Wet car mystery - any ideas?

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Rikkitic

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#238044 30-Jun-2018 17:26

I have an old Diamante from 2003. Recently enormous quantities of moisture have been collecting inside. It drips from all the windows, not just fog but thick droplets. If I wipe them with a towel, they just bead and drip even more. I have to go over them several times to actually get them dry. God knows what this is doing to the electronics.

The dampness all seems to accumulate on the front passenger floor. The carpets are absolutely sopping but the rest of the car is dry, except for the windows. I don't know if there is a lean to the front left. There doesn't seem to be.

This started (at least I first noticed it) a couple weeks ago. It is still going on though the car has not been running. It is really extreme. I have never seen anything like it before. I don't know what can be causing this. We have had several cloudbursts of very heavy rain over the past couple weeks so maybe water has accumulated somewhere from that, though I can't find anything. We have also had a spell of sunny weather, bright in the daytime and cold (but not freezing) at night. Maybe that is causing excessive condensation. The car lives outdoors. The windows are dripping on the inside, but completely dry outside. Or maybe it is the air-conditioner leaking. I can't figure it out. Nothing has been running for the past two weeks.

Today I went over everything with towels and a hair dryer and it is all pretty dry at the moment. It will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow. I would be glad to know what others think of this. I have never experienced anything like it before. Condensation is one thing, but this is sopping wet. The car has been closed so no ventilation. The water is all coming from the inside.

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#2046496 30-Jun-2018 17:30

2 causes in my mind... I think it is your aircon leaking.

Alternatively you have a hole in your car somewhere where the water is entering when it rains.

But, most likely an aircon leak. Had this happen to a car I bought when travelling the USA. Front passenger side mats became soaking wet after driving with the AC on. Garage said it so, reconnected whatever had come loose and was all good.

JeremyNzl

359 posts

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#2046499 30-Jun-2018 17:34

Aircon produces condensate during cooling, drain as above could be blocked,

Also I had birch seeds block the drains at the edges of windscreen of my car lead to damp passengers footwell.

Check your flooring drivers and passengers for dampness, and have a google for drains on your model

Linux

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#2046517 30-Jun-2018 18:20

Heater radiator could be leaking

John

throbb

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#2046521 30-Jun-2018 18:35

Open the driver side door and check the rubber seals for gaps.

Fred99

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#2046533 30-Jun-2018 19:14

Leaking heater radiator should be reasonably obvious from the smell of coolant - slightly sweetish - and you should see a corresponding drop in the radiator / overflow bottle level.

Has the car had a windscreen replaced? Could be failed or poorly applied sealant/adhesive that they use to glue windscreens in with - or rust around the windscreen frame.

It's often not easy to find leaks. If something obvious can't be found, I'd probably lift / fold back the carpets in the passenger side where the water is accumulating, get someone to gently hose different areas on the outside and look for where a trickle is coming in. There may be a bit of mucking around to get that part of the carpet lifted - removing trim on the sill to get clips out etc.

RunningMan

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#2046534 30-Jun-2018 19:32

If the floor is wet in just one area, it is likely a leak in that area. The moisture then evaporates and condenses on the windows due to them being cold - there will also be condensation on the inside of the door etc that you can't see.

The water will be either rain water, coolant, or from the A/C drain. If the car is sitting unused, then it's very unlikely to be coolant or the A/C drain as the coolant will come in under pressure as the engine warms up, and the A/C needs to be running for it to produce water.

That leaves rain. It cane be driven in when the vehicle is moving, or run in with it stationary - given the car's not moving...

Look for leaks above the front passenger floor area - anywhere that water can drain down to that level. Check things like around the windscreen, around the door, the drain holes in the underneath of the door that let water out that gets inside the door, any holes in the firewall, buildup of leaves in the air intake at the bottom of the windscreen for the heater. Get inside the car with a bright torch while some else runs a hose over the area. Remember that the water can track along a little way before going down.

Once you've found and fixed the leak, it will take time for the moisture to dry out - only once the carpet and underlay is dry will all the condensation stop. Running with the A/C on (warm) will help with drying it out.

gzt

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#2046545 30-Jun-2018 20:37

Parked inside or outside?

