Water in passenger footwell
07-09-2017, 01:17 PM
#3
Rennlist Member
Are you sure it is the AC?
Mine was due to the drain line that runs from the sunroof.
The line runs to a coupler that lies just behind where the pillar meets the dash.
When the line gets blocked (at the wheel well) water backs up in the tube and weeps out of the coupler joint. From there it runs down the inside footwell near the door.
I had to pull the sun visor and handle on the inside roof to get the pillar panel out and drop some of the headliner.
Pulled the tube out from the sunroof and cleaned it out. All is well.
Mine was due to the drain line that runs from the sunroof.
The line runs to a coupler that lies just behind where the pillar meets the dash.
When the line gets blocked (at the wheel well) water backs up in the tube and weeps out of the coupler joint. From there it runs down the inside footwell near the door.
I had to pull the sun visor and handle on the inside roof to get the pillar panel out and drop some of the headliner.
Pulled the tube out from the sunroof and cleaned it out. All is well.
07-09-2017, 01:53 PM
#5
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Look up the instructions on Pelican on how to replace the cabin air filter. That is where one of the drain lines is. Very, very easy to get to, you only need a T 20 torx and a 5.5 mm socket.
07-09-2017, 05:55 PM
#6
Once in filter area, do I simply pull the hose out and poke in it?
How is the water getting from the AC to this area? Does the drain hose have overflow port or "T" that water backs up into if drain is clogged?
How is the water getting from the AC to this area? Does the drain hose have overflow port or "T" that water backs up into if drain is clogged?
07-09-2017, 07:07 PM
#7
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The overflow is the gasket around the cabin filter. Water will drip out as it soaks the bottom 2" of the cabin filter.
Before pulling the hose out you must:
1. Remove panel under the glovebox. One torx screw. Disconnect the lights/socket so you can move the panel out of the way.
2. Remove footwell vent tube. Pull straight down toward the right side of the vent. It has a plastic clip that goes over a plastic oval nubbie on the body. The left end is simply a push fit into the vent outlet in the HVAC box.
3. Get the cabin filter out. I seem to recall a Torx, but perhaps it's a headed self-tapping screw. Remove the screw, then reach up with your finger past the end of the door and pull the catch gently back. Be prepared for a deluge of water (I used a broiler pan to catch it - about a quart..) Put the cabin filter aside to dry out, or replace.
4. Standing on your head (not really, but it feels like it) remove the bastard clamp that holds the drain hose to the HVAC housing. A mid-sized channel-lock seems to be the best tool. Squeeze the two ears on the clamp, and move it down on the drain to where the drain isn't over the water outlet. This should be obvious when you see it.
5. Pull that end of the hose off the outlet in the HVAC housing. Be prepared for another quart of water.
6. Pull back the carpet near where the hose goes through it, and grab the large round flange on it and pull it toward the rear of the car. It will pull out of the firewall. It has a flapper closure at the end - chances are that's stuck closed from munge or spiders.
7. Clean the hose. However. Then consider removing the flapper. I didn't, and I'm still thinking about it for next time. Is it better to have a flapper that might stick, or to invite bugs up into the HVAC (I have mud-wasps around my house - they're always looking for something like that to build a nest in..)
8. Reinstalling the hose is easy - except for the bastard clamp from hell. Push it back into the hole until the grommet on the end seats in the firewall opening. The big rubber flange goes behind the carpeting not outside the carpeting.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next you have to mop up the water in the footwell. Using your plastic trim removal tools (you have these right? If not - visit Harbor Freight, identical to the ones the parts places sell, but 1/8th the cost..) You can sort of pry the edge of the carpet out from under the door sill guard. I would love to talk to someone who has removed the door-sill guard, since it appears to be part of the kickplate on that side of the footwell, and it doesn't look trivial to remove.
Lots of towels and big sponges pushed under the carpet will help dry it out. Leaving it propped open for a few days will help it dry out.
Be prepared for cuts/scrapes and bruises. Using the AC will actually speed up the dryout time since it dehumidifies the air helping the water to evaporate, and go out the HVAC drain like it should have to begin with.
Good luck. It's not a complex job, just awkward working location and that damn clamp.
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07-09-2017, 07:09 PM
#8
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Are you sure it is the AC?
Mine was due to the drain line that runs from the sunroof.
The line runs to a coupler that lies just behind where the pillar meets the dash.
When the line gets blocked (at the wheel well) water backs up in the tube and weeps out of the coupler joint. From there it runs down the inside footwell near the door.
I had to pull the sun visor and handle on the inside roof to get the pillar panel out and drop some of the headliner.
Pulled the tube out from the sunroof and cleaned it out. All is well.
Mine was due to the drain line that runs from the sunroof.
The line runs to a coupler that lies just behind where the pillar meets the dash.
When the line gets blocked (at the wheel well) water backs up in the tube and weeps out of the coupler joint. From there it runs down the inside footwell near the door.
I had to pull the sun visor and handle on the inside roof to get the pillar panel out and drop some of the headliner.
Pulled the tube out from the sunroof and cleaned it out. All is well.
The other thing it could be is cowl drains - but his description of it doing it while the vehicle is being used fits with the HVAC drain.
