Wet driver floor, AC drains? (1 Viewer)

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Joined
May 6, 2019
Threads
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50
Location
Albany
I've got a wet floor on the driver's side. Can't figure out the origin for the life of me.
Sunroof drains clear and clean, drain quickly to the base and I recently chased them
Cowl drains drain fine

Suspects:
when the AC is on plus cool box, a little water comes over the transmission from the evap coils but it's not as much as I think it should be.
Q: are there more drains other than over the transmission for the AC/cool box? Is there any way to clean those drains from under the car? Water is definitely only coming down from over the trans for the AC.

Suspect 2:
The sunroof seal is sun damaged, it looks like it's shrunken. Is it possible the bad seal overwhelmed the drains?

Before I found the water I did get a car wash, but I found the water halfway through a 15hr road trip through the south. I can't figure out which it is, evap or sunroof...

Things ive done:
Chased drains
Dumped a bucket of water on the sunroof and the windshield with the carpet pulled up (no sign of the source, it's just...wet. )

Any ideas would be appreciated, I'm a bit stumped.
 
Windshield?
Dry it and start pouring water?
 
I had a similar issue that turned out to be a blocked sunroof drain hole. I know you checked the drain, but I was able to tell my leak was coming from the sunroof because the roof liner around the sun roof was wet.

Might be worth running a hose on the roof and feeling if the liner gets wet.
 
It maybe the drain for your a/c in the car?
 
I had a similar issue that turned out to be a blocked sunroof drain hole. I know you checked the drain, but I was able to tell my leak was coming from the sunroof because the roof liner around the sun roof was wet.

Might be worth running a hose on the roof and feeling if the liner gets wet.
Gave it a try, I'll probably need more pressure , no dice
 
It maybe the drain for your a/c in the car?
As in my original post, I've tried dumping water on the car at various points illustrated in historical posts incliding windshield and I have not discounted the AC drains and originally believed they could be an issue

The issue is no post on the forum has ever gone into the location of said drains to chase them, only that they could be an issue. If anyone knows where these drains are, sharing said info would be a boon to not only myself but others .

There's quite a few posts going " where are the AC drains?" And the answer they get is "check the AC drains " lol
 
On my other vehicles it is a small 1" pipe coming out of the firewall on the passenger side in the engine bay area. I'm not sure if it is the same on the LC.

I put a 90 down spout rubber elbow facing down on a other car to prevent it clogging and the water running back into the a/c drain pan.
 
I've got a wet floor on the driver's side. Can't figure out the origin for the life of me.
Sunroof drains clear and clean, drain quickly to the base and I recently chased them

That was going to be my suggestion, but you've already eliminated that issue, so I've got nothing.
 
If water is overwhelming the sunroof drains it will likely be spilling over the lip on the inner perimeter. Try the bucket again and see if there is any trace of water there. Or put some talcum powder or something else that would make water very obvious in one corner of the perimeter, park the truck where that corner is slightly downhill, and go to town with said bucket. Or, just get some 2” vinyl tape and tape the sunroof seal, being very careful not to try to open it, and see whether the problem goes away.

Definitely check your windshield. Replacements often leak.

AC drain is on the trans tunnel, roughly even with the back of the transmission. Unsure whether coolbox has its own. Another member took their console apart recently to double check the drain and chase a wet floorboard.. it looked like a ton of work and I’m unsure what the result was.
 
This was more about finding a smell but they go into drain location a bit

 
I've got a buddy who's going to help me absolutely douse it later on, thanks for the talcum powder idea I'm going to use that. Maybe my calibrated fingers and eyes aren't picking it up.

The windshield does have a suspect spot on the corner on the other side that makes me think it was redone (I can see a little bit of windshield sealer... If it was a bad windshield job where would I see it coming in, above the peddles?
 
The guys that have reported problems didn’t seem to find the leak itself as much as evidence of it. Usually behind the lower a-pillar trim near the driver or passenger feet. Those often included corrosion in the body harness connectors in those locations.
 
Sitrep
Thinking it's the windshield. Definitely not the AC drains, drove 800mi blasting cold no issues. Hit heavy rain, floor is soaking and I had my hand shoved in the sunroof area the whole time, dry as a bone. Firewall is wet pretty far up, coming down the general pillar area ( right on the money @bloc )
Also poking around it's factory glass but I think it was replaced or resealed or something, there's a bulge of sealer near the pillar that I hadn't noticed, no way it left the factory like that.

I'm leaning towards paying an arm and a leg for the dealer to do it, think I could trust a reputable glass company to do the install?

Also I think im still going to see if I can chase the HVAC drains if only to get a picture of them, sneaky buggers.
 
Sitrep
Thinking it's the windshield. Definitely not the AC drains, drove 800mi blasting cold no issues. Hit heavy rain, floor is soaking and I had my hand shoved in the sunroof area the whole time, dry as a bone. Firewall is wet pretty far up, coming down the general pillar area ( right on the money @bloc )
Also poking around it's factory glass but I think it was replaced or resealed or something, there's a bulge of sealer near the pillar that I hadn't noticed, no way it left the factory like that.

I'm leaning towards paying an arm and a leg for the dealer to do it, think I could trust a reputable glass company to do the install?

