Help Water is getting in to the car from the passenger side floor

[sadeeky]

Right where you put your feet. Water is dripping in from some where and I cant find it. Is it because there is water coming in from the ground or from rain coming in and dripping down into the car. Has anyone ever experienced this? How did you fix it?

[dmc6960]

Frequent issue, lots of causes...

Normal AC condensation. Airbox has foam on outside to prevent condensation drips, but there are a few corners that get left exposed. Water content is minimal, but quite a shock to the bare skin of a passenger since its very cold.

AC condensation flood. This is caused when the normal condensate drain from the airbox gets plugged. It then fills with water that eventually starts spilling out. Even more so if you take a turn really fast. The fix here is to unplug the drain, easier said than done. I've had luck "blowing" back into the drain to dislodge the gunk then let the water flow carry it out. The drain is along the frame behind the passenger front wheel.

Windshield water drain plugged. This is possibly the most common. The drain for the whole windshield condenses down into a small ~1" hole above the waterpump. If it plugs with crud, all the water then spills into the fresh air intake and down into the passenger floor. This will also ruin the blower motor as it gets constantly washed out.

Poor factory body-tub sealing. The main body tub around the blower motor/airbox area was manufactured with a large hole in it. It was later sealed with a plastic panel and thick green goop. I had a situation on my car where there was a gap in this sealant. It allowed all of the *normally draining* windshield water to enter the passenger side tub. It was near impossible to seal because from the outside, the hole was *inside* the windshield water drain. From the inside, it was *behind* the AC airbox which cannot be removed without disconnecting the evaporator.

Other fiberglass penetrations. Recently we saw a person who was getting water in through one of the bolts securing the front striker bracket to the body. ALL of the screws holding down the bottom windshield trim go strait through the fiberglass and should have sealant in them. Similarily the hood bump stop also is a full penetration and should be sealed. For early cars, behind the rear interior trim you'll find a large hole in the fiberglass open to the stainless panel on the outside.

Common Causes. You have checked that your headline is not wicking water and that your normal inner weather seal is functioning properly, right?

Remove the seat and the carpet. Sit inside with the door fully shut and have someone spray a hose all over the car, especially the windshield. Just watch for where it comes in.

[Jack]

Check the speedometer cable.
Sometime water will traveling up the line or splash in from the rubber grommet.
That's where my leak was.

[Jonathan]

If your car sits for a length of time with the air conditioning going, do you see a little puddle of condensed water under the vehicle? If you don't, that water is in your passenger footwel instead. Likely your drain elbow/hose is plugged or not routed well. Clean the evaporator box out and confirm the direction of the end of the hose and you should be good to go.

[MML]

This was the problem I had:
http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?7101-Bolts-in-footwell

[ccurzio]

Dollars to donuts it's the AC condensation drainage issue. I had the exact same problem.


Check the speedometer cable.
Sometime water will traveling up the line or splash in from the rubber grommet.
That's where my leak was.

Not on the passenger side it won't.