HELP!! my floorboards are flooded
04-29-2017, 06:01 PM
#1
HELP!! my floorboards are flooded
2006 Cayenne S Titanium Edition
what thought was just wet carpet from a plugged A/C drain pipe (the one in the picture - are there others?) turned out to be flooded floor board on passenger side! My A/C drain is NOT clogged at all... And the entire area is dry. but the foam under the carpet is completely flooded.
I think my rocker drains may be under a piece of trim unique to the TE? My car does not look like ones in pictures and youtube videos.
I am hoping someone can show me some pictures of what to look for and where.
1) I notice that my chirp is barely audible anymore.
2) I hear sloshing that sounded like it was inside the dash last weekend - but can't be certain of the location. I kept checking the carpets and they were not wet until today. We had a lot of rain last weekend.
what thought was just wet carpet from a plugged A/C drain pipe (the one in the picture - are there others?) turned out to be flooded floor board on passenger side! My A/C drain is NOT clogged at all... And the entire area is dry. but the foam under the carpet is completely flooded.
I think my rocker drains may be under a piece of trim unique to the TE? My car does not look like ones in pictures and youtube videos.
I am hoping someone can show me some pictures of what to look for and where.
1) I notice that my chirp is barely audible anymore.
2) I hear sloshing that sounded like it was inside the dash last weekend - but can't be certain of the location. I kept checking the carpets and they were not wet until today. We had a lot of rain last weekend.
04-29-2017, 06:50 PM
#2
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This is a rather common problem on the 955. I wrote about chasing the leaks a number of times, and found multiple sources for the leaks.
First suggestion - use a penknife to make an X in the plastic cap just to the right of the wiring bundle. Make a drain out of it. At least that will help keeping your wiring harness from melting down.
Possible leak sources:
1. Forward sunroof drain. If it plugs up, water will run around the inner lip of the sunroof, behind the plastic liner of the headliner forward of the sunroof, right down inside the A pillar on that side, through the fusebox and down behind the right side footwell kick panel to soak the foam under the carpeting. Make sure the drain is open (using a small watering can pour some water in the area of the drain and make sure it comes out below.)
2. Plugged cowl drains - these are behind the wheel-well liner. A PITA to get to. The AC drain comes out in that area. They all have birds-mouth seals on them (you'll see why they are called that) - remove the seals. They're to keep bees out, but they also keep all sorts of crap in the lines.
3. Odd one - on my '06 **** I finally chased down a hole in the firewall. If you look where water from the windshield flows - it follows down the right side in the channel, to around where the hood-hinge is. From there it's funneled down around the hinge with a foam guide. That ends up at a seam between the firewall and fender inner part. I found that there was a bunch of gunk built up in the area (rotten leaves, twigs, etc) that kept the water from draining, and right there in the firewall was about a 1.5" hole - obviously made by the factory - wide open - and I could see the wiring harness from the fuse box right behind it. Water would come down off the windshield, in around the hinge, built up in the seam area, and right through the hole to the inside of the car. I plugged that hole with a body plug (local big-box auto parts store) and never had another drop of water in my ****. Yuirgen in Slovakia must have run out of body plugs that day and the car went down the line without one. Would actually surprise me if mine was the only one that happened to.
The body cladding does cover the drains somewhat, and isn't trivial to remove. I found there were some body plugs in the area, and X cut them too. Also - take off the bit of trim at the very bottom of the front fender by the door, right above the cladding. Bet it's full of munge. As is the area behind the wheel-well liner. That was an annual cleaning project for my ****. You may need new rubber grommets that hold it on, but it's very easy to R&R, just use your fingers.
First suggestion - use a penknife to make an X in the plastic cap just to the right of the wiring bundle. Make a drain out of it. At least that will help keeping your wiring harness from melting down.
Possible leak sources:
1. Forward sunroof drain. If it plugs up, water will run around the inner lip of the sunroof, behind the plastic liner of the headliner forward of the sunroof, right down inside the A pillar on that side, through the fusebox and down behind the right side footwell kick panel to soak the foam under the carpeting. Make sure the drain is open (using a small watering can pour some water in the area of the drain and make sure it comes out below.)
2. Plugged cowl drains - these are behind the wheel-well liner. A PITA to get to. The AC drain comes out in that area. They all have birds-mouth seals on them (you'll see why they are called that) - remove the seals. They're to keep bees out, but they also keep all sorts of crap in the lines.
