Water leak

[adam_knox]

My car has a water leak. Took it to DMC Midwest, they did the hose test on it and sealed up by the door windows. Next day it rained over DCS and my passenger carpet was soaked, water was sloshing around. The folks at the DMCH booth said their bet was a clogged drain tube by the passenger front wheel. They said blowing it out should do the trick. I'm apparently blind as a bat, as i can't find the tube/area to blow out. I took off the grate by the windshield and the funnel indent on the passenger side just leads to an opening by the fuel tank (that wasn't blocked). The funnel also diverts water that also goes to the left, closer to the passenger side, but i can't see/find where the outlet is.

The only visible water i can see on the inside is some light dripping on the passenger side, middle of the carpet on the incline up where you'd put your feet, and i found condensation/water drops along the upper back area from the passender side, but not sure if thats from a leak or condensation from the a/c since the interior of the car is rather "moist!" =p

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[Gregadeth]

The folks at the DMCH booth said their bet was a clogged drain tube by the passenger front wheel. They said blowing it out should do the trick. I'm apparently blind as a bat, as i can't find the tube/area to blow out.You can find this from inside, in the passenger footwell. Just pull the carpet back on the center console side, and you'll see a little black tube coming down from the evaporator housing. If you can't pull it out by hand you may need to heat it up a bit and it'll come out pretty easy, then you can check for any blockage.

[DMC5180]

After DCS 2016 I discovered the Evap housing drain hose was plugged , my wife got wet feet. All I could do then was shoot a blast of compressed air up the tube from where it hangs down between the under body and frame , just behind the A/C Accumulator. That shot dislodged the blockage and resulted in water pouring out of the hose. It seemed like a quart or two. I was surprised how much came out. The balance of the water in the passenger floor and carpet had to be sucked out with a shopvac and mopped out the rest. The floor carpet was also shop vac’d and hung out to dry in the sun. I ended up having too unplug the blockage twice before I got home from the trip. But since then it has been fine. I never did pull the hose to see if the debris had managed to find its way back into the hose. I’m sure I’ll need to do it at some point though. For now it’s not an issue for me.


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[81dmc]

I had a bad water leak and it turned out to be the seal between the intake housing and the fiberglass body. 57910

I had to pull my AC box the second time when I realized the leak wasn't from the AC box.:mecry:

[DMCMW Dave]

. I never did pull the hose to see if the debris had managed to find its way back into the hose. I’m sure I’ll need to do it at some point though. For now it’s not an issue for me.


At some point it will plug up again, then you should remove the "funnel" under the A/C box (pull the carpet back) since that's where it will plug up. Don't bother doing it pre-emptively since you really want to wait for the dirt/fuzz/seeds to get into the funnel. You can also go up into the outlet of the box with an angled hemostat (borrow from a friendly doctor) and pull the stuff out of the nozzle on the heater box. With it disconnected you can also blow thru the drain hose in the correct direction i.e. toward the outside of the car.

The drain is an awful design as the real route for the water is less than 1/4" diameter. With a 90 degree elbow at the bottom. I've heard of folks just removing the entire drain system and just routing the water through the hole in the fiberglass (on to the frame). I have never done this. I've have mixed feelings about the frame being wet 100% of the summer, but it may still beat having perpetually wet carpet.

Hint on removing and replacing the drain "funnel" - a heat gun or hair dryer is your friend, will soften the plastic and make it easier to get off and on. The funnel is not hard plastic, but is a rubber that will soften when warm and firm back up when cold.

[CFI]

I just found out today that my passenger side foot well has a water leak. It’s not from running the AC. It’s from water coming down the passenger side of the windshield. Somehow it makes its way to the upper left corner of the passenger footwell. My car recently sat out in a thunderstorm and it soaked the passenger carpet.

Anyone have any ideas what I should look for? I’m assuming something needs to be resealed.

[DMC5180]

Check the screws that hold down the finisher grill at the base of the windshield and the windshield wiper arm pivots for play. Also check the washer fluid hose fitting where it goes through the underbody. Finally, check the fresh air vent opening under grill for leaves and debris blocking the drain. If that is blocked, water can fill the intake and run into the blower housing and then find its way to the floor.


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[David T]

While the A/C condensate leak is the most common cause for water leaks, you should refer to ST-33-12/81 for all of the possibilities. Even if your car had the ST done, it is possible some of the sources need to be redone. One "sneaky" one is the hood bump stops. One way to find the leak (s) is to remove the seat and have an assistant hose the car down while you watch with a flashlight. Remove the carpet and the under padding and dry it thoroughly to prevent any mold or odors. While you are doing this make sure all of the drain holes in the bottom of the doors are not plugged up with debris and the outer seals are not torn or missing.

[CFI]

Thank you for the replies. I spent a few hours yesterday drying everything out. It’s definitely coming from the windshield area. I had my wife pour water down the passenger side of the windshield. About a minute later it’s dripping into the upper left passenger footwell. I’ll check the suggested areas/bulletins and see what I can find.

[DMCMW Dave]

Also make sure that the bump stop screws are caulked in place, and as mentioned make sure that none of the screws holding the cowl in place are missing. My preference is to caulk those too.

[CFI]

Also make sure that the bump stop screws are caulked in place, and as mentioned make sure that none of the screws holding the cowl in place are missing. My preference is to caulk those too.

I spent some time last night trying to chase this down. If you pour water into the cowl on the passenger side, it eventually makes its way in. Wherever the hole is, it’s not obvious (ie a screw hole or wiper arm hole). I even put a flashlight in the footwell and turned off the garage light. I couldn’t see any light coming up from the cowl. It’s weird.

[DMCMW Dave]

I spent some time last night trying to chase this down. If you pour water into the cowl on the passenger side, it eventually makes its way in. Wherever the hole is, it’s not obvious (ie a screw hole or wiper arm hole). I even put a flashlight in the footwell and turned off the garage light. I couldn’t see any light coming up from the cowl. It’s weird.

If you remove the cowl grille and look in, you'll be surprised that you can see the blower fan behind a small water dam. So it doesn't take much to get water into the heater box. If the drain is open it will eventually run out, but if not you'll get water in the car.

With the cowl off you will have a much better look at potential leaks, and it's a good opportunity to recaulk all the screw holes. You can also be a lot more specific on where you put water to see how it's getting in. It's not hard to remove, the worst part is taking off the wiper arms.

[81dmc]

Mine was leaking in the air intake area too. The the air intake is actually epoxied in the cabin of the car. When this epoxy cracks, it can seep through the bond.

The only way I was able to fix mine was to first clean out the inake after removing the cowl, then spray permatex spray sealant in the air intake. I let it settle and cure at the bottom so it would fill any cracks.

59869

[CFI]

Mine was leaking in the air intake area too. The the air intake is actually epoxied in the cabin of the car. When this epoxy cracks, it can seep through the bond.

The only way I was able to fix mine was to first clean out the inake after removing the cowl, then spray permatex spray sealant in the air intake. I let it settle and cure at the bottom so it would fill any cracks.

59869

I will check that out. Thanks!