Puddle Of Wetness Under Driver's Carpet

[bplaney]

I was giving my recent purchase a leather cleaning/conditioning today - pulled up each carpet to shake off the dirt and discovered when I lifted the driver's rug that it was pretty wet under there. A bit slimy too on the rubber underside of the mat. Nothing that looks or smells like mold.

What should I suspect first? I hope this has nothing to do with the AC and condensation. I'm in Texas and we cannot do without it.

thanks!

:cries:

[menappi]

Dang in all the cars i've owned, whenever I have removed the carpet there has been water under it also, not puddles but wet. Do you have a lining under the carpet? I would just clean it up, then check it again in a few weeks. Maybeyou have a leak.

[bplaney]

Dang in all the cars i've owned, whenever I have removed the carpet there has been water under it also, not puddles but wet. Do you have a lining under the carpet? I would just clean it up, then check it again in a few weeks. Maybeyou have a leak.

After looking through other boards and using google, it seems what I should hope is NOT the case is a cracked evaporator core. Yikes that would be expensive.

I can add the following facts to what I mentioned initially:

1. There is no coolant in this puddle - it appears to be plain water (smells a little stale, but not like windshield washer fluid or coolant). My coolant is red and there is no discoloration to the carpet.

2. The AC works perfectly... I hope that in itself rules out a cracked evaporator core.

I am hoping it is just a clog in the evacuation hose - if that's indeed what is used by this car to get rid of condensate from the AC process...

If so, is this an easy do-it-yourself type fix? is there something like a "snake" you can insert into one end of the hose to ream it clean, or is that too primitive an approach for what may be there?

[Gunnut]

"If so, is this an easy do-it-yourself type fix? is there something like a "snake" you can insert into one end of the hose to ream it clean, or is that too primitive an approach for what may be there?"

I've used a thin hanger straightened out. You don't want the wir to be too rigid. Make a small loop in the end so it doesn't poke a hole in the tubing.

JimA

[bplaney]

Another question - I will want to completely dry out the driver's floor area. Is there some kind of product similar to those packets of silica gel that get packed with digital cameras and such that can be used to absorb the moisture completely out of there without removing the interior base carpet? is there any risk of rust getting started from this whole mishap?

[bplaney]

"If so, is this an easy do-it-yourself type fix? is there something like a "snake" you can insert into one end of the hose to ream it clean, or is that too primitive an approach for what may be there?"

I've used a thin hanger straightened out. You don't want the wir to be too rigid. Make a small loop in the end so it doesn't poke a hole in the tubing.

JimA

Any chance there's a photo of where this hose is located somewhere in this forum? I am clueless on this one.

thanks!

[HiHoSilver]

I was giving my recent purchase a leather cleaning/conditioning today - pulled up each carpet to shake off the dirt and discovered when I lifted the driver's rug that it was pretty wet under there. A bit slimy too on the rubber underside of the mat. Nothing that looks or smells like mold.

What should I suspect first? I hope this has nothing to do with the AC and condensation. I'm in Texas and we cannot do without it.

thanks!

:cries:

Hello,

I have a 99 GS300 and I noticed the same exact problem the other day. Any suggestions ?

Thank you,

Al

[Randy&Bonnie]

..

[HiHoSilver]

Dang in all the cars i've owned, whenever I have removed the carpet there has been water under it also, not puddles but wet. Do you have a lining under the carpet? I would just clean it up, then check it again in a few weeks. Maybeyou have a leak.

After looking through other boards and using google, it seems what I should hope is NOT the case is a cracked evaporator core. Yikes that would be expensive.

I can add the following facts to what I mentioned initially:

1. There is no coolant in this puddle - it appears to be plain water (smells a little stale, but not like windshield washer fluid or coolant). My coolant is red and there is no discoloration to the carpet.

2. The AC works perfectly... I hope that in itself rules out a cracked evaporator core.

I am hoping it is just a clog in the evacuation hose - if that's indeed what is used by this car to get rid of condensate from the AC process...

If so, is this an easy do-it-yourself type fix? is there something like a "snake" you can insert into one end of the hose to ream it clean, or is that too primitive an approach for what may be there?

I had a similiar problem with 99GS300... I had a small pinhole leak in the evaporator case/box which was leaking down onto my drivers side floor mat (A/C was working fine). Lexus will NOT replace evap box alone but rather the ENTIRE assembly @ $1600 plus another $1000 for labor. Lexus Tech told me over the phone "epoxy is your best friend", I took his advice and had a mechanic friend of mine take apart the dash, remove evap box and reseal. Picking the car up today and road testing all day tommorow. My cost $500 vs $2600 from Lexus plus sales tax ($225). I hope you can cost effectively fix yours as well, good luck.