3. Odd one - on my '06 **** I finally chased down a hole in the firewall. If you look where water from the windshield flows - it follows down the right side in the channel, to around where the hood-hinge is. From there it's funneled down around the hinge with a foam guide. That ends up at a seam between the firewall and fender inner part. I found that there was a bunch of gunk built up in the area (rotten leaves, twigs, etc) that kept the water from draining, and right there in the firewall was about a 1.5" hole - obviously made by the factory - wide open - and I could see the wiring harness from the fuse box right behind it. Water would come down off the windshield, in around the hinge, built up in the seam area, and right through the hole to the inside of the car. I plugged that hole with a body plug (local big-box auto parts store) and never had another drop of water in my ****. Yuirgen in Slovakia must have run out of body plugs that day and the car went down the line without one. Would actually surprise me if mine was the only one that happened to.
The body cladding does cover the drains somewhat, and isn't trivial to remove. I found there were some body plugs in the area, and X cut them too. Also - take off the bit of trim at the very bottom of the front fender by the door, right above the cladding. Bet it's full of munge. As is the area behind the wheel-well liner. That was an annual cleaning project for my ****. You may need new rubber grommets that hold it on, but it's very easy to R&R, just use your fingers.
04-30-2017, 11:25 AM
#3
This is a good post showing were some of the drain locations are as well -
https://www.renntech.org/forums/topi...comment=287000
https://www.renntech.org/forums/topi...comment=287000
05-01-2017, 08:00 AM
#4
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I had the same issue. It was the AC evaporator drain. It's right behind the glove box and has a hose to drain to the outside. If not perfectly sealed, the condensate will run back inside. I ended up putting some black RTV sealant around the hose leading outside and it has been dry since. Hope this helps. (Oh it took 2 weeks to dry things out!)
05-01-2017, 09:55 AM
#5
This is a rather common problem on the 955. I wrote about chasing the leaks a number of times, and found multiple sources for the leaks.
First suggestion - use a penknife to make an X in the plastic cap just to the right of the wiring bundle. Make a drain out of it. At least that will help keeping your wiring harness from melting down.
Possible leak sources:
1. Forward sunroof drain. If it plugs up, water will run around the inner lip of the sunroof, behind the plastic liner of the headliner forward of the sunroof, right down inside the A pillar on that side, through the fusebox and down behind the right side footwell kick panel to soak the foam under the carpeting. Make sure the drain is open (using a small watering can pour some water in the area of the drain and make sure it comes out below.)
2. Plugged cowl drains - these are behind the wheel-well liner. A PITA to get to. The AC drain comes out in that area. They all have birds-mouth seals on them (you'll see why they are called that) - remove the seals. They're to keep bees out, but they also keep all sorts of crap in the lines.
3. Odd one - on my '06 **** I finally chased down a hole in the firewall. If you look where water from the windshield flows - it follows down the right side in the channel, to around where the hood-hinge is. From there it's funneled down around the hinge with a foam guide. That ends up at a seam between the firewall and fender inner part. I found that there was a bunch of gunk built up in the area (rotten leaves, twigs, etc) that kept the water from draining, and right there in the firewall was about a 1.5" hole - obviously made by the factory - wide open - and I could see the wiring harness from the fuse box right behind it. Water would come down off the windshield, in around the hinge, built up in the seam area, and right through the hole to the inside of the car. I plugged that hole with a body plug (local big-box auto parts store) and never had another drop of water in my ****. Yuirgen in Slovakia must have run out of body plugs that day and the car went down the line without one. Would actually surprise me if mine was the only one that happened to.
The body cladding does cover the drains somewhat, and isn't trivial to remove. I found there were some body plugs in the area, and X cut them too. Also - take off the bit of trim at the very bottom of the front fender by the door, right above the cladding. Bet it's full of munge. As is the area behind the wheel-well liner. That was an annual cleaning project for my ****. You may need new rubber grommets that hold it on, but it's very easy to R&R, just use your fingers.
First suggestion - use a penknife to make an X in the plastic cap just to the right of the wiring bundle. Make a drain out of it. At least that will help keeping your wiring harness from melting down.
Possible leak sources:
1. Forward sunroof drain. If it plugs up, water will run around the inner lip of the sunroof, behind the plastic liner of the headliner forward of the sunroof, right down inside the A pillar on that side, through the fusebox and down behind the right side footwell kick panel to soak the foam under the carpeting. Make sure the drain is open (using a small watering can pour some water in the area of the drain and make sure it comes out below.)
2. Plugged cowl drains - these are behind the wheel-well liner. A PITA to get to. The AC drain comes out in that area. They all have birds-mouth seals on them (you'll see why they are called that) - remove the seals. They're to keep bees out, but they also keep all sorts of crap in the lines.