Also I think im still going to see if I can chase the HVAC drains if only to get a picture of them, sneaky buggers.

Dealers often just farm out windshield work, so find out if they actually do it, and if not, who they use. There is a HUGE range of quality of work in this regard. An installer that uses factory trim ONLY is a huge good sign.

My truck had an aftermarket panel installed by a local (to them) body shop while it was at the dealer I bought it from. Terrible install job, though it doesn't appear to leak. I had to redo all of the side molding trim and am now running with a gap above the windshield so I don't have a high-pitched whistle at freeway speeds.

Generally a dealer farming out the work means you'll get someone they've worked with before, so that helps.. but still.. it is such a pain in the ass to have it done again that it is worth some research to make sure it is done right the first time (as you are learning).

Also if I were you I'd be pulling the edges of the carpet up and having a look inside the connectors for the floor harness in that area. You don't want corrosion in there causing other problems, potentially burning up expensive modules and such. In quite a few cases the electrical gremlins were the first sign people had problems that eventually were traced back to a windshield leak. Sometimes very minor.

Edit: also if at all possible I'd stick with your factory panel. They seem to be tougher glass (some people disagree), and details like the VIN window and auto wiper sensor bracket are more true to factory specs than even the high-quality pilkington replacement panels (what I have)
 
Dealers often just farm out windshield work, so find out if they actually do it, and if not, who they use. There is a HUGE range of quality of work in this regard. An installer that uses factory trim ONLY is a huge good sign.

My truck had an aftermarket panel installed by a local (to them) body shop while it was at the dealer I bought it from. Terrible install job, though it doesn't appear to leak. I had to redo all of the side molding trim and am now running with a gap above the windshield so I don't have a high-pitched whistle at freeway speeds.

Generally a dealer farming out the work means you'll get someone they've worked with before, so that helps.. but still.. it is such a pain in the ass to have it done again that it is worth some research to make sure it is done right the first time (as you are learning).

Also if I were you I'd be pulling the edges of the carpet up and having a look inside the connectors for the floor harness in that area. You don't want corrosion in there causing other problems, potentially burning up expensive modules and such. In quite a few cases the electrical gremlins were the first sign people had problems that eventually were traced back to a windshield leak. Sometimes very minor.

Edit: also if at all possible I'd stick with your factory panel. They seem to be tougher glass (some people disagree), and details like the VIN window and auto wiper sensor bracket are more true to factory specs than even the high-quality pilkington replacement panels (what I have)
Sounds like I have some research to do, thanks for the insight. Idk who hacked together this one, I attached a photo of the nice bulge of sealant... real quality work.

A4B8D935-7F72-443D-B62F-D1E1CB61AF18.jpeg
 
Sounds like the windshield. If it was redone, they almost always do it wrong, and the dealers just outsource it. There are certain trim pieces and screws that only a Land Cruiser / LX get and the windshield people don’t know. Even when they get the stock kit, they do it wrong. Once you are pretty sure it’s the windshield, I’d get that windshield pulled ASAP...you will cry when you see what happens behind a poorly installed windshield...once rust is visible from outside you are screwed. Is the wind noise louder than you think it should be?
 
Sounds like the windshield. If it was redone, they almost always do it wrong, and the dealers just outsource it. There are certain trim pieces and screws that only a Land Cruiser / LX get and the windshield people don’t know. Even when they get the stock kit, they do it wrong. Once you are pretty sure it’s the windshield, I’d get that windshield pulled ASAP...you will cry when you see what happens behind a poorly installed windshield...once rust is visible from outside you are screwed. Is the wind noise louder than you think it should be?
Not really... I don’t hear whistling. Also no corrosion yet near the harnesses and such
Any advice on how to find a good glass person?
 
This is not specific to the LC but a problem with most cars. Pop your hood and look at the cowl (the area right below the windshield. There are a couple of drains there and it is a spot where leaves love to accumulate and keep water from flowing off.

You may also want to check your cabin air filter to make sure it isn't wet. Make sure to put the system in recirculate to get to the filter in your glovebox.

I think it is unlikely that it is the windshield.

As far as windshield repairs go, unless it is a very common car (Civic/Corolla etc.), then I always recommend going to the dealer.

Yes, every car dealer in the universe subs glass work out (and, as in my case, use the same guy that I would use), but if something goes wrong, then you don't have the fingerpointing between the glass guy and the car manufacturer. You won't hear "the dealer sent me the wrong part, talk to them" and the dealer saying "it was installed wrong". Ask me how I know.

In addition, remember that broken glass falls under the comprehensive portion of your insurance (unless you are in a state that has a separate glass coverage) and that a low deductible on the comp side is generally pretty cheap. Going from a $1k deductible to a $100 deductible costs me $26 a year extra (the collision side is where a low deductible gets expensive). Going by past experience, I generally need a new windshield every 5 years or so, so a replacement costs me $230 vs the $530 it would normally cost (I just pulled a quote from Safelite for a LC windshield)
 
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I think it is unlikely that it is the windshield.

I disagree. Looking at that bead of urethane not where it’s suppsed to be points to a sub-par install. And quite a few cases of windshield install leaks on this board, none that I’ve seen (in a couple years) leaking through the cabin filter or cowl. Sunroof occasionally.
 

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