Water Intrusion in TR - yes, I have driven in the rain

Mine is a FL DD too. I have also had some leaking on the passenger side during torrential downpours. It happens so infrequently that I have not investigated the source. The boot is bone dry, as is the driver's side carpet.

 

Usually this sort of thing happens when the drain pipes clog located at the croenr of the cowl. Debris and sometime leaf material get stuck in that drain and causes water to not drain properly. It is very common with the German cars M.B., Audi, BMW etc. I would check those drains for clogging.

R

 

There is a drain on the passenger side as well. I am pretty sure of that. The drip is probably from a bad weatherstrip on the upper door seal area. That would not lead to serious water saturation.


R

 

Dear Ferraristi,

Yes, I drive my TR as a daily driver in all weather....heavy FL rain.

Here is a few things I would check out. Since your problem is on the passenger side, we'll concentrate on that.

-The HVAC drains are on the passenger side. Are you sure you don't have the drain blocked and the condensation from the evap is dripping on the passenger side?

-The front cowl drains drain to the wheelwell by a tube. Check to see if the tube has come off the drain hole in the cowl....check if the rubber seal is broken and leaking at the tube seal.

-Check for holes in wheel well to passenger side. You may laugh but the screw that holds the passenger side speaker housing has been screwed down straight (should be at an angle ) and right though the wheel well. Have a speaker shop do it a few times and you have a few holes.

- Check the fresh air vent in the front hood. If you look on the backside, there is a plastic shield covering the vent. See if the panel isn't leaking or cracked. It will leak to its side over the fuse box ! ....and into the passenger or driver compartment

- Check the fresh air intake drain hose. Make sure the rubber drain hose hasn't come off under the intake .

- Make sure it's water and not coolant. The coolant lines come to the mixing valve for the heater core in the passenger side foot well. ( near speaker )

- Check water seal for AC line coming into front trunk. Look just behind the battery box underneath the carpet. If the rubber deteriorates, water will enter the trunk in the bottom ( spare tire area ) and can come into the passenger side footwell....if the splash is great enough.


Let us know what you find.

BTW,

what did you find hanging you up on the knee bolster removal? I saw in Carguy's thread you got it off. You should update your post...so we all may learn.


Shamile

Freeze....Miami Vice !

 

One of my TRs had water leaking onto the the carpets. It ended up being the windshield leaking near the bottom. We removed the w/s and replaced it with new urethane sealant and it solved the problem.

 

Mine leaked after running the AC for a bit, the A/C drain was clogged under the car. Cleaned it out and zero probs...The hose is tapered so it is almost closed so road dirt does not get up and in, but it clogs very easily.

 

A/C condensation is the culprit, I suspect. I had similar problems with clogged drain pan under dash. Humid weather with A/C running at max efficiency (compressor at highway speed) will result in a great deal of water dripping off of the evaporator.

Jim S.

 

Not in my case. Run the A/C all day long and no problems. Drive in the pouring rain however...

 

Rob - if one suffers flakey debris in the A/C catch basin, or a clogged drain tube leading out of the passenger area, it will overflow. I have experienced this wet-foot pleasure. Windscreen seal could be to blame, but this should be more easily identified.

Jim S.

 

I had this problem once and solved it without it reoccuring since. I was driving from Houston to Austin and ran into a rain storm about half way home. After about 20 minutes of driving in the rain water began to splash on my shoes and into the passenger footwell when I would make turns. After getting home I had a mildew smell in the car for a few days even though I had removed the carpets and dried everything up. I took the car to my mechanic in Austin (Moorespeed) and as soon as the car was up in the air the problem was spotted underneath. The rubber drain tube from the fresh air pickup on the front hood cowl was kinked ever so slightly and couldn't open in a normal fashion. It was holding water inside the tube and as soon as we touched it the rubber hose opened and drained itself of about a pint of smelly water.

Running water into the front hood fresh air cowl with a waterhose had enough pressure that the tube would open and drain properly but the slight buildup of rain didn't have enough pressure to force the tube open so it wouldn't drain. We rerouted the drain hose to remove the kink and the problem hasn't returned. I've driven in the rain several times since then with no problems. I hope this helps you locate your problem.

I live in Austin but I work in Pittsburgh. It rains too much there for me. Same goes for Houston. I like it nice and hot and dry in Austin.