wahine95060

You're not going to believe this. It wasn't the intakes. It wasn't the windshield. It wasn't any of the drains under the hood. Y'wanna take a guess? One last shot? It was a frickin' grommit. A grommit. Specifically, the grommit that wraps around the wiring harness that comes in thru the door near the hinges. The grommit came loose and wasn't seated against the door thereby letting water come streaming in along the outside wall right up against the wires as they snake back up toward the fuse box and the under dash area. We yanked back the carpet to see what was going on and could actually watch the water drip in and pool. Note I was upside down under the dash while DH was outside with the hose. Cookie's right. The person with the hose has more fun. To get to the grommit, we had to take the front quarter panel (fender?) most of the way off (btw, you can't get it all the way off because it's spot welded on the bottom. Bloody brilliant) and crank it back into place. And that's it. So the little space heater is once again wedged under the carpet drying out the padding. With any luck, this will end as a mold-free affair. There you have it. I'm off to play with some matches. And seriously, thanks for all your suggestions, etc. You were all helpful!

First I poured water straight into the intake vents in front of the windshield. They're the ones that have the "grating" (for lack of a better word) over them to catch debris. The water ran straight thru and came our behind the mudflaps. I checked the carpet for an increase in water and it seemed about the same. Then, I poured water on the lowest edge of the windshield where the glass meets the moulding. I poured it slowly so it wouldn't over run the intakes that are immediately forward. For the most part, the water ran off to the side and then drained, but...the carpet was significantly damper, as in on gray carpet there was a pooling that made the carpet look really saturated/black. Where is said match to be held? I've climbed upside down into the driver's side (kids, don't try this at home) and have felt around all over the forward fire wall and I can't find any water anywhere. There are no clean spots in the dust, no apparent leaks, nothing. I can't see any hoses up under the dash that are leaking either. Just water that pools at the lowest edge of the firewall. I even tried pulling the carpet under the clutch/brake/accelerator forward so I could look behind it to see if I was missing anything. No dice. I may have to unscrew the plastic flange that holds the carpet down under the accelerator to check further. Is there a way for water to run between the forward firewall and the engine compartment to get down to the floor without saturating anything else? I'm totally baffled.

Jeez, now why didn't I think of that? Okay, I filled a 2 liter bottle with water. When poured into the clean air intake, it call comes thru (of course, I didn't pour the entire bottle at once!). When I poured water across the base of the windshield on the left hand side, a small amount seeped in, so I guess there's the answer. Thanks!

I don't remember if I had the AC on the first time it leaked. It's a definite maybe since it's been raining and I may have needed it for defogging. BUT, it sat overnight Sunday night in my driveway without running anything and the water was back. It poured Sunday evening, too, so I'm leaning more toward the windshield seal. We ran a heater in there for several hours on Sunday to dry the floor out and it was bone dry...before it rained. The depressions around the clean air intake are clean. There aren't any trees to park under, so I'm less inclined to think about the clean air intake being clogged but again, it's a possibility. Any ideas where the clean air intake drains? (Aside from possibly on the floor?) And thanks for the silicone suggestions. Based on my caulking job around the bathtub, I think I might leave this one to the professionals.

Thanks for the input. I cleaned the depressions of leaves early on and no dice. It was one of my first thoughts thanks to this board. No sunroof, so that rules out the draining issue. I'm thinking the windshield seal is the next most likely target. And just how expensive is a replacement seal (she asked with great trepidation)?

Hey y'all, Newbie here with a question. Please help! Here's the problem. My '98 Outback wagon has mysteriously developed water on the driver's side floor under the floormat. I think I'd remember spilling something, so that's out. I live in California and we've had intermittent rain. My first thought (after searching here) was to check the drains behind the mudflaps. We cleaned them out and set a heater in the car to dry out the carpet. Swell, I think. All fixed! Not quite. It rained yesterday, and low and behold, wet carpet under the floormat again. It's only on the driver's side, and it's at the very base of the slope that begins the forward firewall. I don't think that's the lowest point but it could be. Anyway, what the heck? Leaky window seal? Leak from the clean air intake? Clogged drain of some other kind? Argh! Any advice on how to check where it's coming in from? Thanks in advance! Gena