Clogged body drain?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 423
Likes: 4
From: New Jersey
Clogged body drain?
I have some dampness on the carpet right in front of the rear passenger side seat on the floor after it rains or the car is washed. It's right around where the bottom anchor point for the front seat belt is - near the door sill.
It appears there is a drain slot right around this area next to the rear passenger side lift point for the car. Is that indeed a drain hole? If so, could that possibly be plugged and causing the dampness in the area?
There's no other wetness inside that I can tell - not on the seats, headliner, etc...only that one spot of carpet
My wife's Sebring had water accumulation on the floor for a while, and it turned out to be a clogged drain slot under the body, so I'm hoping this could be the case with the 928. I've seen the threads about the sunroof drains and hatch seals, which I'll investigate further if necessary.
Thanks.
It appears there is a drain slot right around this area next to the rear passenger side lift point for the car. Is that indeed a drain hole? If so, could that possibly be plugged and causing the dampness in the area?
There's no other wetness inside that I can tell - not on the seats, headliner, etc...only that one spot of carpet
My wife's Sebring had water accumulation on the floor for a while, and it turned out to be a clogged drain slot under the body, so I'm hoping this could be the case with the 928. I've seen the threads about the sunroof drains and hatch seals, which I'll investigate further if necessary.
Thanks.
Rennlist Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 14,893
Likes: 2,823
From: Pittsburgh, PA
I don't believe there is a drain hole there. Instead, it sounds like a leaky hatch seal, which is common. The hatch could be out of alignment too, allowing water to get in and drip down there.
Additionally, there are 4 drain holes in the roof (at least on sunroof cars) which frequently get clogged and can lead to leaks inside the car. Two in the front and two in the rear, all under the sunroof area. You can use weed wacker cable to clean them out. Be careful of the front holers - if you push too hard with the cable, you can dislodge the rubber sleeve that is deep down in the drainhole, and make the clog worse.
Another possible culprit is that the water is coming from the passenger front footwell, because of either a clogged front firewall drain, or (worse) the seal on the blower box under the dash going bad. These too are common, and maybe the water is getting in there and running under the carpet to the rear where it pools and you feel it. If it is leaking in the front passenger footwell area, this is bad because the CE panel is there and the water will corrode important things like fuses and relays and ground points. There are good write ups here on how to repair that seal - big job.
Check all drain areas and clean out.
Additionally, there are 4 drain holes in the roof (at least on sunroof cars) which frequently get clogged and can lead to leaks inside the car. Two in the front and two in the rear, all under the sunroof area. You can use weed wacker cable to clean them out. Be careful of the front holers - if you push too hard with the cable, you can dislodge the rubber sleeve that is deep down in the drainhole, and make the clog worse.
Another possible culprit is that the water is coming from the passenger front footwell, because of either a clogged front firewall drain, or (worse) the seal on the blower box under the dash going bad. These too are common, and maybe the water is getting in there and running under the carpet to the rear where it pools and you feel it. If it is leaking in the front passenger footwell area, this is bad because the CE panel is there and the water will corrode important things like fuses and relays and ground points. There are good write ups here on how to repair that seal - big job.
Check all drain areas and clean out.
Rennlist Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 14,893
Likes: 2,823
From: Pittsburgh, PA
One last thing I forgot - there are plugs under each front foot area - maybe one on the passenger side is out or loose, causing water to get in there. Not likely your problem, since you said the water comes in after rain or washing, which indicates a leak somewhere on top.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 423
Likes: 4
From: New Jersey
Thanks for the replies. I cleaned out the thing I think is a drain prior to giving the car a thorough washing today. There didn't seem to be water this time. I'll have to see a few more times before I know whether or not that was the problem.
My rear hatch is a little out of alignment, so I'll check that, as well as cleaning out the sunroof drains to be safe. I'm pretty sure it's not the blower box, as there's no wetness anywhere in the front, just the small area on the floor of the passenger side rear seat. I'm going to check the anchor bolt for the seatbelt, too. Got to get this squared away before sharks in the mountains.
My rear hatch is a little out of alignment, so I'll check that, as well as cleaning out the sunroof drains to be safe. I'm pretty sure it's not the blower box, as there's no wetness anywhere in the front, just the small area on the floor of the passenger side rear seat. I'm going to check the anchor bolt for the seatbelt, too. Got to get this squared away before sharks in the mountains.