3. Odd one - on my '06 **** I finally chased down a hole in the firewall. If you look where water from the windshield flows - it follows down the right side in the channel, to around where the hood-hinge is. From there it's funneled down around the hinge with a foam guide. That ends up at a seam between the firewall and fender inner part. I found that there was a bunch of gunk built up in the area (rotten leaves, twigs, etc) that kept the water from draining, and right there in the firewall was about a 1.5" hole - obviously made by the factory - wide open - and I could see the wiring harness from the fuse box right behind it. Water would come down off the windshield, in around the hinge, built up in the seam area, and right through the hole to the inside of the car. I plugged that hole with a body plug (local big-box auto parts store) and never had another drop of water in my ****. Yuirgen in Slovakia must have run out of body plugs that day and the car went down the line without one. Would actually surprise me if mine was the only one that happened to.
The body cladding does cover the drains somewhat, and isn't trivial to remove. I found there were some body plugs in the area, and X cut them too. Also - take off the bit of trim at the very bottom of the front fender by the door, right above the cladding. Bet it's full of munge. As is the area behind the wheel-well liner. That was an annual cleaning project for my ****. You may need new rubber grommets that hold it on, but it's very easy to R&R, just use your fingers.
My A/C drains are/were NOT clogged!
1) I verified that the forward sunroof drains were NOT clogged. I ran about 4-5 feet of trimmer line in until it would go no further although it did not come out of the cowl drain hole. I then used a funnel and bottle of water and verified that the forward sunroof drains do in fact drain and into the cowl drains. Left to left and right to right.
2) I verified that the windshield sides do in fact drain down past the hinges into the cowl drains. Mine were stuffed full of pine needles and maple seeds between the metal and foam liners.
I found the cowl drains (star shaped rubber pieces next to the purple lines) behind the wheel well liners - see photos. And I drained them (3-5 gallons of water - mostly on the passenger side!), cleaned and flushed them out - forwards and backwards with the garden hose.
There is NO more sloshing sound on a test drive. No more water was found on the floor boards.
Looking through holes, gaps and seems, it does not appear that I have rocker panel drains...
BIG question:
Can the water from the cowl get onto the floor boards?
Did I find the source of the water on the floor boards or is there another that I need to look for?
It seems to be coming in from below. As you go up the sides it get dry and very dry. So I don't think its coming down the A or B pillar or from the headliner.
I am worried about the rocker panels! And the car rusting from the inside out!
05-01-2017, 12:16 PM
#6
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You'll find a lot of the same detritus behind it.
And I'd take a really bright flashlight and look at the firewall behind the foam funnel sort of thing. That's where the body plug on mine was missing - and it was a wide open path directly into the A pillar and on the wiring harness, which would channel it right down to the floor. Make sure there isn't a hole there (I could see the wiring harness behind it..)
Did I find the source of the water on the floor boards or is there another that I need to look for?
It seems to be coming in from below. As you go up the sides it get dry and very dry. So I don't think its coming down the A or B pillar or from the headliner.
I am worried about the rocker panels! And the car rusting from the inside out!
It seems to be coming in from below. As you go up the sides it get dry and very dry. So I don't think its coming down the A or B pillar or from the headliner.
I am worried about the rocker panels! And the car rusting from the inside out!
It is a PITA since it can be a combination of several different issues.. but those are all the ones I found over the course of 2 years chasing down the wet floor. It got so I pulled up the edge of the carpet from under the door sill after every big rain-storm just to see if it had gotten wet again.
So far the 958 CTT hasn't shown signs of the same issue - but it lives in the garage most of the time (the collector car left the garage). The 958 even has a little carpet flap on the passengers side you can lift up and see the steel pan through - it's there because the VIN# is stamped into the pan at that point, but it's handy to make sure everything is nice and dry.
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05-03-2017, 03:13 PM
#8
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Ditto Mr. deilenberger
I concur with #3 of Mr. D's assessment. I chased my water leak solution all over the web and determined that it was indeed the funnel shape off the windshield cowl. Remove the windshield wipers, and the plastic cowl and reach down deep, deep inside the right side funnel where you will find all kinds of junk collecting. I ran electrical Romex thru the drain hole I found and then flushed with water about 4 times until it cleared. There are some intrusions in the funnel area that tend to hold garbage in the funnel so flush it out well and numerous times. I used a spray attachment on my hose to really rinse the area out. I didn't have the missing body plug that Mr D had but this area was the source of my water intrusion. If the water's not on the top surface of your front floor mat then disregard the HVAC drain as your source. If it's UNDER the floor carpet...Mr D's solution will work.
05-03-2017, 04:31 PM
#9
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I should also add, that anyone suffering from Cayenne "glitches" should probably start by looking for water intrusion in the vehicle footwell areas as there are many electrical wires running through these areas. I noticed I was getting many of the common errors that people speak of on this forum. All wheel drive errors, battery start errors and even fuel gauge issues. I even replaced my battery. When I mentioned my fuel gauge issues to my Porsche service adviser, the first thing I hear from him was "fuel pump going bad." After I corrected my water intrusion problem, all of those gremlins went away! Its not to say they will stay away as I didn't go back and replace any wiring or inspect it for water damage. But its been all good for the part 2 months.
