Got a wet mat??

[UNEVEN THOUGHTS]

After returning from a trip the other day I discovered a strange musty order in my VX and a WET MAT on the passenger side, UH-OH !! I had about 1" of water under the carpet so I remover the seat and sucked all the water out with a carpet cleaner. After reading past posts I found that nobody had found the leak so I set out to fix that! After a couple of hours with a gardenhose and a flashlight I've got it kinda figured out.

Most of the water sprayed here dissapeared into the truck.
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/858110-thumb.jpg

The water then pored out from behind this black mat and pooled-up and soaked into everything from the firewall to the back of the front pass. seat.
.http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/858112-thumb.jpg

Water also pools-up under this thing which looks very inportant so make sure to dry the surrounding area.
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/858115-thumb.jpg

As of right now I havn't fixed the problem but now we atleast know how the water's getting in. Any suggestins would be helpfull especially if you know the route the water might be taking once it gets inside

[UNEVEN THOUGHTS]

Visit my gallery for the larger pics

[coolk41]

I did the same thing just the other day. Mine is leaking on the driver side. I noticed an area on the firewall where the water flows down that is possibly the culprit. I used silicone sealer (clear) to seal those areas. I then hosed it down again. I dont see any water, yet. I am still looking.

[V-Twin hiCROSS]

Hey guys,
Mine did this same thing on the drivers side a few months ago. I ended up taking the drivers side fender off and using an outdoor sealing caulk all the way down the corner of the cockpit. Basically where the firewall meets in front of the drivers door. It was hard to reach in some spots, so I used a long rod to get the caulk in there. Knock on wood, it has not leaked for about 4 months now. Hope this helps.
Neal

[Narsus]

I've recently found the same problem with some heavy rain in Colorado. It happened to the passenger side and I had a bunch of standing water by the floormat under the dash. I called and raised hell (erroneously) with the rack store, because I had JUST installed my aftermarket roof rack. Anyway, turns out that it's not the rack, and I think it's coming in the same place, by where the fender meets the firewall.

Incidentally, those custom subs are incredible, man. Don't suppose you have an extra set laying around, do you? :)

[UNEVEN THOUGHTS]

I found that the leak was comming in from around the big rubber grommet and flowing down behind the glove compartment. It seems that if the grommet isn't tight enough in the hole the water will run along the seam and into the truck, soaking everything untill you end up with that puddle on the floor. The good news is that you can fix for about $4.00, the bad news I found is that if you had standing water you'll need to replace that sectin of carpet, the fiberglass matt and the thick black matting that runs from the floor up behind the dash. The musty smell WILL NOT go away, no matter what you use on it, so dont waste your money. I apologize a head of time if this doesn't work for you and I've wasted your time and money.

Here's How I Fixed It:

Go to Auto Zone and buy a can of that spray on rubber sound reducer. $4.00

Pop the hood and unbolt the cruse controll thing so you can get a good angle to spray the grommet. Make sure you spray the seam all the way around.

Take out your passenger seat, sill plate, the kick plate, and the little round discs that hold the carpet against the firewall. Remove everything that's wet and nasty and throw it out, even remove the black matting stuck to the firewall.

Pickup all the water w/ a shop vac and let the carpet dryout a little before crawling under the dash to look around.

Once the floorboards are dry grab a flashlight and look way up under the dash for the backside of that ****'n gromet , it'll be all the way up in the corner. Just keep pulling that black matting out till you can get a clear shot with your can o' rubber. Have someone spray the inside of the engine compartment with a hose so you can see where the water's comming in. Dry the area, get your rubber, cover your eyes, pull your T-shirt over your nose and spray the B***h down. You can give the firewall a few coats too while your there.

Let it dry for a few minutes then spray down that corner of the engine compartment again w/ a hose and quickly check inside for leaks. If you see water dripping, get back under the dash w/ your spraycan and flashlight.

Just remember to always dry the area
before you spray the rubber on it. For some reason it doesn't like moisture at all. The detailing guy I brought my smelly carpet to barly put a dent in the ever-present oder and told me straight out it'll need to be replaced. So that's next on my list. I hope this helps.

[Tone]

Great explanation - thanks! Usually the smell resides in the padding which can’t easily be cleaned so if you pull if off the carpet, clean the carpet again, and then put in new padding (I used thicker padding to keep the heat from the cats from coming through) the smell should be gone.

[MZ-N10]

i know this post has been dead a long time ago...but i just noticed i had this problem and wanted to know wat gromet was leak. anyway of gettin the pics back up. thanks

[Marlin]

Once again bringing back a dead thread, I had this problem anytime I parked uphill in the driveway and it rained. I just let the rubber floor mats collect it. Well, I just realized it hasnt leaked in a few months. I think that means it has rusted enough that the hole is blocked:)

[AndyMahnFL]

The thread's not dead (unless the moderator declares it so). With all the recent rain in S Florida, every night I lose sleep over the fear that I will again have water sloshing or dripping or wet floors in the morning. When I first got my VX - back in June of this year, I conveniently failed to notice the musty smell. Only later after the excitement of new ownership subsided did I admit to myself that this thing smells like it has a two-year-old raccoon carcass hidden somewhere.