Many cars have a cabin air filter behind the passenger glove box. In any case removing the glove box is easy and gives a better view of that area.

Check around the passenger door for a simple seal issue. If it is rain, leaks that big are usually easy to see sitting in the car and feeling around.

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Rikkitic

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#2046555 30-Jun-2018 21:14

Thanks for the tips. I will go through all this step by step. Especially I will have a look for drains. Along with all the rain, we have also had gale force winds and there were lots of leaves jammed into every nook and cranny. I cleared them out but didn't go through it all with a fine-toothed comb. Something could easily be plugged.

There was water dripping down the windows and onto the dash today, but the only real collection of wetness was on the front passenger carpet. As before, it was sopping so any water seems to be pooling there and getting soaked up by the carpeting.

The car has been sitting outside for the past two weeks, not running at all. It is not under any shelter.

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Journeyman

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#2046571 30-Jun-2018 21:35

http://www.fixya.com/cars/t4962296-2003_mitsubishi_diamante_water_leak

frankv

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#2046579 30-Jun-2018 21:51

Rikkitic:

I have an old Diamante from 2003. Recently enormous quantities of moisture have been collecting inside. It drips from all the windows, not just fog but thick droplets. If I wipe them with a towel, they just bead and drip even more. I have to go over them several times to actually get them dry. God knows what this is doing to the electronics.

The dampness all seems to accumulate on the front passenger floor. The carpets are absolutely sopping but the rest of the car is dry, except for the windows. I don't know if there is a lean to the front left. There doesn't seem to be.

I think you have it backwards... the sopping-wet carpets is the source of the condensation on the windows, not the other way round.

This started (at least I first noticed it) a couple weeks ago. It is still going on though the car has not been running.

You don't say whether the car is parked in a garage or not. My guess is not.

My first guess, since it's happening even if the car isn't used, is a leaking windscreen. The actual leak can be really hard to identify... water runs down inside the car behind the dash or A pillars, and ends up in the footwell.

[Edit] Is the passenger door really heavy? Maybe its drainhole is blocked, and it's full of water?

Dingbatt

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#2046581 30-Jun-2018 21:57

The Mondeo I used to own had this exact same problem. When the windscreen was replaced the drain holes that allowed water to drain from the windscreen were blocked. The water overflowed into the airbox that contained pollen filter that in turn led to the airconditioning duct and fan assembly behind the glove box. From there just a short journey the front footwell carpet. Once the water could drain away the problem went away but not long after that the fan started making a noise due to the bearings rusting. Resulted in a replacement fan being required.

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TonyR1973

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#2046585 30-Jun-2018 22:11

As above: It could be a blocked A/C condensate drain or just a rain water leak possible around the windscreen or boot lid. You'll need to establish the location of the moisture first - condensation is a symptom, not a cause. As an apprentice mechanic a few decades ago I spent many hours in the boots of new cars in for their first service sourcing water leaks with a torch whilst the car was gently hosed. Of course most were found directly overhead of where I was laying.

But don't worry too much. With it being a Mitsubishi, chances are the ECU capacitors will already be badly corroded so this won't accelerate their failure by much.

elpenguino

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#2046588 30-Jun-2018 22:22

If it's a 15 year old mitsi I would suggest you spend 10 minutes going around the front and rear windows looking for rust near the rubber seals.

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Rikkitic

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#2046608 30-Jun-2018 23:32

It may seem surprising but there is not a trace of rust on this car and all rubber and seals look like new. It has only gone about 145k. I have checked superficially for leaks and it does not look like anything is coming through any joins or seals or even around the doors, but I have not yet done a thorough test. I will certainly check behind the glovebox. I agree that the water on the windows is coming from evaporation of the water on the floor but am having a hard time seeing where the water on the floor is coming from. The areas where the carpet slopes down (below doors and footrest area under dash) are always dry. Only the flat part of the carpet is wet. I don't see how water can be trickling down if the carpet it has to travel on is always dry.

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kryptonjohn

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#2046611 30-Jun-2018 23:45

Separate external water by parking under cover, does that resolve it? If not, does leaving the air con of resolve it? My money our on the heater radiator leaking but as others said, you would smell the anti freeze.

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