Water on Passenger Side Floor of Car
February 4, 2012 10:18 am Air Conditioning, Reader Questions
©DenLorsTools.com Summary: A question asked by one of our visitors about water soaking their carpet on the passenger front floorboard. Their vehicle is a Suzuki Vitara, however information here can be applied to other vehicles as well. The original blog is linked below this article.
Readers Question – I took my 2006 Grand Vitara through a car wash yesterday and a few blocks later there was a whooshing noise from the front pass. side where the air conditioning system is. I would hear it when we accelerated and it would not be there when the a/c was off. So I discontinued A/C use. It sounded like water. It eventually stopped making the noise. Then this morning, the passenger. floorboard was all wet. There was water leaking from the compartments underneath where the glove box area is. Could this be related to the car wash? There is no smell to the liquid, and it has not rained recently.
My Answer – Jen, there’s a couple of things to understand, to diagnose this problem.
1. The fresh air intake for HVAC (Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning) systems on most vehicles is through the cowl area in front of the windshield. This is where fresh air enters the car.
2. If there is a clogged drain for the evaporator case, excess water will build up in the HVAC case. It can be heard swooshing around on turns. The case may leak at the seams if it gets enough water accumulated. Normally the water comes from the evaporator when air passes through it’s fins/coils. This is normal and usually is only a problem if the drain is restricted.
Sounds like the car wash forced excess water into the evaporator case this along with a partially clogged drain caused your issue.
I would make sure that the drain which is located along the firewall in the engine compartment on the passenger side is clear. It’s best to use compressed air and/or a metal wire like a coat hanger. Caution; Don’t stick the wire inside the hole more than a couple of inches as to NOT damage the evaporator.
On future visits to the car wash I would set the AC controls to MAX or Recirculate. This will close off the fresh air door preventing air and water from entering the HVAC case. Good Luck.
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