Water Still Leaking Under Rear Carpet

[Eric5412]

I posted a while back about water leaking under the carpet in the rear footwell.Someone suggested that it might be one of the drains from the sunroof.I finally had time today to check it out.I bought some uv dye to mix with water so it could be traced with a black light,I poured it down the drip rails on both sides of the sunroof so it could go down all 4 drains.The water drained out of a four drains,I used my black light to look under the carpet and nothing,its damp from the other day but no dye.

Does anyone have any idea where the water could be getting in??The trunk is dry so is every place else,only that one spot.

[Bigrick]

When I had this problem in my '97, it turned out to be a plugged AC drain.

[ArmyofOne]

When I had this problem in my '97, it turned out to be a plugged AC drain.

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could also be a malfunctioning heater core, but check the a/c drain first.

[SKperformance]

a malfunctioning heater core leaking in the back seat?

you may have a bolt holding the seat back missing which has broken through the painted rubber inner fenderwell.

with no bolt the water will seep under the rear seats when the car is driven in the rain

[steviej]

could also be a malfunctioning heater core, but check the a/c drain first.

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if there was a heater core leak I would expect the leak to be in the front seat area and the liquid would be coolant colored.

hit the rear windows and rear doors with water maybe even with a pressure washer. keep checking to see if the water level rises.

steviej

[ArmyofOne]

a malfunctioning heater core leaking in the back seat?

you may have a bolt holding the seat back missing which has broken through the painted rubber inner fenderwell.

with no bolt the water will seep under the rear seats when the car is driven in the rain

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*sigh* no SK.

LOL, the heater core springs a leak, and water is only found in the back seat. there may be water in the front. under the carpet. it may be running back there from under the dash, and justy collecting back there.

use your head man! :D

and yes steviej, i was simply offering itas a suggestion. i did say could. i said he shoudl check the a/c drain first.

i have seen cars with ruptured heater cores leaking into the back seat, via the process described above.

[SKperformance]

not sure with a es250 but with a 92-96 their is a 1 1/2 inch peice of metal for the front seats to bolt on so water would not get from the front to the back and if it did lose coolant it would pool in the front seat if by chance it got by it then you would have a soaked front seat and reas as well as no stereo as it would burn the amp under the seat

[IFixEm]

I posted a while back about water leaking under the carpet in the rear footwell.Someone suggested that it might be one of the drains from the sunroof.I finally had time today to check it out.I bought some uv dye to mix with water so it could be traced with a black light,I poured it down the drip rails on both sides of the sunroof so it could go down all 4 drains.The water drained out of a four drains,I used my black light to look under the carpet and nothing,its damp from the other day but no dye.

    Does anyone have any idea where the water could be getting in??The trunk is  dry so is every place else,only that one spot.

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When you say rear footwell, I can only asume you mean the footwell at the rear door, not the front. While it is true a cloged or displaced a/c drain will make a mess, it will seem to be a passenger front waterleak. Heatercores have a sweet smell and fogging of the window associated with them....again if the leak is in the back, not a heaatercore. Sunroof drains are a problem especially with all our NW pine needles but it sounds like you have checked that sufficently. Another fairly common leak point is the body seam at the leading edge of the trunk. To facilitate waterleak diagnosis, remove the lower rear seat by pulling the bottom seat at the front upwards. The seat just snaps in on bayonets. Next unbolt the seat back and remove. remove the footwell sill, and peel back the carpets. Use your wifes best towels to soak up moisture (just kidding Honey..I would never do that...again). You would think they would forget but they don't. use baby powder to coat the floor of the car at the seat well and under the seat bottom on the offending side. Fire up the garden hose and let it run down the window into the (wet) corner. Be patient. It may take a few hours to begin to leak. Kent seam sealer is great stuff for resealing body seams...dries clear. A remote possibility is a leaking door. Is the door panel wet at all? Doors are designed to leak past the window and drain at the rear bottom corner. Sometimes moss plugs the drain and the door fills an inch or two and wicks through the panell onto the carpet. Unlikely. Trunk body seams are far more common and run down the side of the car, past the wheel hump and the carpet neer the seat bottom acts like a sponge. Good luck, be patient.

[ArmyofOne]

not sure with a es250 but with a 92-96 their is a 1  1/2 inch peice of metal for the front seats to bolt on so water would not get from the front to the back and if it did lose coolant it would pool in the front seat if by chance it got by it then you would have a soaked front seat and reas as well as no stereo as it would burn the amp under the seat

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didnt think about that, however, the amp in the ES250 isnt under the seat, its in the trunk, mounted to the under side of the rear deck, in between the rear deck speakers. :D if its not, then i dont have an amp, and i could have installed my stereo months ago.

which may very well be the case BTW.

