- Location
- Southern CA
Like many, I've recently noticed wet carpet on both the front driver and passenger sides, although most often on the passenger side. Footrest areas seemed dry, as was the headliner and under the door trim. Baby powder all over stays dry always. I looked in the cowl as best I could (long flashlight and mirror - this is a 2001 4.0L XJ w/ AC and California emissions) and I didn't see any debris. I pulled the HVAC drain hose and it is clear, and I ran a pipe cleaner 6" up the plastic fitting and felt no resistance. My compressor is on loan, so I couldn't try blowing air. I removed the passenger seat and side trim and pulled the carpet back on the passenger side. It was wet all right, but no rust yet so I've got this early on.
As a test yesterday I dumped a large pitcher of water into the cowl on the driver (open) side. The result was unexpected, and now I need a lesson in jeep anatomy. Most of the water poured into the cowl came running out the weep holes in the bottom of both front doors. The driver's door was closed, and the passenger door was open - it made no difference. Engine compartment firewall stayed dry, and water coming out the door is below the threshold for the inside of the jeep. That isn't the source of the wet carpet. First question - how is the water getting from the cowl to the door? I would prefer to think it isn't passing through the flexible rubber boot covering the electrical wiring, but I fear I will be disappointed.
A much smaller, but still appreciable, leak came dripping out from under the passenger side dash. I removed the glove compartment to have a better look. Water was coming from the seam between the upper and lower halves of the HVAC case, on the front right corner and on the right side as far forward as I could see. I noticed the flange of the case was cracked where the screw joins the two halves, and that may be part of the problem. The screw may have been overtightened. I had the heater core replaced about two years ago by a dealer, and they should have used new gaskets as well as seen any cracks, but who knows.
Second question - is a pipe cleaner long enough to establish that the HVAC vent is completely clear, or could there be a block higher up? I didn't see any water coming out that drain when I flooded the cowl, although I'll have to try that again to be sure. Related question - is that drain exclusively for air conditioning condensate, or should I even expect cowl rainwater to drain there first?
I would guess a normal rain would never dump as much water into the cowl as quickly as I did. Final question - do you think rain would ever likely fill the HVAC case as high as the seam and/or the channel to the door? I wonder if I created a pathological condition and thus missed the real leak.
Rained all day today, so nothing further done. Any thought on the various openings and their relative heights above the cowl floor appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
As a test yesterday I dumped a large pitcher of water into the cowl on the driver (open) side. The result was unexpected, and now I need a lesson in jeep anatomy. Most of the water poured into the cowl came running out the weep holes in the bottom of both front doors. The driver's door was closed, and the passenger door was open - it made no difference. Engine compartment firewall stayed dry, and water coming out the door is below the threshold for the inside of the jeep. That isn't the source of the wet carpet. First question - how is the water getting from the cowl to the door? I would prefer to think it isn't passing through the flexible rubber boot covering the electrical wiring, but I fear I will be disappointed.
A much smaller, but still appreciable, leak came dripping out from under the passenger side dash. I removed the glove compartment to have a better look. Water was coming from the seam between the upper and lower halves of the HVAC case, on the front right corner and on the right side as far forward as I could see. I noticed the flange of the case was cracked where the screw joins the two halves, and that may be part of the problem. The screw may have been overtightened. I had the heater core replaced about two years ago by a dealer, and they should have used new gaskets as well as seen any cracks, but who knows.
Second question - is a pipe cleaner long enough to establish that the HVAC vent is completely clear, or could there be a block higher up? I didn't see any water coming out that drain when I flooded the cowl, although I'll have to try that again to be sure. Related question - is that drain exclusively for air conditioning condensate, or should I even expect cowl rainwater to drain there first?
I would guess a normal rain would never dump as much water into the cowl as quickly as I did. Final question - do you think rain would ever likely fill the HVAC case as high as the seam and/or the channel to the door? I wonder if I created a pathological condition and thus missed the real leak.
Rained all day today, so nothing further done. Any thought on the various openings and their relative heights above the cowl floor appreciated.
Thanks in advance.