01-20-2019, 04:44 PM
#10
Racer
Yours is a 958, so I'll ask the moderator to move the thread that way.
The overflow is the gasket around the cabin filter. Water will drip out as it soaks the bottom 2" of the cabin filter.
Before pulling the hose out you must:
1. Remove panel under the glovebox. One torx screw. Disconnect the lights/socket so you can move the panel out of the way.
2. Remove footwell vent tube. Pull straight down toward the right side of the vent. It has a plastic clip that goes over a plastic oval nubbie on the body. The left end is simply a push fit into the vent outlet in the HVAC box.
3. Get the cabin filter out. I seem to recall a Torx, but perhaps it's a headed self-tapping screw. Remove the screw, then reach up with your finger past the end of the door and pull the catch gently back. Be prepared for a deluge of water (I used a broiler pan to catch it - about a quart..) Put the cabin filter aside to dry out, or replace.
4. Standing on your head (not really, but it feels like it) remove the bastard clamp that holds the drain hose to the HVAC housing. A mid-sized channel-lock seems to be the best tool. Squeeze the two ears on the clamp, and move it down on the drain to where the drain isn't over the water outlet. This should be obvious when you see it.
5. Pull that end of the hose off the outlet in the HVAC housing. Be prepared for another quart of water.
6. Pull back the carpet near where the hose goes through it, and grab the large round flange on it and pull it toward the rear of the car. It will pull out of the firewall. It has a flapper closure at the end - chances are that's stuck closed from munge or spiders.
7. Clean the hose. However. Then consider removing the flapper. I didn't, and I'm still thinking about it for next time. Is it better to have a flapper that might stick, or to invite bugs up into the HVAC (I have mud-wasps around my house - they're always looking for something like that to build a nest in..)
8. Reinstalling the hose is easy - except for the bastard clamp from hell. Push it back into the hole until the grommet on the end seats in the firewall opening. The big rubber flange goes behind the carpeting not outside the carpeting.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next you have to mop up the water in the footwell. Using your plastic trim removal tools (you have these right? If not - visit Harbor Freight, identical to the ones the parts places sell, but 1/8th the cost..) You can sort of pry the edge of the carpet out from under the door sill guard. I would love to talk to someone who has removed the door-sill guard, since it appears to be part of the kickplate on that side of the footwell, and it doesn't look trivial to remove.
Lots of towels and big sponges pushed under the carpet will help dry it out. Leaving it propped open for a few days will help it dry out.
Be prepared for cuts/scrapes and bruises. Using the AC will actually speed up the dryout time since it dehumidifies the air helping the water to evaporate, and go out the HVAC drain like it should have to begin with.
Good luck. It's not a complex job, just awkward working location and that damn clamp.
The overflow is the gasket around the cabin filter. Water will drip out as it soaks the bottom 2" of the cabin filter.
Before pulling the hose out you must:
1. Remove panel under the glovebox. One torx screw. Disconnect the lights/socket so you can move the panel out of the way.
2. Remove footwell vent tube. Pull straight down toward the right side of the vent. It has a plastic clip that goes over a plastic oval nubbie on the body. The left end is simply a push fit into the vent outlet in the HVAC box.
3. Get the cabin filter out. I seem to recall a Torx, but perhaps it's a headed self-tapping screw. Remove the screw, then reach up with your finger past the end of the door and pull the catch gently back. Be prepared for a deluge of water (I used a broiler pan to catch it - about a quart..) Put the cabin filter aside to dry out, or replace.
4. Standing on your head (not really, but it feels like it) remove the bastard clamp that holds the drain hose to the HVAC housing. A mid-sized channel-lock seems to be the best tool. Squeeze the two ears on the clamp, and move it down on the drain to where the drain isn't over the water outlet. This should be obvious when you see it.
5. Pull that end of the hose off the outlet in the HVAC housing. Be prepared for another quart of water.
6. Pull back the carpet near where the hose goes through it, and grab the large round flange on it and pull it toward the rear of the car. It will pull out of the firewall. It has a flapper closure at the end - chances are that's stuck closed from munge or spiders.
7. Clean the hose. However. Then consider removing the flapper. I didn't, and I'm still thinking about it for next time. Is it better to have a flapper that might stick, or to invite bugs up into the HVAC (I have mud-wasps around my house - they're always looking for something like that to build a nest in..)
8. Reinstalling the hose is easy - except for the bastard clamp from hell. Push it back into the hole until the grommet on the end seats in the firewall opening. The big rubber flange goes behind the carpeting not outside the carpeting.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next you have to mop up the water in the footwell. Using your plastic trim removal tools (you have these right? If not - visit Harbor Freight, identical to the ones the parts places sell, but 1/8th the cost..) You can sort of pry the edge of the carpet out from under the door sill guard. I would love to talk to someone who has removed the door-sill guard, since it appears to be part of the kickplate on that side of the footwell, and it doesn't look trivial to remove.
Lots of towels and big sponges pushed under the carpet will help dry it out. Leaving it propped open for a few days will help it dry out.