[IFixEm]

but with a 92-96 their is a 1 1/2 inch peice of metal for the front seats to bolt on so water would not get from the front to the back and if it did lose coolant it would pool in the front seat

Absolutely correct. If it was a big enough leak to soak the rear, the 2" of standing coolant at the wife's feet would be a tip off.....not to mention the driveway littered with dead cats and dogs.....they love coolant.

[SKperformance]

LMAO @ i fixem

get a mcv10 then you can comment with more knowledge on them

army

[ArmyofOne]

LMAO @ i fixem

get a mcv10 then you can comment with more knowledge on them

army

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*deleted by ArmyofOne*

You got a problem with me SK, pm me. im done in this thread .

[JPI]

Guys take it easy! Now back to the problem. If you smell something sweet that is coolant. Are you losing coolant? Check the A/C drain plug? I have seen a couple of times, the sunroof drain tube broke and leak also. Let us know how it goes. Have fun.

JPI

[IFixEm]

LMAO @ i fixem

get a mcv10 then you can comment with more knowledge on them

army

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I'm not quite sure how to take that sir. i have my opinins about things but they will stay off the board.

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Stand down trooper.

First off let me say that it is hard to compete with 20 years L/T/S experience. Second, my lil bro is for the second time in 10 years in Iraq in the midst of the shiznit. Since you go by "army of one" I assume you are active duty. Thanks for serving. Oppinons are like assh#@es and everyone has one. Especially on the net. You might be right and I wrong....who knows. Don't ever take anything on the Net to heart. SK performance is laughing at my dead cats comment not you. No one is trying to p!&& in your cherios. Trying to fix a car via the internet is an act of total futility. The dude with the LS400 starter issue might have corroded battery contacts, and we assume he is savy enough to check this first......your comments about smacking the starter are right on, but he may never try it if he is a Suit wearing highbrow investor. I and everyone else welcomes your comments. I have more to lose than anyone by commenting and being wrong because IFixEm. Hell if I had a crystal ball I would work for Meyrl Lynch not Lexus.

[ArmyofOne]

LMAO @ i fixem

get a mcv10 then you can comment with more knowledge on them

army

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I'm not quite sure how to take that sir. i have my opinins about things but they will stay off the board.

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Stand down trooper.

First off let me say that it is hard to compete with 20 years L/T/S experience. Second, my lil bro is for the second time in 10 years in Iraq in the midst of the shiznit. Since you go by "army of one" I assume you are active duty. Thanks for serving. Oppinons are like assh#@es and everyone has one. Especially on the net. You might be right and I wrong....who knows. Don't ever take anything on the Net to heart. SK performance is laughing at my dead cats comment not you. No one is trying to p!&& in your cherios. Trying to fix a car via the internet is an act of total futility. The dude with the LS400 starter issue might have corroded battery contacts, and we assume he is savy enough to check this first......your comments about smacking the starter are right on, but he may never try it if he is a Suit wearing highbrow investor. I and everyone else welcomes your comments. I have more to lose than anyone by commenting and being wrong because IFixEm. Hell if I had a crystal ball I would work for Meyrl Lynch not Lexus.

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you have a PM Ifixem.

[Eric5412]

I would like to thank everyone for responding.Where exactly does the a/c drain tube run from and exit the vehicle?

[IFixEm]

I would like to thank everyone for responding.Where exactly does the a/c drain tube run from and exit the vehicle?

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A/C and defrost works by dehumidification. In order for water vapor to be reoved,the moisture is collected on the evaporator fins and drips onto the bottom of the evaporator housing floor. A small rubber hose exits the evap housing at the passengers left foot. This then drips out past the firewall and onto the ground. You might notice a clear odoorless liquid on the pass side on high humidity days. Normal. Blockage of the AC drain is typical of veh's W odorless clear waterleak at pasenger feet and a funky sweat sock odor. Mildew on the evap fins causes the smell.

[DJsight]

I have a manual 95 SC 300. I have a leaking passenger side problem. I diagnosed the leaking problem by pouring a cup of water down the small hole in the top right corner of the sunroof. You can see the water (at least on my model) pour out much quicker from the bottom of the car on the driver side then on the passenger side(where I have the leak). I then poured two cups of water down the passanger side holehole and noticed the back up ( it appears as if the water is coming out of the plastic mold on the right side of the windshield). I have not yet tried to use the WD40 to clear out the passway, but I know that this is definitely the problem.