[sakataj]

omg please dont put epoxy on this......hiho :chairshot: :chairshot: :chairshot: u gotta stop encouraging people to do this! its not a fix! ITS A BANDAID! :D

brian

[HiHoSilver]

omg please dont put epoxy on this......hiho :chairshot::chairshot::chairshot: u gotta stop encouraging people to do this! its not a fix! ITS A BANDAID! :D

brian

If it's a pinhole leak at the seam I think it's fine... if it's an actual crack, I would NOT advise doing this. Besides spending almost $3000 dollars to fix a $10,000 car does NOT make any sense to me. I've ALWAYS had my vehicle serviced at LEXUS but this expense (30%) doesn't seem justifiable. At that rate, I'd sell/trade in the car and use that $3000 (along with some additional money) to buy a better vehicle that is STILL under warranty. My wife is an investment banker and I'm a partner at a lighting company and we both know what a GOOD investment is VS a BAD one.

[sakataj]

no1 said to take it to the dealer! i just said dont use epoxy.......try this. we sell it at work and i have PERSONALLY used it! u can find it for a cheaper price under this link from a old post too

http://www.shop.com/+-a-cliplight+super+se...g1-k36-st.shtml

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...c=39582&hl=

good luck

brian

[HiHoSilver]

no1 said to take it to the dealer! i just said dont use epoxy.......try this. we sell it at work and i have PERSONALLY used it! u can find it for a cheaper price under this link from a old post too

http://www.shop.com/+-a-cliplight+super+se...g1-k36-st.shtml

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...c=39582&hl=

good luck

brian

Granted I would save labor costs if I did not take it to the dealer but I would still be faced with a $1600 dollar for the parts plus probably another $600+ in labor. I have been using the hell out of my A/C all week (90 degrees out here) and absolutely no moisture or wetness thus far.

Is this sealant for preventive precautionary measures ??? or something I should of done myself before taking it to my mechanic and having my dash taken apart ??? My mechanic used some type of sealant (NOT epoxy) that is supposed to be even stronger than the actual plastic/fiberglass box itself and that he would gaurantee that it would never leak from that hole again (he seemed extremely confident). He took the evap box apart at the seams (I think 3 or 4 screws) and resealed it (internal), then he applied a another sealant layer on the bottom of the box (external) to ensure no leaks. He has used this sealant in the past on other Lexus vehicles that had PINHOLE LEAKS AT SEAM (as it's a very common problem in Lexus) and has had no problems or complaints so far. Let's cross our figers...

[sakataj]

Is this sealant for preventive precautionary measures ??? or something I should of done myself before taking it to my mechanic and having my dash taken apart ??? He has used this sealant in the past on other Lexus vehicles that had PINHOLE LEAKS AT SEAM (as it's a very common problem in Lexus) and has had no problems or complaints so far. Let's cross our figers...

its a fix for pinhole leaks not a precautionary measure! i cant really see many other lexus people wanting to use sealant instead of replacing it...........SIGH :chairshot:

brian

[sakataj]

just came across this post

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=242216

brian

[HiHoSilver]

just came across this post

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=242216

brian

Brian,

So far so good... No leaks and I've been using the A/C on everyday basis.

[sakataj]

thats good i still think its a awful idea though! as long as it works for you and your happy! it would NEVER be like that in my car though :D

brian

[HiHoSilver]

thats good i still think its a awful idea though! as long as it works for you and your happy! it would NEVER be like that in my car though :D

brian

You may feel that's an awful idea but I kept that $2000 in my pocket :) Besides this GS has 95K miles and is probably worth about 10K, to spend 25% percent on a repair that is truly NOT needed is a waste of money. I'll spend 2.5K on the car but I'd rather spend it on things that make the car safer and look more up to date. I'm most likely going to buy a new GS in a couple of years when I turn 40, Happy Birhtday to me !!! I'll still keep my original GS as she has been garaged kept and very well taken care of. It has almost all of the updated features and most people think it's an 04 or 05 model.

[sakataj]

no1 ever said to spend the 2000 either, i just said i think its a awful idea and since you wanted to go around telling EVERYONE that any a/c problem they were having was just like yours and they could fix it doing the same thing you did i thought i would put my $0.02 in AS I AM A MANAGER AT A HVAC-R SUPPLY HOUSE AND AFTER BEING HERE LAST 7 YEARS I THINK I KNOW A THING OR TWO ABOUT BAD IDEAS ON PRESSURIZED A/C SYSTEMS. it was just my personal opinion that this should not be the route people look to first 2 save a buck much smarter and cheaper ways to start then apply some "glue" or "epoxy" or whatever it was you used. I NEVER SAID ANYTHING WAS WRONG WITH WHAT YOU DID OR HOW YOU REPAIR TURNED OUT. like i said as long as it works for you and your happy thats what matters! it would NEVER be like that in my car though :D i dunno y we (you and i) are still talking about this 5 months after the original thread started? its fixing to be heat season and we both wont need our a/c soon enough :D hell i gotta change my dang servo's now as my passenger side still not getting heat! can i borrow your epoxy? jk. dont take it wrong im not mad i just kept trying to tell you that if it was fine for you it was fine for me and period but not to look at this as a fix just more or less a patch!

brian

[FrankT]

Nothing wrong in fixing a plastic box, that Lexus will not sell separately, with a tube of what ever is appropriate (epoxy or silicone).

Usually it is the factory seal at the seam that fails.