Looking for suggestions of where this moisture came from

pmg · Post by **pmg** » 29 Jun 2019, 18:03

I have a problem with water in the foot well of the front passenger seat. You can clearly see the water in the foot well. But the question is where is it coming in from. I was expecting it to come in from the corner pillar but as best as I can tell it is from in and around the center console. One red circle is showing a blue felt material which is very wet. That may not be the source. There is also dampness at the second circle up towards the engine and beneath the dashboard.

Any suggestions?

pmg · Post by **pmg** » 30 Jun 2019, 07:37

Having read a bit more my own suspicion is the AC condensate line and drain.

pmg · Post by **pmg** » 01 Jul 2019, 10:27

OK. So after some more investigation it seems the water is dripping from 2 places on the drivers side. I am beginning to worry this is going to require a dash removal. I was hoping it was simply a matter of cleaning out a line. In the pic the first spot seems to be at the top of the white tank and not from the black line. It is dripping down the side of the tank and then falling.

Any suggestions?

pmg · Post by **pmg** » 01 Jul 2019, 10:32

I had dried out the footwell and the water you see dripped after turning on the engine and putting the AC on full. With the AC off there is no dripping.

pmg · Post by **pmg** » 01 Jul 2019, 13:37

I believe I have solved the problem. If I am right it was a blockage in the tank above the drain line. Does the following make any sense? I pulled that black line out from beneath the white tank (evaporator tank? not sure what it is called I couldn't find any parts diagrams). At first there was no water flow contrary to my expectation. I put the line back. Then I thought I would see if I could blow some air through the line. All of a sudden there was a gush of water out of the tank. I put the line back grabbed my container and pulled the line again. The water just about filled the container you see. Then I tried to see if there was a blockage down the line into the firewall. I kept hitting something so not wanting to pierce an elbow in the line I desisted. I then ran the engine with the AC on for a few minutes and captured drips in my container but there were no drips anywhere else. I put the line back and ran it again to verify no drips except on my driveway and all looks good.

So my suspicion is some kind of obstruction in the tank was stopping the water from draining from the tank. Then once the tank filled it overflowed causing the two source of drips I originally saw. There was some black debris in the water but it hardly seemed enough to cause a blockage.

I feel like such a rookie, but does that make sense? Perhaps the thread will help someone else in the future.

Post by **oragex** » 01 Jul 2019, 14:03

It is very possible. That is the evaporator drain tube. Normally, if the air filter is well in place, no debris should get to reach and obstruct that tube. So perhaps it's good to remove the cabin air filter (there 1 or 2 of them) and have a look.

The floor carpets too very long to dry, even when removed from the car at put in direct sunlight. I recommend inclining them at an angle so the water can leak inside the foam, towards the lower corner. After a few days squeeze the foam at the bottom feel if it got dry. You will also have the carpet for the rear seats wet as well, as water travels under the front seats.