Passenger Side Leak

[omat5e1]

I've got a problem with the air conditioning, I think. Just a couple of days ago, I found that it's dripping the water INSIDE the car, instead of under it. It's making a small, but steadily growing puddle on the passenger side, at the front of the floor mat. I tried to feel my way around under / behind the glove box, but I couldn't figure out where the leak was coming from. Anyone have any ideas? My warranty is up (50k), so if it's something easy, like re-attaching a tube or something, I can either do that myself, or get a friend of mine to do it.Thanks!

[ColonelPanic]

Yet another A/C drain tube has fallen off! Have a look here: http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=10977Hopefully that takes care of it. The drain isn't in the best location and the tube is easily knocked off..

[omat5e1]

That was it! Thanks a LOT! You just saved me a bunch of hassle of trying to drop it off to get fixed when it was something really easy That tube is really in a bad position... I have long legs, and even with the passenger seat all the way back, I must knock it loose somehow. The first time was just after we got the car, and we had the factory fix it. Is it safe to tie wrap it, as long as it isn't too horribly tight?

[ColonelPanic]

Glad that took care of the problem. You should be fine zip tieing it as well, just don't make it too tight and you'll be fine. Unfortunate that it had to happen, but luckily the hardest part about repairing this particular water leak is getting all the water out of the carpet. lol!

[sskkc]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!We thought the water problem was due to a leak coming from the window rubber gasket.Thanks for saving us a mechanic's bill! I love Google and I love you people!We have an 03 Vibe... I bought it because after I totalled our new Taurus, my then 3 year old son (who was in the Taurus during the accident) really wanted a car that looked like the Wiggles Big Red Car.Thanks so much for being here!Sandy CarlsonColorado Springs

[wes_517]

Great Thread. I just found out I have this problem today, found this thread and fixed the problem!now i just have to attempt to dry out the carpet and floormat...

[Sublimewind]

best thing you can do is to remove the trim holding the carpet and lift the carpet... It's more than just WET, there could be puddles in there that could take a LONG time to evaporate.. get under it with a shop vack and then brace the carpet up and set a fan on it overnight, or for mutiple nights... during the hot days would be even better.. fan is a must.. gotta move the air..

[AdmRose]

I have this same leak in mine but only occurs after it rained. Think it could be the same problem?

[scherry2]

do you have a sunroof? if you do you have a blocked drain tube for the sunroof which runs down the a-pillar

[AdmRose]

I do have a sunroof but this leak is from directly under the glovebox on the front passenger side.

[JCEM]

Thanks GenVibe, found the dreaded puddle today and found this thread a minute later. All fixed up now.

[AdmRose]

Quote, originally posted by AdmRose »I do have a sunroof but this leak is from directly under the glovebox on the front passenger side.Mine actually appeared to be the result of the cowl weatherstripping coming lose. Pushing it back into place seems to have fixed the problem.

[AdmRose]

Quote, originally posted by AdmRose »Mine actually appeared to be the result of the cowl weatherstripping coming lose. Pushing it back into place seems to have fixed the problem....or not...starting doing it again today. I'm gonna get up there sometime this week to see if it is the hose-coming-off problem.

[scherry2]

i would check the a/c tube also, just in case.

[zir3000]

I too have this problem with mysterious passenger side leak, but only after it rains - I ran the AC all day (with no rain) and there was no apparent leakage. It started thunderstorming so I went to my car to see what the story was. I definitely think it's the stripping because I didn't see any water coming from the hoses underneath the glovebox. I pulled up some of the plastic covering and I'm pretty sure I found the source of the leak, it's coming from some sort of channel that goes up the side of the car to the hood and then the roof. Now I'm still not sure exactly how it is leaking - I can't really get to the inside of there but I'm guessing it is either channeling from the roof or the hood somewhere the seal is breaking and water is getting into a place it shouldn't. It's a pretty steady drip though and I could see how it accumulate pretty fast in the channel area and then flood the carpet. To be clear it's a channel area attached to the car body, not the door.One thing I noticed, it leaks much worse when I am parallel parked on the right side of the street and virtually stops when parallel parked on the left side.. I assume this is because the street has a slight curve to it and when parked on the right side the water pools up on the right side and starts leaking, and on the left side it stops/slows the leak. We'll see how bad the damage is tomorrow though.I tried to attach a picture to the post, hope you can see it.