Be prepared for cuts/scrapes and bruises. Using the AC will actually speed up the dryout time since it dehumidifies the air helping the water to evaporate, and go out the HVAC drain like it should have to begin with.
Good luck. It's not a complex job, just awkward working location and that damn clamp.
01-21-2019, 05:19 PM
#11
I was browsing, saw this, and thought I would add something that happened with my first Cayman. I found the passenger side floor mat wet one day. I went all over the web that night in a panic cause I thought something was really wrong.
Turned out it was drains. I took a large cup of water and tested, and found three of the four drains under the front windscreen backed up, or were very slow to drain. It rains like hell sometimes here. While I dont know the physics of how water made its way inside, this was the root cause. So this is what I did.....
I took about 5 feet of 50 lb test fishing line and pushed one end down into the drain. This took a bit with one drain, but it did go through after working it up and down. When the line finally appeared under the car, i tied off the end at the top with a few knots and pulled everything through from the bottom. All kinds of stuff came out. I did this twice to each drain and then tested with a pitcher of water. I didn't have a sunroof so no help there.
Turned out it was drains. I took a large cup of water and tested, and found three of the four drains under the front windscreen backed up, or were very slow to drain. It rains like hell sometimes here. While I dont know the physics of how water made its way inside, this was the root cause. So this is what I did.....
I took about 5 feet of 50 lb test fishing line and pushed one end down into the drain. This took a bit with one drain, but it did go through after working it up and down. When the line finally appeared under the car, i tied off the end at the top with a few knots and pulled everything through from the bottom. All kinds of stuff came out. I did this twice to each drain and then tested with a pitcher of water. I didn't have a sunroof so no help there.
01-21-2019, 07:54 PM
#12
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Nifty - great idea - but - some of the things like sunroof drains on a Cayenne make circuitous tortured paths from up top to down under - on the 955/957 there were several S bends complete with junctions between different hose materials right behind the side fuse panels. Using air or fishing line, or like I did - weed wacker line - always risked pulling one of the junctions apart, making things much worse since these weren't designed to be serviced with the dashboard in place. Ditto on the rear sunroof drains - they have a junction near the D pillar in the car up above the headliner that likes to come apart. The Cayenne also has a false-firewall right behind the engine. Most of the drains are from the compartment between the false firewall and the actual one - they get clogged up with leaves and crap that washes down the windshield. If you go to the DIY subforum there are several DIY's on clearing Cayenne drains. There are also multiple YouTube videos out there showing people doing it.
Think of it as bonding with your Cayenne.. not as a design flaw.
Think of it as bonding with your Cayenne.. not as a design flaw.
01-21-2019, 10:33 PM
#13
Racer
Sorry Don, While I agree with you on just about everything, I just can’t here. This is a design flaw. I like to bond with myCajenne and my 997.2S and my 964, but this is a utility vehicle with engineering and design faults that they won’t or can’t fix because VW won’t let them. This isn’t the only one. But I digress. I do love the handling which is why I bought it to replace my MB ML.
01-24-2019, 07:36 AM
#14
Rennlist Member
Is there any chance we can uncover a service campaign relating to the cowel drains, and or a.c. drains. I have had 2 incidents about 1 year apart involving water into the cabin, soaking the carpet and shorting the ac blower motor both times, the repairs cost around $1800.00 and 2 weeks downtime at the dealer. The labor involved, removing both seats, i think he told me both sides of carpeting have to be removed and dried, even thou driver side appeared to be dry, talk about a bad design!....this is a garaged vehicle with very low mileage(2011 turbo,22.000 miles) not only that, after the first incident the car has been in and out of the dealer(Champion Porsche Pompano,FL) a tow package installation,Cam bolt recall, and each time they present you with a multi function check list,(you know to show you how thorough they are, and how much they care), but there's no check for the Cowel drains or ac drain on that list, they should have checked these drains considering the history on my vehicle and the fact that he (service manager)told me he has seen this issue.I know I am living in dream world thinking the service manager would have the foresight and think this customers car has been in here twice in one year for those drains, and maybe we should check them while the vehicle is here.....what a joke.
01-24-2019, 11:07 AM
#15
Racer
Is there any chance we can uncover a service campaign relating to the cowel drains, and or a.c. drains. I have had 2 incidents about 1 year apart involving water into the cabin, soaking the carpet and shorting the ac blower motor both times, the repairs cost around $1800.00 and 2 weeks downtime at the dealer. The labor involved, removing both seats, i think he told me both sides of carpeting have to be removed and dried, even thou driver side appeared to be dry, talk about a bad design!....this is a garaged vehicle with very low mileage(2011 turbo,22.000 miles) not only that, after the first incident the car has been in and out of the dealer(Champion Porsche Pompano,FL) a tow package installation,Cam bolt recall, and each time they present you with a multi function check list,(you know to show you how thorough they are, and how much they care), but there's no check for the Cowel drains or ac drain on that list, they should have checked these drains considering the history on my vehicle and the fact that he (service manager)told me he has seen this issue.I know I am living in dream world thinking the service manager would have the foresight and think this customers car has been in here twice in one year for those drains, and maybe we should check them while the vehicle is here.....what a joke.