Weird interior water intrusion

[r3dn3ck]

01 Cobra, nearly stock. During the monsoons here in Kommiefornia, after a few days of really heavy rain, the footwell on the rear driver side seemed like someone poured a gallon of water on the floor. It's not gotten any further forward under the driver seat or anywhere else that I can find. I don't recall there being any rubber plugs there so that wouldn't be it. I haven't been able to figure out where the water got in. Any ideas what path water could take that would only end up on the rear driver side footwell?

And because 4x4 suspension cobras are rare as hen's teeth:

 

[Maximum95]

Strange problem! Maybe somewhere around the quarter window?

 

[ttocs]

that would be my guess. Any leak on that side will work its way down to the floor. I would probably take apart that side inside the car and have a helper with a hose soak that side of the car with a hose and see if I could follow the water.

 

[r3dn3ck]

Yeah, I was afraid of that. Uggh. At least the cage isn't in yet. Thanks lads.

 

[r3dn3ck]

I might have a clue to the source. If someone knows if this is a possible path (car isn't handy right now), do chime in:

I found when walking out to the car one day not very long ago that the driver side scoop was working itself loose. It is not currently feeling very firmly fixed in position. There's some wiggle. I seem to recall that there's a hole in the body there. I wonder if that might not be the intrusion vector.

Thoughts?

 

[Adfalenski]

If you crawl under the car behind the right front wheel and look up you should see a drain on the bottom of the AC cowling. It is a drain for water collected by the evaporator housing. Over time the drain gets clogged and the collected water will drain into the passenger side instead of outside. The drain needs to be unplugged. In the summer when you have the AC on and then park the car and wait a few minutes you will see water dripping on the ground behind the right front wheel. This is caused by the water draining off the evaporator.

 

[ttocs]

I might have a clue to the source. If someone knows if this is a possible path (car isn't handy right now), do chime in:

I found when walking out to the car one day not very long ago that the driver side scoop was working itself loose. It is not currently feeling very firmly fixed in position. There's some wiggle. I seem to recall that there's a hole in the body there. I wonder if that might not be the intrusion vector.

Thoughts?

I thought I had seen/read where some of the cars had rust issues behind the scoops but if the scoop itself is loose then I would start there. There is supposed to be a rubber washer/gasket on the back of the nut holding it in place.

 

[r3dn3ck]

If you crawl under the car behind the right front wheel and look up you should see a drain on the bottom of the AC cowling. It is a drain for water collected by the evaporator housing. Over time the drain gets clogged and the collected water will drain into the passenger side instead of outside. The drain needs to be unplugged. In the summer when you have the AC on and then park the car and wait a few minutes you will see water dripping on the ground behind the right front wheel. This is caused by the water draining off the evaporator.

Appreciate the input. Never ran into that in 20 years of owning new edge's. The intrusion is ending up only in the driver side rear footwell though and so unlikely to be this. I will however crawl my skinny ass up in there and take a look though because I think that's liable to stop me paying to unnecessarily replace a heater core someday.

 

[EvertonSteve]

Appreciate the input. Never ran into that in 20 years of owning new edge's. The intrusion is ending up only in the driver side rear footwell though and so unlikely to be this. I will however crawl my skinny ass up in there and take a look though because I think that's liable to stop me paying to unnecessarily replace a heater core someday.

Hi, did you ever discover what the issue was? I'm having exactly the same issue with my 2003. Driving me mad! Checked the rear drains, etc. Still happening! I was just going to put up a post, on here, but saw yours and thought I'd see if you had a possible solution. Thanks in advance, Steve (over in rainy UK which isn't helping a leak!)

 

[r3dn3ck]

It's not happened since spring but I'm in California where we only have 2 seasons, March and the rest of the year. As near as I can tell it's from the driver side scoop which likes to poke it's nose out about 5mm. I have yet to snug it up but the car's been in the shop just a little more than not. I could also be the grommet by the rear of the front frame rail. Winter is here so we might get a decent rain storm in the next month or so and then I'll find out for sure. I'm pretty sure it's got to be the grommet. It's about the size of a cola can and outboard on the underside at the end of the frame rail.