Mystery Water Leak

trentwat · 04-28-2008, 03:26 PM

PLEASE HELP...

I found a copious amount of water behind the right seat on the floor. It rained hard on and off all weekend and my car was in it. I didn't get into the car until at least 8+ hours after the storms, and there was no water anywhere else than on the floor.

When I opened the car, it was warm inside. So, the heat could have evaporated water in places where it was not standing. There was no remnants of water anywhere else (ceiling, floor, etc.).

Any ideas on where to look would be appreciated. Thank you.

slodave · slodave's Garage

Look right above the top rear glass (outside). You should see a number of vents. There should be a foam material in there, but it may have deteriorated. My guess is that the rain came in through there. There are other threads regarding this issue.

Dave

Zeke · 04-28-2008, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trentwat

PLEASE HELP...

When I opened the car, it was warm inside. So, the heat could have evaporated water in places where it was not standing. There was no remnants of water anywhere else (ceiling, floor, etc.).

Thank you.

The windows would have been so fogged up that you would have had condensation everywhere. I suspect a door problem and the resulting gasket fit. The coupe window frame can get out of alignment.

beasty · 04-29-2008, 11:05 AM

i had the same problem, it was outside on the windshield. the seal for the windshield was not covering up all the edges, there was a small open area and the water leaked through there and down onto the floor underneath the carpet. got some silicone window sealant and sealed it up, no leaks after that.

BrokeMyCar · 04-29-2008, 11:21 AM

Could be a plugged sunroof drain, that's what it was in my case. (if you have a sunroof!)

If you open your engine compartment lid, right on the rim near the top right and left corners are little holes. Those are sunroof drains. The easiest way to clean 'em is to open the sunroof halfway and run some weed-wacker wire from the engine out through the sunroof and kinda floss.

Good luck!

Babak

trentwat · 04-29-2008, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milt

The windows would have been so fogged up that you would have had condensation everywhere.

That's what I thought, too. There was zero conensation...just the water on the floor.

I'll look at the various gaskets. Would there be anything noticable?

ossiblue · 04-29-2008, 01:35 PM

It may be too late (because it has already had time to dry) but if the leak was at the door gasket, you may notice dampness on the inside rocker carpet. All of the suggestions are possibilities, especially since your car was out in a strong downpour with, I assume, lots of wind. If you had water only in that one location, that might eliminate some areas:

A front windshield leak would make the whole floor wet (unless the car was parked on a slope).

The vents above the rear windshield are not too likely, unless the wind was blowing directly into them and, again, the car was sloped so they faced the elements.

A rear windshield seal leak would probably leave water on both sides of the rear floor.

I would tend to agree with milt on this one, though you may never be certain without testing with a hose.

trentwat · 04-30-2008, 12:22 PM

Ok...so I went to a DIY car wash (pollen sux). Afterwards, there was again water on the floor behind the right front seat. This time I also there was a little water under the right rear seat cushion.

Oddly enough, I still could not find signs of water flow on any of the vertical areas. The carpet appears to be slightly detached, so water could flow without soaking into these areas.

I'm still a bit baffled, but I am going to check the areas listed above. Thanks...

ossiblue · 05:03 PM

From your test it suggest the rear window seal or, possibly the quarter window--both will leave water under the rear seat, and both will do so behind the upholstery panels so you will never see the entry of the water without a bit of disassembly. Do you know how old your seals are? They can still leak and seem to be supple. You're getting closer...

3.2 CAB · 04-30-2008, 05:36 PM

Get your air hose, pop your fuel gauge out, insert the air hose into the fuel gauge opening, have the pressure down to about 5psi, close all the dash, a/c-heat vents, all windows closed, doors closed, etc. Then use your handy spray bottle with some soapy water and squirt each sealing area that might be suspect for the leak source. You don't want very high air pressure. Don't want to blow your windshield out.

trentwat · 05-09-2008, 11:30 AM

So I was rinsing the car again, and I discovered what appears to be a leak around the sunroof. Could this cause water to puddle on the floor?

While the car was in the shop recently, the sunroof felt (seal) was repaired. Upon initial return, the sunroof worked. It now won't open or close (but the motor will turn). The roof appears to be closed...could an issue with the sunroof lead to puddling on the floor?

cgarr · cgarr's Garage

Check your drain tubes they may be plugged?

moneymanager · 05-09-2008, 04:29 PM

Are you sure there is a drain hose attached to the air mixing box under the front vent? On my car, water poured out of the bottom of the box into the smugglers compartment then onto the passenger side floor where, because the car was parked on a slight slope, it pooled in front of the rear seat. After a few hours capillary action had gotten the carpet wet 8" above the floor.

ToddM · ToddM's Garage

Check your rear roof vents... if the car was sloped downward + a storm, water will come right in

Pics here:

Roof Vents...

trentwat · 06-16-2008, 07:08 AM

Thanks to all...

I think it was related to my sunroof. When the car was in the shop recently, they replaced the felt. In the process, something happened to the cable (I think). The roof worked fine for a bit, but then stopped functioning. Recently, I gently pushed up on the sunroof from inside the car and there was some movement and a mechanical noise. I think it was not fully closed -strangely, it looked closed from the outside.

Paulporsche · 06-16-2008, 07:24 AM

Have you verified that the drain tubes from the sunroof are clear?

trentwat · 02-01-2009, 06:57 AM

Turns out the leak is still there...I stuck a coat hangar in the sunroof drain holes, but nothing came out.

I started removing the carpet in the back, and the sound deadening material around the seats was sopping wet. Once in there, I discovered there was actually about a half a cup of water in the bucket behind the drivers side. All the water was originally collecting on the rear right passenger floor. So, this was somewhat of a surprise.

At this point, I'm wondering if the back window is leaking. With all the carpet out, I did find some broken safety glass. Maybe the rear window was replaced incorrectly. I'm thinking about taking some water-based paint and painting a line around the upper-edge in the back. Maybe this might help pinpoint the origin.

Any further ideas?

ossiblue · 07:14 AM

Didn't reread the entire thread, but the rear window seal is a likely culprit and will deposit water exactly where you found it. The window seals often look good (no cracks, for example) but still can leak. If you have any doubt about how old the seal is, I would replace it with a new one and be certain it is factory OEM!

The sunroof should not leak water into the car even if it is slightly open. In fact, if you can open the sunroof a bit you may want to pour water gently over the opening edges and see if it comes out the drain holes by the front wheels and engine compartment. That will confirm that your drains work since you found no obstructions using a probe.

Another area of leaking could be your rear quarter windows though they are not as likely as the rear window and the quantity of water seems too great to enter from a verticle point like the quarters.

BTW, the movement you felt on the sunroof when pushing from the inside may be the flexing of the inside frame which is covered by the headliner.

david dolan · david dolan's Garage

From another car forum I read about an interesting way to discover where leaks are coming from.
What you do is spread talcum powder around the area and the idea is that the water will reveal where it's coming from when it leaves a path in the talcum powder. Easy to clean up afterwards with a vacuum!

trentwat · 02-02-2009, 06:52 AM

Ossiblue and David, thank you both...I think I'll try the Talc instead of the paint, and it is probably time to replace the window seal...I just wish I could be sure. It sux to spend money on something, only to find out that wasn't the cause... Any idea what it might cost to install a new seal?