Wet Passenger Side Floor Board Many Variables (1 Viewer)

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Sep 6, 2004
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So for the first time in months I washed the LX twice in one day, trailered a boat for 200 miles and noticed radiator loosing coolant. In the past, my passenger floor board would sometimes by lightly damp, I assumed it was from the massive heat under the passenger floor board and the plastic bottomed oem floor mats creating a sweating environment. There was no coolant loss noticeable. Last weekend, I did the above mentioned activities. When I got home the floor board was soaked when I removed the mat. To the point where if I rubbed a towel along the floor it drenched the towel. Checked the radiator and did notice level about an inch down. While trailering around 65-70 mph the temps hovered around 196-204. It was cool out. Around 65 degrees that day.

I thought at first that it was a bad windshield gasket, until I saw the coolant loss. Then I accidentally found the upper area of the firewall damp water was dripping off the wire that goes into the white plastic. I then took the picture attached. Now I am trying to figure out if I have a leaking windshield that happened to leak above this item, and have a head gasket of coolant issue or heater issue too. Too much happening at the same time. Any help or methods of checking would be greatly appreciated.
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Was wet above the black spot, no water from under passenger seat. Just in front of it. Kids just told me they heard water sloshing when I would accelerate or slow down suddenly. Said it sounded like inside the car. Another variable. I might have a bunch of issues.
 
View attachment 2574689Was wet above the black spot, no water from under passenger seat. Just in front of it. Kids just told me they heard water sloshing when I would accelerate or slow down suddenly. Said it sounded like inside the car. Another variable. I might have a bunch of issues.
The water sloshing could mean your rocker panels are plugged and you need to use a zip tie to clear the drains in those.

If the rockers are full, then the sunroof drains will not purge and they will overflow from the A-pillar into the cabin near the kickplate (on the right in the passenger side floor)


What color coolant do you have? Red, green, orange? Use a white paper towel on the carpet on the passenger side and sop up some of the wetness. If it is the same color as your coolant, it may be coolant. If it's brown, tan, or clear, it may just be dirty water from a windshield leak.

Could also be the AC system is not draining out the firewall in front and is overflowing inside. The wetness will be clear, but you need to remove your blower fan from the bottom of the AC unit and clean it out and possibly blow water up from the firewall side into the AC drain to flush and clear it.
 
Going to clear panels with zip ties in am. Water is brown. But can’t be sure it’s just not mixing with all the dirt etc.
 
Could be a bunch of things: windshield, sunroof drains, plugged rocker drains or something else.

Personally, I've had rocker weeps plugged before, AND had a leaky windshield gasket, but when I had the windshield replaced the technician (who was great) pointed out that the water stain on the carpet came from a roof seam seal leak that ran down the A-piller.

The roof seam is laid down in the rain gutter and seals the roof to the body. I do indeed have a leak. Washed the 80 last weekend; no windshield leak; water pooling in my Husky footwell liners.

Check your rain gutter for hairline cracks!

Edit: as soon as the tech told me this I searched Mud; this is common on the 60 series forum. All us 80s owners better get ready for this. Time is catching up!
 
Going to clear panels with zip ties in am. Water is brown. But can’t be sure it’s just not mixing with all the dirt etc.
There are rocker plugs (about the size of a 50 cent coin) on the inside of the rocker panels under the car. Pull those to drain. Clear the seam weeps to prevent future sloshing.
 
Going to clear panels with zip ties in am. Water is brown. But can’t be sure it’s just not mixing with all the dirt etc.
 
Check to make sure the grommet where the AC drain hose goes thru the firewall is still in place. I did a full overhaul on the AC system this last summer and didn’t notice I had lost that grommet. Passenger floor was soaked because at speed, even if the hose is clear and draining properly the water will blow back inside.
 
Checked grommet. It is there. Was not really using ac recently due to weather. Ran ac an nice drip out of firewall through the grommet. Stupid question. If it was the front heater (white box in picture) , would it leak down when I top off the radiator and leave vehicle sitting, will it leak out while running or only if I use the heat?
 
Checked grommet. It is there. Was not really using ac recently due to weather. Ran ac an nice drip out of firewall through the grommet. Stupid question. If it was the front heater (white box in picture) , would it leak down when I top off the radiator and leave vehicle sitting, will it leak out while running or only if I use the heat?
There is fluid in the entire cooling and heating system all the time. When you turn on the heat with the slider on the dash, it opens a valve to allow more flow, but the valve is designed to never fully close.

So, yes it will drip all the time if there is a leak in the front heater core, but it leaks more when the engine is running and warmed up due to heat and pressure in the cooling system.

The front heater core is VERY expensive and time consuming to replace. Do not "diagnose" that as your problem on a whim.

What color is your coolant? If the water from your towel is brown, it could be coolant if your coolant is brown. Smell it. Does it smell kind of like maple syrup? If so, then it could be coolant.

I'm guessing your coolant issue is your PHH leaking when operating. That's something you need to get checked out ASAP. Also check rear heater hard lines and hoses.
 
If it ends up being the front heater. Can I bypass the front and keep the rear to at least provide some heat if it is ever needed?
 
If it ends up being the front heater. Can I bypass the front and keep the rear to at least provide some heat if it is ever needed?
Yes.
 
Ok, this crap was driving me crazy. Went home from work, removed carpet on passenger side, started truck, let reach 175 temp and put heat on. Nothing. Then 30-60 seconds later I guess when pressure was right, water started dripping in a steady stream out of the spot in picture above. The white box with the wire going into it. Water was warm. So I guess I found the culprit. Search results showing removing rear heater or heater in total. Is there a simple way to delete the front heater only?
 
Ok, this crap was driving me crazy. Went home from work, removed carpet on passenger side, started truck, let reach 175 temp and put heat on. Nothing. Then 30-60 seconds later I guess when pressure was right, water started dripping in a steady stream out of the spot in picture above. The white box with the wire going into it. Water was warm. So I guess I found the culprit. Search results showing removing rear heater or heater in total. Is there a simple way to delete the front heater only?
Is the warm water the same color and consistency as your coolant?

If not, it could be condensation or rain water that has dripped down.

See your other new thread for the reply to the rest of your question.
 
Food for thought....
While removing the front heater from the heater circuit is entirely possible by rerouting hoses in the engine bay, there are ramifications to do so. The front defroster operation will certainly not function effectively to remove moisture/fog from the windshield and side windows in high humidity conditions. Of course this depends on where you live and what time of year. Disabling the heater core will not allow moisture to be removed from carpets, wet clothing, shoes etc. and you may develop toxic mold over time. If you use the automatic temperature control features of the LX450 HVAC system it won't function normally in some conditions.
 
Luckily for me I am in Miami, Florida and do not use the heat much. But have before and that is why I am researching how to atleast keep the rear heat. I have put that on before to dry things in the back floor.
 
Add dye to your coolant to find the location of the leak. If it is coolant coming from the white box, then it is likely your front heater core. If it's your front heater core, then it will continue to leak even when the truck is not running, as BILT4ME said above.

I replaced my front heater core just this week. For me, the heater core was leaking so badly that, when parked on an incline, the coolant would soak the carpets and drain out the back passenger side, leaving a stream of coolant on the concrete. You may also notice your windows fogging up when it's cold out (not sure you get much of that in Miami) and a sweet smell coming from the vents. Just dye your coolant to be sure.

Personally, I like to have my A/C and heaters functional no matter where I live, so I chose to replace. As ppc said above, there may be other reasons to keep the front heater core functional. Happy to answer questions about replacement if your heater core turns out to be the culprit and you choose to go that route.
 

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