I was since able to eliminate the odor, but have noted water dripping on my foot on the driver side, or on the passenger side occasionally after a rain. I have read every thread on this great site regarding the issue several times. I have unbolted the passenger seat, peeled back the carpeting, removed the glove box, windshield wipers and began removing the cowling (where the wiper motor resides). The only reason I stopped was due to my fear that I would make things worse by tearing/damaging the weatherstripping/rubber seals and possibly bend the cowling screen/assembly.

At this point, I am willing to remove the fender, remove the cowling, and get to the root of the issue, with some silicone and/or JB Weld and a thorough application on any gaps, weld joints, grommets, etc.

I refuse to continue to dread the possibility that again I have water entering my cabin and that it may be causing damage to the in-dash electrical systems, as well as causing mold and stink under the carpeting and within the padding.

I was hoping to see some photos of the exact areas where members of our forum have sealed leak/water entry points. This would be immensely helpful. I would gladly accept a reply, a PM, photos, or link to such images.

Best regards.

[Ascinder]

Hahahahaha, the P.O. already fixed it on mine too easy:luck:

[etlsport]

My leak was coming from the top of the windshield.. 800+ later it's stopped. When the cowl under the windshield was removed I also put silicon on the screw holes before swerving it down and silicon on the plug in the pass door jamb

[Gussie2000]

Also had a small pool of water few times on the passenger side,right under the dash board.

But didn't bother to look deeper into why,i guess i am lucky i got no smell inside whatsoever so far.

[Marlin]

The thread's not dead (unless the moderator declares it so).

I know, what I meant was, since I "resurrected" another thread a few weeks ago, I was bringing back another thread that had no posts since 2006. I get bored and start digging through old topics. Trying to get my unread posts to zero:) Then I can get my Masters in VXology.

[AndyMahnFL]

No worries, Marlin, just seeking helpful information, 's'all

[vt_maverick]

I had this problem after I had my windshield replaced, apparently the glass guy didn't seal the weather stripping completely so water was getting in at the bottom of the windshield. It's pretty easy to find the problem, just push on the weatherstripping around the windshield and if it moves, put a little windshield glue/sealant (just ask for it at AutoZone) on it, and you're good to go.

[Volksnick]

I am dealing with this problem and I'm getting pretty sick of letting it air out. I have done a lot of searching but I cannot find a thread that has links that work. Does anyone have pictures of the body seam weld that failed? Or the grommet through the firewall? or the area under the cowl that has failed? I know about where they are, but I can't track them down.

For what its worth, it doesn't seem to happen when I'm driving or if I go through a car wash. It only happens if it sits, regardless of the angle (some folks said it only happened uphill or downhill). I have had the windshield replaced and I took the cowl off last spring to look for the leak, but I didn't see a failed glue seam. I find it odd that this problem never occurred until about my 9th year of driving it...

I'll appreciate any advice.

Nick

[vt_maverick]

Do you know how the water is getting onto the carpet? When I had this problem the water was dripping onto the carpet from just behind the glove box (directly beneath the windshield seal). The reason I ask is that if the water isn't seeping into the carpet from somewhere further forward (firewall or heater core for example) you could at least put down an all weather mat to stop the soaking effect.

The only-when-you're-sitting symptom likely just means that you have a very slow leak - water has to pool and sit on top of the loose seam for awhile before gravity takes effect. If you're in motion the water doesn't have long enough to go through.

[Volksnick]

It is coming from up under the passenger side dash. I noticed the wet carpet and then the blower resistor blew and I fixed it and the blower motor had some rust around the motor. I pulled it and lubed it up. I haven't been able to pin point the leak. I have checked the windsheild seal with no results. I would like to see the body seam in question cause I'm all out of luck.

[Lizardmen3477]

I too will resurrect this post. After a week long rain now my passenger floor is soaked an i dont not see any rubber gromet. Anyone have pics or commins areas to check? Door gaskets look fine

[DaGambit69]

This is the link that I used to help with my leaking mat. http://www.vehicross.info/showthread.php/21628-Passenger-Side-Wet-Carpet-Part-II?
When you lift your hood, on the passenger side you should see the opening that goes into your fan area. The windshield cowl screw right above it is what I sprayed silicone on. In fact, I sprayed it on all the screws. I tried to also spray the grommet near the cruise control thingy but I couldn't get a good angle on it (I did not remove the cruise control module). Hope this helps.
Kent