I have a 2021 LC and noticed water on the floor mat under the driver’s side glove box. It rained a lot last night. I had the windshield replaced about two years ago at a Lexus dealership and did not notice any leaking until now. Could this be anything other than a windshield issue? I have noticed the ac smells musty when run. Could this be an ac issue? Clogged drain? Thanks for any input!
Leak Under Glove Box
- Thread starter Munson
- Start date
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This is the infamous cowl leak. There's a thread here somewhere with how to fix.
likely cowl issue. was either not replaced with the windshield install or the the cowl not installed correctly (possible broken tabs)
bloc
SILVER Star
I would strongly advise pulling the door sill trim on that side and removing any water that has collected around the wiring harness and connectors.
There may not be any, but if there is it can damage your floor harness, and it is quite expensive.
There may not be any, but if there is it can damage your floor harness, and it is quite expensive.
bloc
SILVER Star
Makes sense. The water leaks along the bottom of the plastic cowl cover into the fresh air inlet for the AC, which is directly above the cabin filter. It then drips down through the AC system into your floor board.
Whenever I have to replace a front windshield (no need yet, knock on wood!) i will install a DIY deflector over the HVAC inlet, as shown in the linke below or similar.
forum.ih8mud.com
Cowl part# help please, for the passenger foot well leak
forum.ih8mud.com
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #9
Whenever I have to replace a front windshield (not need yet, knock on wood!) i will install a DIY deflector over the HVAC inlet, as shown in the linke below or similar.
Cowl part# help please, for the passenger foot well leak
- Thread starter
- #10
Thank you all for your replies and all the helpful information. I specifically took it to the Lexus dealership knowing I would overpay for the peace of mind they would do it right. I assume they will deny they did anything wrong. Very frustrating.
Regarding windshields I have found the smaller dedicated business to replacing the same is a good way to go.
Like A+ Autoglass in Houston with the owner Sean running it. He has done a good job installing replacement windows in our 2014 Q7 (sold) and BMW 535d, both as I recall with Pilkington per original OEM, yet without the VAG or BMW logo. Talking and watching him and seeing the result. he seems knowledgeable.
Now when I need to replace my LC200 windshield I would drive to him and ask him how he is going to do the job specific to the 200 series and what parts he plans to replace.
The key things which stand out and I picked up from this forum and online:
1) Makes sure the rear view mirror and safety assist systems get set over properly
2) Vertical black moldings and especially the clips holding the moldings need replacement, including riveting of the same
3) Cowl needs to be remove in a certain sequence and manner - I would look it up again and ask/tell him what to watch for
4) Use an OEM windshield glass, without Toyota on it should be fine
Like A+ Autoglass in Houston with the owner Sean running it. He has done a good job installing replacement windows in our 2014 Q7 (sold) and BMW 535d, both as I recall with Pilkington per original OEM, yet without the VAG or BMW logo. Talking and watching him and seeing the result. he seems knowledgeable.
Now when I need to replace my LC200 windshield I would drive to him and ask him how he is going to do the job specific to the 200 series and what parts he plans to replace.
The key things which stand out and I picked up from this forum and online:
1) Makes sure the rear view mirror and safety assist systems get set over properly
2) Vertical black moldings and especially the clips holding the moldings need replacement, including riveting of the same
3) Cowl needs to be remove in a certain sequence and manner - I would look it up again and ask/tell him what to watch for
4) Use an OEM windshield glass, without Toyota on it should be fine
bloc
SILVER Star
While the FSM specifies rivet replacement, no one really seems to do this on 200s and it doesn’t seem to be a problem. I do know the design of our rivets was updated, which could explain why it’s not needed for us but is considered best practice on the 100-series.
The white plastic clips that snap onto them and retain the molding trim do need to be sourced.
As for the trim itself, they at least need to have it on-hand. Some highly skilled techs can preserve it, but it’s a crap shoot.
Perfect, thanks much for the clear explanation
Given this I’ll say 99% certain you need a new cowl.
I'm a little late to the party here but jave been having this issue for months. Spoke to a good handful of toyota parts depts and they all have the same conclusion that it's a design flaw. I also worked with a local glass shop to diagnose the location of the leak. Seals on the windshield were good, drains unclogged, cowl seated fine.
The problem being a poorly designed vent location(below the cowl) where the cabin filter draws in air for the fresh air setting. You can easily see the cabin filter from under the hood, and it's a substantial gap under the cowl. Any sort of heavy rain or flow of water will go over the lip of the vent and into the cabin filter area. The seal on the plastic flap that flips over above the filter when you change the setting is definitely not rated for water. I'll try to throw up a video to show what's going on in there any time heavy water ran down the windshield at the wash if the post allows.
People have been building tiny screens that will divert water over the area and back through the drains(where it should be going) and have had great success. Here's a link to what seems to be a great solution to our problem :
I'll try follow up on getting a photo for whatever mcgyver build i end up with.
Side note, if you live in a snow climate like me you probably noticed your defroster not working too well either.
bloc
SILVER Star
I'd like to see one of these cowl intake cover flaps that doesn't restrict airflow at all.. so far, none accomplish that objective.
Meanwhile when the cowl and its seal to the windshield is new, the leak doesn't seem to be a problem. Many people addressed the leak by installing a new cowl...
Or other anecdotes like my 12-yr old rig with 225k miles, on its third (at least) windshield, using the original cowl, parked outside for years, with never a leak in that area.
Meanwhile when the cowl and its seal to the windshield is new, the leak doesn't seem to be a problem. Many people addressed the leak by installing a new cowl...
Or other anecdotes like my 12-yr old rig with 225k miles, on its third (at least) windshield, using the original cowl, parked outside for years, with never a leak in that area.
Hard to say with so many different results I've seen roaming the web. It's all mixed and idk what to trust, so it's worth a shot before dropping 600 bucks or whatever
