Water in Passenger Footwell (3 Viewers)

[olegators]

Got the passenger footwell leak after some haavy rain. Cleaned both sunroof drains, but the leak recurred. Planning to replace the cowl in the future, but for now decided to create a cover for the recirculating air hole using the method mentioned here. Used an old sign made from corrugated plastic. The weatherstripping on my cowl is very worn out and the plastic is getting discolored.

 

[mbdtex]

You guys will see my previous progress… nothing worked and I ended up replacing the entire cowl assembly.
Not a single drop of water got into my cabin after the replacement.

Is this the part you purchased to replace your cowl assembly? I couldn't find a ~$200+ part, just this $527 for my 2017 200 that's having a leak post windshield replacement. Thanks!

 

[777Gage]

Still dry, no water intrusion, several years later.

I had a new OEM windshield and cowl put in last fall, & the install guys were able to get the insurance company to pay for all the plastic also.

It finally rained recently and I noticed a small amount of dampness under the passenger side floormat. I'm wondering if the install guys removed my deflector I fabricated with the 2016 cowl/foam. It was definitely less than prior issues.

Will be monitoring in the next few weeks of incoming weather.

 

[CharlieS]

That's great that your insurance covered the cowl!

 

[777Gage]

That's great that your insurance covered the cowl!

I was a bit shocked, didn't even ask him about it, he just pressed them to cover all the windshield plastic, and they did....

Hope you are well Charlie!

 

[FJRanger]

Followed @CharlieS lead with the old coroplast sign and CAD (cardboard added design). However, no foam. Hopefully, it’ll do the trick.

 

[80 Series Al]

I'm experiencing the leak but it's in my driver footwell. Just got the 2000. The sunroof is not functioning. Water dripping down the a pillar and from somewhere by the firewall and HVAC directly into the footwell...will check the cowel. But no access to sunroof...

 

[Sandroad]

I'm experiencing the leak but it's in my driver footwell. Just got the 2000. The sunroof is not functioning. Water dripping down the a pillar and from somewhere by the firewall and HVAC directly into the footwell...will check the cowel. But no access to sunroof...

If water is coming down the A pillar it sure seems likely to be the sunroof drains. I wonder if there is a connection between an inoperable roof and clogged drains. You can sort of check the cowl by hosing it down without getting any water on the roof and looking for water inside. Is the windshield original? Another possibility is a bad install causing leaks up the pillar. Be sure to dry out the sills to prevent electrical connection corrosion.

 

[linuxgod]

I'm experiencing the leak but it's in my driver footwell. Just got the 2000. The sunroof is not functioning. Water dripping down the a pillar and from somewhere by the firewall and HVAC directly into the footwell...will check the cowel. But no access to sunroof...

Unless you’ve caulked the sunroof closed, even no-functioning water still seeps past the rubber seal

 

[grinchy]

I’m happily two years of no sunroof leaks. I put a hole in the drain hose during cleaning. I wasn’t a big user of the roof so no loss. I use cheap vinyl wrap. Just replace or add a second layer yearly, it cracks at the gasket from wind driven motion. Extra moonroof points if you leave the glass center unwrapped. Using about six inch wide strips last application.

 

[Artie]

I’m happily two years of no sunroof leaks. I put a hole in the drain hose during cleaning. I wasn’t a big user of the roof so no loss. I use cheap vinyl wrap. Just replace or add a second layer yearly, it cracks at the gasket from wind driven motion. Extra moonroof points if you leave the glass center unwrapped. Using about six inch wide strips last application.

I rarely if ever open mine either but, as I understand, that doesn’t matter. Crap can still get into there and clog it.

I have the little cleaner thing but haven’t ran it down mine yet. It’s been 4 years now so I probably need to at this point.

 

[onelittlestar]

Mine has been parked for roughly 3 weeks, went to get things ready for COTR on Saturday and opened the door to a not so nice surprise and smell...driver seat took the brunt of it
Sunroof opened up and had almost a pointer finger knuckle deep of water holding on the driver side and a single inch long leaf was the culprit...can't even make this s*** up, it just found the perfect orientation to block the drain. As soon as I moved it, ALL the water rapidly flowed out within a few seconds. Lucky me!

Pulled driver side carpet up, all plastic and sucked up visible water, threw in the dehumidifier with drain tube, ordered an ozone machine off Amazon.

Not sure exactly what the lesson learned is here, but something something check the sunroof area for tiny rogue leaves.

 

[grinchy]

I rarely if ever open mine either but, as I understand, that doesn’t matter. Crap can still get into there and clog it.

I have the little cleaner thing but haven’t ran it down mine yet. It’s been 4 years now so I probably need to at this point.

I lpark under four 100 ft pine trees that drop crap every season. My drains were perpetually clogged.

Mine will leak if any water makes it past the vinyl, since I have a hole in the right drain hose. Plugging that side alone doesn’t work, as the Chanel overflows before the left drain sees the overflow.

 

[Napili9]

I have a Gamiviti rack and there is plenty of high quality, flexible sealant on every bolt. I installed it myself and have 100% confidence that it is not a source of water intrusion.

The water was absolutely coming in through the fresh air vent and dripping onto the floor mat. I can see where the water made trails in the road dust in that plenum, and before I fixed it, I could observe water dripping out of the white plastic HVAC surround behind the glovebox.

The mesh is also a really good idea, but I was in a hurry to get the vehicle back together, and am not eager to pull it apart again, so it'll have to wait until next time.

The coroplast "roof" I installed has plenty of airflow around it, all air handling works fine. No water is getting in. Lots of air is flowing around it. No reduction in cabin air flow or AC efficiency that I can observe. It is easily reversed, and nothing on the vehicle was harmed or modified to install it. It is really just one more layer of prevention - there are multiple levels of rubber seals, plastic channels, sealing foam, and metal ridges that collectively do a great job of diverting water. In my mind, this is just one more layer of prevention.

I resealed all of the places where the oem foam had compressed with new expansion type weather seal. I also added a larger 1" section of foam to the gap that appears to have a factory weather seal on the new version of that tray.

I also cleaned the rubber strip at the top and the windshield with alcohol (like you would with a windshield wiper blade). There was a lot of crud buildup that could have also impacted how well it sealed. Maybe sand too, since we just recently got back from a week in the outer banks.

An aftermarket windshield was installed by the PO, so that plastic cover had definitely been displaced at least once. I have a suspicion this is where the drip starts to rear its head for may people. A theory: once the foam is compressed and then removed and reinstalled, it doesn't re-expand, and leaves small gaps where water can get in.

If you have the plastic tray under the glove box, with its absorbent backing, you might never notice an issue if the water intrusion was minimal. That is, until it is overwhelmed. I took that under tray out a while ago to install my GMRS there, so it isn't absorbing any water or redirecting it.

I think I spend a total of $30 on this project, and I only used a small fraction of the materials I purchased. Definitely worth trying some or all of it, if you are frugal. I couldn't justify spending hundreds of dollars on a new tray when it seemed easily solved with readily available materials.

Thanks.

Prototype from an old coroplast sign...

View attachment 3002654

what I ended up with:
View attachment 3002735
And some weatherseal:
View attachment 3002736View attachment 3002737View attachment 3002738

Did you remove the old weatherseal then apply the new one?