06 Rx330 Interior Water Leak

[CUTiger80]

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum, so give me some gentle guidance if I deviate from protocol.

My daughter has an 06 RX330 that she loves except that it has a water leak when it rains hard or for extended periods of time. It doesn't seem to make a difference whether the car is driven or sitting in the driveway. The water shows up in the passenger side rear foot well. She lives about 2-1/2 hours away so I haven't had an extensive amount of time to troubleshoot the source. I have determined that if she keeps a towel stuffed to the right side of the rear seat between the seat and the body (just a small gap) it keeps the water from running down into the foot well. After a heavy rain, the towel is soaked and she has to remember to change it out or it will wick through the carpet and end up in the foot well.

She is coming home for the weekend in a couple of weeks and I would like to have some suggestions from you experts on things I may check out to determine the source of the water.

Thanks in advance for your help!!

Posted 04 January 2011 - 05:21 PM

" They usually terminate in the wheel wells,
although sometimes depending on vehicle make, the fronts can terminate
in the channel below the front windshield. They tend to plug up either
with debris from the sunroof drain channels (leaves etc), or from crap
flying up into the wheel well plugging the end of the drain. I don't
know for sure where they terminate in the RX ."

[pj8708]

Hi Ravel and welcome to the Club.

It sounds like your a good Dad to give your daughter such a great car. LOL

Your problem is usually pretty simple. When the rain drain tubes get plugged up they will create the problem your describing. The tubes that carry away the water start on the roof of the car and on both the driver and passenger sides. The channels on the roof that direct the flow run into the rain tubing and come out some where around the wheel well. (I don't know that detail for sure but keep it in mind).

Using a hose with strong pressure and water, can usually flush the leaves and tree seeds on out of the drain tube. You may have to use something like a coat hanger wire to help empty the tubes.

[CUTiger80]

Paul,

Thanks for your response and suggestions.

Actually my daughter bought the car used (with a little help from us), but I am still the mechanic until I can marry her off to someone who can take on that role.

I will take a look at it closer when she gets home next weekend, but I'm puzzled how I would force water down the tubes without getting it all inside the car. (I assume that the sunroof has to be open to get to the tubes from the top side.) It also would seem that I would make another wet mess inside the car if the water didn't break the blockage loose.

Wondering if I could use compressed air instead?

I have also heard that the sunroof needs to be reset (or re-synced) when the battery is replaced. The dealer (not Lexus) replaced the battery right before she picked it up. It has been leaking pretty much since she got the car. Wondering if this could be the problem?

Thanks again for your help and input.

[CUTiger80]

I reset the sunroof as someone suggested and thought that the leak had been solved. (The battery was replaced by the dealer when she bought the car and, based on the operation of the roof after resetting had not been reset.) I also checked the 4 moonroof drains and they all appeared to be working. (The back 2 were a challenge since you can't see the back corners of the gutters.) My daughter has spent the last couple of months drying out the carpets in all 4 foot wells. The back seems to be staying pretty dry, but the front keeps collecting new water when it rains.

Each of the floor pan drain plugs will periodically have about 1 teaspoon of water in the plastic indention in the top.

My daughter noted the other day that after a hard rain she hears water sloshing somewhere the first time she hits the brakes hard. At her apartment, the car sits with the front end higher than the rear.

The other day it rained pretty hard overnight. She checked the front drivers side floor pan under the carpet (we have the carpet propped up off the floor pans with 3" pieces of wood) and it was relatively dry. After driving, hitting the brakes hard and hearing the water sloshing (only once), she checked again and the floor pan was pretty wet.

She also said that sometimes the top portion of the seat belt is wet after a hard rain.

Does anyone have any ideas on where this water is coming from?

Is it possible that the part of the moonroof assembly that is in the roof where the glass goes when it is open is holding water and that is what she hears sloshing?

Should I try and remove the entire headliner (that seems like a real bear of a project) to get a good look at the moonroof assembly and the underside of the roof?

Should I consider replacing all of the gaskets around the moonroof?

Is it possible that water off the road is spraying up past the floor pan drain plugs and getting into the car?

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated!!