05-03-2017, 05:25 PM
#10
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I concur with #3 of Mr. D's assessment. I chased my water leak solution all over the web and determined that it was indeed the funnel shape off the windshield cowl. Remove the windshield wipers, and the plastic cowl and reach down deep, deep inside the right side funnel where you will find all kinds of junk collecting..
I've been tempted to put some of that rain gutter open-celled leaf-blocker foam in that area. Something to allow the gunk to collect up where it can be SEEN and removed more often. Rather than allowing the debris to hold moisture and cause corrosion out of sight.
05-03-2017, 08:18 PM
#11
Drifting
There are a couple of mentions of piercing body plugs. Keep in mind if you cut these, you are probably going to destroy the fording ability of the truck which is close to 2ft.
May not matter to most, but would call that out.
I had an old BMW E36 a long time ago. Had a small flash flood in a low parking lot, were the water went up to the bottom the car, but not over the door sill. I thought awesome I am fine as I watched the water rise from the building I was in. I go to the car and the carpets are soaked on one side.
Someone had the same idea above and removed a body plug in the pan.
May not matter to most, but would call that out.
I had an old BMW E36 a long time ago. Had a small flash flood in a low parking lot, were the water went up to the bottom the car, but not over the door sill. I thought awesome I am fine as I watched the water rise from the building I was in. I go to the car and the carpets are soaked on one side.
Someone had the same idea above and removed a body plug in the pan.
05-03-2017, 08:44 PM
#12
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Will it keep running? Sure. Will it suffer damage of some sort - probably - might not show up right away - but sooner or later it will.
05-04-2017, 07:03 PM
#13
I know Porsche claims this wonderful fording depth. That's only with air-suspension and having it all the way up, and even then I bet the horns go under water and are destroyed. The air intakes are up high, unfortunately things like the differential, transmission, transfer-case vents are not so high. At 2 feet there is an excellent chance they are underwater, and they use the same sort of birdsmouth vent seal, that we know isn't very effective.
Will it keep running? Sure. Will it suffer damage of some sort - probably - might not show up right away - but sooner or later it will.
Will it keep running? Sure. Will it suffer damage of some sort - probably - might not show up right away - but sooner or later it will.
05-04-2017, 07:19 PM
#14
Nordschleife Master
I'm just dealing with the end of a "water intrusion" problem (at least I hope its the end of it).
I had a big pile of snow on my windshield. The snow clogged the cowl drains, but as it melted it managed to come in to the car through the HVAC.
Passenger side was "sorta wet", but driver side was saturated. I vacuumed up a decent amount of water, then put a small space heater in to dry it out...
Or so I thought. Carpet was fully dry, at least on the top.
A few months later (last week), I began to experience starter problems. Thought it was the battery, but it turned out to be the wiring under the driver side carpet. The foam under the carpet was still saturated. To the point that I could squeeze it and have water flow (more than "drip") out.
My problem: https://rennlist.com/forums/porsche-...-no-start.html
What solution turned out to be: https://rennlist.com/forums/porsche-...-flashing.html
I had a big pile of snow on my windshield. The snow clogged the cowl drains, but as it melted it managed to come in to the car through the HVAC.
Passenger side was "sorta wet", but driver side was saturated. I vacuumed up a decent amount of water, then put a small space heater in to dry it out...
Or so I thought. Carpet was fully dry, at least on the top.
A few months later (last week), I began to experience starter problems. Thought it was the battery, but it turned out to be the wiring under the driver side carpet. The foam under the carpet was still saturated. To the point that I could squeeze it and have water flow (more than "drip") out.
My problem: https://rennlist.com/forums/porsche-...-no-start.html
What solution turned out to be: https://rennlist.com/forums/porsche-...-flashing.html
05-08-2017, 02:36 PM
#15
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Can anyone comment on how to get the AC drain line grommet seated again after removing it for cleaning? I took everything apart, cleaned it all, and verified it's draining from the main line...but when I replace the black hose that runs from the evaporation core out to the firewall, the water seems to find its way back inside. I saw reference on one forum to using RTV sealant, but is that the only option? It seems no matter how much force I use, the hose doesn't seat on the hole in the firewall.
I've now down this on my pepper twice in 6 mos...if this is a requirement to keep the inside dry she's going up for sale very soon.
Thanks!
I've now down this on my pepper twice in 6 mos...if this is a requirement to keep the inside dry she's going up for sale very soon.
Thanks!
Last edited by HappyCoop; 05-08-2017 at 02:38 PM. Reason: Add content