Wet Floorboards On Rear Passenger Side

[tusken76]

I have a '97 ES300 and keep getting wet floorboards on the rear passenger side every time it rains. Has anyone else every encountered this problem?

[pj8708]

Hi Stephen,

You might check the drain channels and tubes that drain around the sun roof and doors, as well as the trunk hinges and channels.

A hose with a hard jet of water or a length of wire such as coat hanger should help.

Paul

[gbhrps]

tusken76,

Paul has hit on the most likely cause ... sunroof rain channel is clogged or the drain tube has split or come off the end of the channel. There will be four drain tubes, one down each A Pillar at the windshield (front drains), and one down each C Pillar, just back of the rear doors. Most cars have the rear drains empty behind the rear wheels, in between the rear bumper cover and the steel quarter panel.

I suggest that you check the trunk to ensure that water isn't pooling in the spare tire area, or the right rear bottom of the quarter panel. Pull up the rear sidefloor panel and check.

From your description, it sounds like your drains are clogged with dirt, and need cleaning. Usually a small diameter plastic tubing and compressed air can blow it out. Open the sunroof, slide the tubing down into the rain channel and rearwards to the end of the channel. Or do the same with a stiff wire (coat hanger).

If the drain tube has split or come off, you may be able to get at it by removing the overhead assist straps, the B and C illar moldings, and the the inner door weather stripping down across the top and sides of the rear door. All of that will allow you to pull the headliner partially down and get a flashlight up in to look at the channel and drain tube. Good Luck!

[tusken76]

Hi thank you for the responses. I checked the sunroof and I found the 2 front drain holes but I couldn't locate the rear ones. I poured soapy hot water down the 2 front drain holes bad they both drained fine. The rear drain holes are located on the sunroof too? Thanks for any help you can recommend

[gbhrps]

tusken76,

The sunroof rain channels are basically eaves troughs (gutters for USA readers) that carry the excess water that gets past the sunroof seals. One runs down each side of the sunroof, and is part of the track that the sunroof moves in. At each end of the channel is a drain tube that is plastic/vinyl.

Take a stiff wire (coat hanger/snake for pulling electical wiring through walls in a house) and slide it down the channel towards the rear of the car. Carefully try to poke out the dirt plug that has clogged the channel where the water would enter the drain tube. Be careful not to push the vinyl tubing off the drain tube.

You might even try using compressed air from a compressor. Step the air hose diameter down to 1/4 inch plastic (not vinyl) tubing that is stiff, such as used for plumbing water to refridgerators that have ice makers and cold water spigots. Slide it down the channel to the drain tube and blow the dirt plug out.

I'd suggest leaving the sunroof open for a few days inside a garage, to allow any standing water in the rain channels to evaporate before blowing them out. Blowing water out of the channel if its full may well stain your headliner.

As I stated in my previous post you'll need to pull the headliner down to see the rear drains.

Good Luck!