the top has a tear in it, but the drivers side footwell was dry. How should I got about sourcing the leak? Should I maybe pour water down the drain between the windshield and the front trunk? I took the fiberglass piece out that goes under the windshield, and cleaned out that drain; it has some gunk and leaves in it.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

[DrJeff]

If you were running the AC system (and presuming it is now working and cooling), the water could be coming from the AC drain. You will find it on the left side of the passenger footwell. It looks like a short rubber fitting that runs (1-2in) from the bottom of the airbox into the fiberglass in the center channel. Once it goes through the fiberglass, the drain line extends for about another 6-10 inches. If the drain line becomes blocked, water can back up into the airbox, which leaks out into the passenger footwell.

Jeff

[Rich]

Owner is guessing it is rainwater leaking past door seals. Second post points to the possibility of accumulation/leakage of condensate out of the evaporator airbox in the passenger footwell.

Knowing the water source is key to solving the problem.

Hints it is rainwater, which might come past the door seals or other spots:
- Wet or stained headliner fabric where the inner door seals wrap over it
- Water damage of seats, dash or interior trim

Since the carpeting wicks moisture pretty well it might be hard to tell where the water first leaked onto it.

Hints it is condensate out of the evaporator box:
- Loose or cracked drain fitting at evap box outlet (bottom of it, above footwell)
- Water dripping out of evap box seams into footwell when car is driven hard (cornering)
- The leak keeps happening without any new rain!

Owner says the car had been in for cooling system work. That may not have included any A/C work, only things like water pump, radiator, coolant hoses. Be sure the "water" in the footwell is really water, by the way, not coolant. Am sure it would have been noticed, pointing this out anyway.

[rjd2]

thanks guys!

i do know 100% for certain the car got rain. i do not know for sure if the AC was ran at the shop or not; it seems unlikely, but can't be 100% sure not. i have ran the AC multiple times this year, and did not get any moisture from it in this area.

as best i can tell, no moisture at headliner. none on seats. again, can't be sure, but i've seen water in cars many times before, and if i had to guess, i'd say it entered the floor pans at either the front "firewall" area, or next to the seat, where the door meets the side of the seat area. (the ergonomics of water flowing here seem unlikely, but i won't rule anything out. the seals along the door are in GREAT shape.)

100% not coolant.

the inlet for the front drain area, the one that the basin below the windshield empties into; is it possible anywhere up there could leak water into the passenger floor pan area? i haven't had it on jack stands to check this yet, wondering if anyone knows if this is ergonomically possible, or not. thanks for the help!

[dmruschell]

If rainwater gets into the air inlet where the AC draws air, that rainwater will get into the HVAC system and need to drain through that tube. It could also be leaking through the blower motor or resistor if they're not secured in place. So, checking all of that out is not irrelevant to the original post.

[Jonathan]

Knowing the water source is key to solving the problem.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Put the car on the driveway, get your garden hose out and play rain maker. Trial and error... hose it down a little and then open the door and look for the wet spot. Repeat until you figure it out.

[mr_maxime]

Cant figure out how to attach this picture since someone else uploaded it. Check here http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?at...3&d=1318850414

It's forward of the passenger door near and you have to pull back carpeting to see it.

[MML]

Cant figure out how to attach this picture since someone else uploaded it. Check here http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?at...3&d=1318850414

It's forward of the passenger door near and you have to pull back carpeting to see it.

I also had this exact problem. The water got in the holes where the bolts for the striker pin bracket passes through the car body. I slathered it in sealant and it's been fine since.

[rjd2]

thanks guys! that picture is worth 100 words. i'm going to pull back the carpet, and start pouring some water, and see what happens....

[spikeygg]

I also had this exact problem. The water got in the holes where the bolts for the striker pin bracket passes through the car body. I slathered it in sealant and it's been fine since.

Are you talking about the hood striker pins? I wasn't aware we could see that from the foot well, can you confirm?