Damp carpet

[mijohnst]

As many of you know, I have another really long thread about issues I thought I was having with my catalytic converter. As of today, I'm going to go in a different direction. Hopefully, I (we) figure it out in case someone else is having this issue. It's had a smell since I purchased that's never gone away. That smell never made me sick until recently though.

To start, it's been raining a ton here lately...much more than normal. It rained again last night so this morning before work I felt the carpet for wetness. What I discovered was that the carpet is damp on the driver's side and the passenger's side. It's not the heater core because I just replaced it and I'm not losing any antifreeze. I think what's happening is that rainwater is somehow getting into the cab and getting the pad and the carpet wet. It's not soaked like when my heater core was bad, just damp. Now the trick is to figure out where it's getting in.

Could the seal around my windshield be leaking? Could the sunroof drain have a break somewhere inside? I wouldn't think would be a door seal because it's damp on both sides but maybe both are bad. I'm going to visually inspect it over the next few days and I can't figure it out. If I don't see something obvious, I'm going to probably pull all the seats and carpet out again to get to the bare metal to observe. Any other suggestions?

Also, I'm considering replacing the padding. Rockauto a good place for that or does anyone have a suggestion? Sorry again for the long thread! Thanks again, fellas!

 

[OR VietVet]

There are sealed vent areas under your cowling at the base of the windshield that have recently come to light that cause leaks that get the carpets wet on both sides. Before you remove the carpet place a bunch of dry paper towels up under the dash area and on the floor but keep them separated so that if one gets wet it does not bleed over to the other. The ones under the dash up high, like where your feet/toes can reach would be the most important. You should be amazed as to what the seal areas look like under the cowl. Not saying it can't be the overhead or the windshield seal or whatever else but recently we have seen a run on the water leaks related to the cowl area. To help dry out the carpet, if you get to that, fans blowing across there work well but may never effect the padding. RA or ebay are good places for the padding and carpet.

You may have been getting effected by mold. The new padding and carpet should fix that but some spray that is made for that would help too, especially up in the dash areas you can reach.

 

[mijohnst]

There are sealed vent areas under your cowling at the base of the windshield that have recently come to light that cause leaks that get the carpets wet on both sides. Before you remove the carpet place a bunch of dry paper towels up under the dash area and on the floor but keep them separated so that if one gets wet it does not bleed over to the other. The ones under the dash up high, like where your feet/toes can reach would be the most important. You should be amazed as to what the seal areas look like under the cowl. Not saying it can't be the overhead or the windshield seal or whatever else but recently we have seen a run on the water leaks related to the cowl area. To help dry out the carpet, if you get to that, fans blowing across there work well but may never effect the padding. RA or ebay are good places for the padding and carpet.

You may have been getting effected by mold. The new padding and carpet should fix that but some spray that is made for that would help too, especially up in the dash areas you can reach.

Ron, you're my hero again. Thanks for the fast response.

I will work on that tonight because it's supposed to rain AGAIN. If it does turn out to be a leak in that area, is it the glass seal? Would replacing the windshield and gasket fix that? I don't mind replacing the windshield as it was something I was going to do anyway because I have star cracks in my direct view.

Here is a picture that I took with my cowl off a few days ago.

 

[OR VietVet]

That white bordered seal looks good but double check the condition after the cowl was removed and replaced. Sealer around it to help fortify the existing seal cannot hurt. The other painted red cover there, above the a/c accumulator is also another place where it leaks and seems to be a degradation at the windshield side of it that seems to be the problem area. I think that lifts off and if is easy to do so that is a sign of the seal breakdown. Also look in there where the wiper motor is at. I would not do any of this till you place the paper towels and wait and see where the wet spots are actually at. Then you can tear in to it. While it could be the windshield and the seal I would not do that till you pinpoint the problem area and then if it is the cowl, you can still do the w/s after that. Your call of course. If you have help shine a bright flashlight from inside and outside of the edge area of the w/s seal and look for light. Someone shine and the other look. Best in a dark area, like a garage with no lights on. Can also do that at the sunroof drain and at the door seals and the little antenna area at the top of the rig, if you have one, but that would really have to be leaking for both floors to be wet. Remember, the passenger side floor could still show signs from when the heater core leaked and the drivers side may be the only one effected instead of both sides, like may be going on now.

 

[George B]

For the record. My past Burb, an 03 would leak water during a heavy rain. Only noted on the drivers side. dripped a little to the left of the brake pedal. Only did it when parked with the back of the truck lower than the front and with a slight lean to the left. Never looked into where it was coming in.

Might help you in your search.

 

[mijohnst]

Thank you, Geroge! That's good to know! I've put paper towels down all around as Ron suggested and all came up dry.

On Friday, I pulled off the kick panel and door molding on both sides and pulled the carpet and padding back. Both were wet but not soaked. The plastic under the pedals on the floor has foam under it and that was soaked on both sides so I propped them up. I moved the fan around all weekend to make sure it was all dry as a bone. It did not rain last night but this morning I checked and padding was kind of wet from condensation the collected on the metal floor and the foam under past under the pedals was wet again! I'm baffled... It didn't rain and it's not coolant.

My last-ditch effort is that I have now pulled the seats, carpet, and padding out. We're supposed to get a big rainstorm tomorrow and I'm just going to let it see and see what happens.

 

[OR VietVet]

Curiouser and curiouser.

 

[mijohnst]

Well, it rained last night and when I checked it today was completely dry. Things I hadn't posted here were installing new door rubber, removing/resealing the plastic cap under the cowl (over the AC intake), and adding some clear chalking in areas under the rubber that runs over all the doors. Maybe one of those fixed it. These are all things I found on the Internet of people having a water issue in this model. I couldn't find which it was so I'm just doing it all. I'm also having the windshield replaced tomorrow. After that, I'm going to put a seat back in and drive it around in the rain and see what happens.

And since I have all the molding and seats out, I'm going to use this opportunity to replace the carpets. It's got some faded stains I couldn't get out so what the hell. Is it worth the extra $100 for the Mass Backing instead of just the regular Cutpile?

By the time I'm done I'm going to have a 5k car that I paid 7k for. lol Oh well, it's all for the fun of it.

 

[OR VietVet]

No one on here has run the gambit of RECENT repairs like you have Mike. The knowledge you now have can be shared with so many others. Only you can make the decision about spending the extra $100 on the carpet. I bet you do it based off of all the other decisions you have made along the way. I hope getting the wet carpet out and new in takes care of the headaches problems you were having. Sounds like all the other wet leak repairs MAY have fixed for now but the proof will be in the rain drives.

 

[mijohnst]

No one on here has run the gambit of RECENT repairs like you have Mike. The knowledge you now have can be shared with so many others. Only you can make the decision about spending the extra $100 on the carpet. I bet you do it based off of all the other decisions you have made along the way. I hope getting the wet carpet out and new in takes care of the headaches problems you were having. Sounds like all the other wet leak repairs MAY have fixed for now but the proof will be in the rain drives.

Thank thanks to you, Ron! I kind of use this forum as a journal so that if someone else has these issues, they'll have some answers. I hope I never sound like I'm complaining here. I'm enjoying the heck out of myself on this project. It's sometimes frustrating and but almost always rewarding. Just glad a group of virtual drinking buddies to help me through it all. lol