Help, G taking on water!!!!

[rnridout]

It has been raining everyday in Arkansas for months, and recently I have noticed a musty smell in my car. This morning (it's raining again) I noticed that the inside of my windows are fogging up while the car is parked at work like it's wet inside, so I investigated and noticed that on the passenger side, the front floorboard and back floorboard and under the front passenges seat are completely soaked with water.

I have been driving in hard downpours for weeks and often travel on roads covered with a couple of inches of water, and lots of flash flooded areas, but certainly nothing crazy.

Before I start pulling carpet and trying to find the probem, I thought I would ask the experts; is this common problem, and if so, where is this water coming from??? I'm even worried now about getting it completely dry.

Thanks.

[djdinaz]

The two most common areas for leakage are windshield wiper shaft seals, and sunroof drain tubes. I'd lean towards the drain tubes, there's one on each corner of the sunroof, and a crack/blockage in any of them would allow water to get inside.

[rnridout]

Thank you. Where would it come out, though, if it were a clogged sunroof drainage? Could it get the floor that wet without me noticing?

[ewalberg]

water can also leak in at the doors themselves. If the first thing that gets wet is the felt on the door seal trim, then it's coming from the doors... from there it leaks into the carpets.

That's the only problem i've ever had with mine. There is a yellowish-white plastic skin that's supposed to be adhered to the metal of the door frame, behind the interior trim. That skin is often poorly adhered and thus doesn't properly seal water from getting into the car. the result is that instead of water that hits it (from through the window slot) running down the skin and being forced to empty out the drain in the bottom of the door, it runs down between the door and the interior trim and ends up just on the inside of the seal... as it accumulates, it gets the felt wet, then it leaks over and starts to get the carpeting wet.

If you park on an incline, park it nose down. The sunroof drains are at the front lip of the sun roof so water can spill over the rear of the drain if you face it upward because it goes over the rear lip before it makes it's way to the drain.

i've had every door do it at one point or another.

Another option to address is would be to cut a hole in the seal at the bottom of the door so the water could leak out. I['ve noticed that many cars actually have this. I don't know where to recommend putting the hole... perhaps near the front of the door at the bottom.

[rnridout]

Wow, that's a lot of useful information, and from what it's doing, it seems the most logical explanation would be the water running down the door seal is coming in. I'll try what you have suggested.

[andruzzo]

Had the same problem:

1) take out the floor mats and the carpeting in the driver and passenger footwells...this is very easy to do...just a few screws.

2) take a garden hose and turn it on and have someone hold it directly over your windshield wiper base, even turn them on to work while you do this.

3) if they are leaking you'll probably *see* the water flowing in....

Cheap part but not a simple job to fix it.