Attached files

[AdmRose]

Quote, originally posted by zir3000 »I too have this problem with mysterious passenger side leak, but only after it rains - I ran the AC all day (with no rain) and there was no apparent leakage. It started thunderstorming so I went to my car to see what the story was. I definitely think it's the stripping because I didn't see any water coming from the hoses underneath the glovebox. I pulled up some of the plastic covering and I'm pretty sure I found the source of the leak, it's coming from some sort of channel that goes up the side of the car to the hood and then the roof. Now I'm still not sure exactly how it is leaking - I can't really get to the inside of there but I'm guessing it is either channeling from the roof or the hood somewhere the seal is breaking and water is getting into a place it shouldn't. It's a pretty steady drip though and I could see how it accumulate pretty fast in the channel area and then flood the carpet. To be clear it's a channel area attached to the car body, not the door.One thing I noticed, it leaks much worse when I am parallel parked on the right side of the street and virtually stops when parallel parked on the left side.. I assume this is because the street has a slight curve to it and when parked on the right side the water pools up on the right side and starts leaking, and on the left side it stops/slows the leak. We'll see how bad the damage is tomorrow though.I tried to attach a picture to the post, hope you can see it.That looks like a drain hose of some sort...someone more knowledgeable here would know what it is. I know it's not the A/C drain though.

[Wolfman213]

If you have the moonroof, one of the drains could be clogged on it. From what I remember it's a simple fix of cleaning it out, but I can't remember how exactly to get to it unless it's simply open the moonroof and check it out.

[zir3000]

Yes, one possibility is the moonroof drain being clogged. This thread details the problem and fix:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=38887Won't know for sure until I can open things up to see. But one difference is that the person in the thread noticed water backing up into the rear passenger footwell first - that isn't the case with mine, where it is definitely more wet in the front passenger footwell. That makes me think it could be related to the stripping on the roof of the car just above the front passenger door. I did notice it is loose (I can completely pull it off) and it doesn't "stick" back into place quite right like the driver side.Guess I'll have to spot test by pouring water into various areas and seeing when/where it leaks.

[FlyrVA]

zir3000 - I have the exact same leak you describe coming from the same place you showed in your photo. Did you ever figure out the ultimate problem?

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by FlyrVA »zir3000 - I have the exact same leak you describe coming from the same place you showed in your photo. Did you ever figure out the ultimate problem?I don't have the sunroof, but I would bet that is the drain line, and if it is, that's awfully small, easily clogged...

[zir3000]

Quote, originally posted by FlyrVA »zir3000 - I have the exact same leak you describe coming from the same place you showed in your photo. Did you ever figure out the ultimate problem?Yes, a small square piece of black rubber had lodged itself in the moonroof drainhole. It had then gotten covered in dust and that must have been why I missed it. Open the moonroof and stick your head up there. There should be a drainhole towards the passenger side front corner of the moonroof that is about the diameter of a No. 2 pencil. There should be a similar hole on the driver side corner. Clear out any dust or you might not see it. The piece of rubber was pretty stubbornly stuck in there, I had to use a paperclip to stab and pull it out several times. I can't believe that I missed it, as I looked up there several times. It blended in VERY well. If you can't find the hole keep looking. If they are not plugged and it still leaks, most likely you have a plug farther down the line.What is strange is that on my girlfriend's car which is a Corolla, out of curiosity I looked at her moonroof and noticed the same square piece of rubber rattling around up there. It hadn't clogged her drain but it makes me think it is some part of the moonroof that gets loose and falls off and can potentially get stuck in the drain as it is almost exactly the same size as the drainhole. If I can find the piece of rubber I'll take a picture to show what it looks like. Similar to a square black eraser head with two little slits on the side.

[FlyrVA]

Thanks very much. I'll take a look tomorrow!My moonroof sometimes rattles/vibrates...I wonder if that has anything to do with it. As you said, maybe a piece came off somewhere.

[petunia6576]

I am experienceing this same issue and for some reason can't seem to see the pictures is there any way they could be sent to me so I could see them it is starting to get stinky in my car!!

[Elarbe]

Hello everyone! So glad I found this!!! I have an 05 Vibe - with a sunroof.

This looks like what i am dealing with except that its both sides that the water in leaking from. It hits directly on my right foot while I am driving, and in the same exact spot (left foot) on the passenger side. I am also hearing a noise that started at the same time as the leaks. It sounds a little like "sand" in the dash board when I am turning a corner, not so much "water", which would make more sense. While that is happening, it sounds like the air is having trouble getting through as though its blocked momentarily. Also, a whistling of some sort that almost sounds like a "belt"...also in the dashboard, not under the hood. We have had TONS of rain lately, so I would have to imagine its related, however it only happens when I have the AC on. The hose theory makes sense, but I cant relate that to the noise in the dash since it isnt constant! If I Iam hearing water in the dash..I cant imagine what its "pooling in" inside there! Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks!
Lori

[Hutchvibe]

I know this post has been here awhile so I hope you've solved the problem by now...but, for others, the drain hose on the bottom of the condenser canister does not always have to come off to be the problem. Mine got clogged and the entire canister would fill up to the point that it would slosh over on turns. It came to a head on a very humid day when it got so full that it hit the fan and made a horrible noise when turning. I cleaned the drain out with a wire and all was well. I later found my cabin filter was in wrong and had let junk past which accumulated and clogged up the works.