LR3 Wet Driver's side carpet

[tetsuo69]

Soooo you thought it was that sun roof drain issue didn't you? So did I. It's not!

Baseline: My driver's side footwell had a ton of water I saw on the carpet after a big rainstorm. Trial,error,lots of towels later I believe I root caused it to APillar plastic cover coming loose and water coming in through the plastic rivet holes. Other relevant info:
1. I had already cleaned + rerouted sunroof drains a few years ago
2. Checked all 4 sunroof drains again, working fine
3. Checked HVAC drains in center console area, don't seem to be a problem
4. Siliconed the crap out of the A Pillar exterior cover
5. Dried the entire area for weeks, wow does that foam under the carpet soak up water.
6. Water splash tests never resulted in large ingress of water.
7. And so I thought.... issue resolved!

But no, it's not! If I go back every day or so there is always a wet area in the center of the carpet, underneath only, basically smack under the plastic molded in floor mat in front of the pedals. No water in the wire loom tract by the door, no wetness on the carpet anywhere else but here.

Where is this water coming from??? Ideas, things to try? It's in front of the underfloor heater duct for the rear passengers, related? Condensation from the floor?! it's been a bit chilly in the mornings here in California. Or somehow sneaking down between layers of the carpet from the console, Heater core or something? Leaking front windshield? I can't seem to find a trail of wetness leading from anywhere to where I get damp foam insulation under the vehicle and its been happening for almost 2 months since original water ingress issue. Seems to happen independent of rain.

I'm out of ideas aside from A. living with a stinky wet car or B. tearing out the entire carpet and trying to find the source. Help please!

 

[Houm_WA]

How is your windshield cowling? Is it warped?

 

[tetsuo69]

How is your windshield cowling? Is it warped?

Replaced 2 years ago, RTV siliconed the crap out of the passenger side, however the driver side I have not. Is there an opening on the driver side which water can get in? Good idea, maybe I'll try a water soak test on that section of the window as well.

 

[jwest]

Replaced 2 years ago, RTV siliconed the crap out of the passenger side, however the driver side I have not. Is there an opening on the driver side which water can get in? Good idea, maybe I'll try a water soak test on that section of the window as well.

I would pull the cowling off to inspect both sides. There is a long tray below the natural drip edge of the glass bottom edge. this area more or less dumps right into the venting to the inside. it's dumb design but that's where i would start.

Now I will add that in my bmw the driver side floor got damp often which was odd. i didn't believe my service guy who's been with bmw for 20 yrs when he said it was the "vapor barrier in the door" but then he explained the condensation effect and once replaced, it never happened again! I had all 4 doors done for good measure.

it really surprised me how wet the carpet could get from just that effect but i guess each night or whatever then draining into door sill then into carpet it makes sense.

 

[winterfg]

Have you checked the drain pipe from the air conditioning?? Mine was blocked and so the water just filled the foot well !!!

 

[tetsuo69]

Yes, checked previously, not blocked

 

[imackenz]

If you have fixed the seals at the bottom of the A pillar then it has to be the air intake for the aircon!

Almost certainly the windshield cowling is the start of the problem. I had exact same problem with my 2005 LR3. Nearly drove me mad. The water went under the windshield cowl ran along the bottom of the windshield to the other side of the vehicle and dripped into the air intake for the aircon system on the passenger side - down through the aircon motor and ended up coming out on the drivers side - go figure? Anyhow I read a post that recommended making a small cover for the section of the air intake that protrudes beyond the windshield - make sure it slopes away from the intake - you don't want it to leak only when parked facing uphill - a tupperware box of the right size cut to suit and silicon in place fixed the problem. No silicon was required on the windshield cowl ! I was quite skeptical about the post because it was really hard to find the water tracking but tried the fix anyway - couldn't believe it worked.

ok - important point - my vehicle is a right hand drive - Australia - yours of course will be LH but I am willing to bet it's the same problem - just mirror image.

 

[amarquez]

Are there any cracks in the floor board under the carpet? Particularly around where the bracket that holds the body to the chassis? This is usually accompanied by a noise that seems to come from under the dashboard like if something was loose.

 

[MelindaL51]

Oh my gosh, I'm having this same problem with my LR3!! It's drivers side and passenger--although worse on passenger--with me. I haven't detected any wetness anywhere other than the carpet, not the doors, not the dash, just carpet. I'm not used to trying to find my own issues with a vehicle, but I'm more than willing to learn--saves money taking it in! Glad it's not just me though.

 

[catman]

There is another possibilty. On my LR3 I had a very weird issue with water filling up my brake booster and causing it to freeze up (zero brakes) in winter. I finally figured out that the main engine seal that goes around the entire circumferance of the engine bay was not pushed up tight at the 90° bend beneath the drivers side window area (under the hood). When it rained or when I went through a car wash enough water ran along that pathway that some it was working its was behind the seal and then dripped down onto the brake booster. From there it got inside the booster and filled it up. I noticed it because if it was below freezing I literally had no brakes (very scary). If the engine warmed up, it would melt enough for the brakes to work normal again. All I had to do was reconfigure the seal a hair so it would sit up tight again in that corner, but I had to replace the entire booster as it rusted inside. Now I did not have water inside the cabin, but since it was cold here I discovered the problem perhaps before it got to that point. If you are not in freezing temps it is possible that water is working its way in from the booster, which is bolted on from inside the cabin, underneath the carpet behind the brake pedal. You could check there to see if there is any dampness after rain.