[Link.27]

I have a 2011 Honda CR-Z that I have owned since late 2013. Love the car and all the goodies.

Recently, I had started to notice that my car was a little rank on the inside and I thought I just had to get it detailed and carpets cleaned and we'd be good from there.. that was not the case. After pulling out the carpet cleaner and going to town, I pulled out my driver's side floor mat which was just soaking wet and then noticed that the whole carpet on that side was soaking wet. Blah blah, just fast forwarding to the current status, I have pulled out the driver's side trim and the center console and pulled up just the driver's side carpet and have noticed that the foam insulation underneath is just socking wet with no other signs of puddling or anything of that matter. This goes for the foam insulation right under the feet and underneath the actual seat towards the back as well.

I am 95% certain that it is just water as I don't smell any coolant and didn't pull any coolant coloring when pressing some white paper towels against the soaking foam. I have been trying to search and search but I have yet to see anyone with this same issue.

There has been a good amount of rain recently but I have never noticed any leaks. I also did a small leak test the other day to see if I can try and spot it again along with spraying it completely down with a hose while being on the inside to inspect. Currently though, I have the carpet yanked up and a fan going to try and get this stuff to dry and not produce mold so I cannot do the hose test quite yet.

But anyways.. does anyone have any further insight here? I know I should start looking at the front windshield as a possible area and the driver's side window, but is there anything else that could be a contender into this problem? Also, I might just want to replace the foam insulation just to be safe and comfortable that there will be no mold growing, does anyone know where I can buy an OEM replacement or stuff that should work just the same?

I am very sad and annoyed and just hoping to try and get everything put back together but confident that it won't happen again. No other part of the car was wet, this is purely just the driver's side. I have been driving my car a little bit less just because I also got a truck recently, but it will never sit undriven for more than 2 days.

Any type of help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[Koala Yummies]

That sucks and I for one want to try and help get to the bottom of this.

For windshield test hose is good but you could also fill a big bucket of water and steadily pour it all over the roof and windshield area. If you can have some stuff removed inside near the area it pooled before to see better it may help. I did a bucket deluge test after replacing my windshield.

As to your question of other possible areas; the firewall area under the hood cowl is another possibility as rainwater goes down the windshield/to the sides. Under the cowl and to the sides is a pretty large open area where multiple areas of the stamped unibody meet. The windshield actually protrudes quite a bit into the engine bay under that cowl (the windshield is way bigger than it looks). There's the cowl, the wiper motor and a large black piece of metal (that the wiper motor bolts to) that can itself be unbolted to reveal this rather large void.

Definitely keep us updated.

 

[NY-Z]

Also make sure the evaporator drain hose is connected and not damaged or kinked. Problems with this hose can cause water to back up into the car when the AC is running or when it rains.

 

[96firephoenix]

There's also a gasket on the power steering rack that could have gone bad and let water in.

 

[litz]

I hope you get it figured out, but the only other area I can think of to check, is the fender well liner (especially if you've ever ran aftermarket wheels that "rub just a little....") I hear about someone having the tire rub a little area of the fender liner and that let some water in while driving, but never had the problem if the car was just sitting out in the rain. Good luck.

 

[Koala Yummies]

Also make sure the evaporator drain hose is connected and not damaged or kinked. Problems with this hose can cause water to back up into the car when the AC is running or when it rains.

Oh yeah to add to that make sure it's not internally obstructed. Bugs (notably spiders and their webs) are known to crawl up and block it from draining.

 

[Link.27]

So I shall hopefully be finally doing the leak test tomorrow. I have had the carpet drying away for about 48+ hours as I really do not want any mold happening. I also had some partly rusted seat mounts that I sanded down and painted. I will probably cover the whole bottom floor with some paper towels or something to help see if any water is actually getting down to the footwell when using the hose.

As per some of the other suggestions, first off, thank you very much! Secondly, I am still a partial amateur when it comes to working on cars and continue to try and do more and more. That being said, where can I find the evaporator drain hose for the AC unit, and then for the cowl recommendation, do I just pull out some tabs and that comes straight out kind of a situation? I will also check the gasket by the power steering, I think I can manage to figure that out.

Thank you all once again and hopefully I will have some better news within the next few days!

 

[Koala Yummies]

where can I find the evaporator drain hose for the AC unit

Inside the car it's passenger side under the dash near the center console/floor, attaches to bottom of heater core and goes outside through the firewall. It exits under the car along the exhaust tunnel, aft of the front subframe ahead of the secondary exhaust oxygen sensor (it hooks into a white plastic holder there). It's about a 1/2"ish diameter shaped rubber tube with nothing covering the opening.

It'd be a nice easy fix if you find out it just got dislodged from the HVAC and its A/C condensation water in your car.

and then for the cowl recommendation, do I just pull out some tabs and that comes straight out kind of a situation?

Might want to wait until you do that next leak test. I have the factory manual images ready if you want but don't want to have you taking off too much stuff if its not necessary and you find the leak elsewhere.

 

[Link.27]

Well, I hosed the hell out of my car and had paper bags laid out all across the bottom and found nothing. I moved my car inside and decided to carpet clean one last time to ensure everything was clean and was just going to put everything back together. I checked the cowl area and the AC hose and everything was good there. Then, after I was done carpet cleaning everything, I finally removed the paper bag flooring (didn't want to get the floor wet from the carpet cleaner) and then noticed a small little pool over water. Slightly paranoid I pulled the car back out and drenched the car again this time with no paper bag flooring. NOTHING. Then, I moved the car back in the garage, and then the water came back. I dried it up with a towel and then moved the car again looking at the floor the whole time, and TADA, water.

Now here's the thing, it is coming from the back of the car along the drivers side. I think we have some new things to diagnose and once again, all help is very much appreciated!

I have attached some pictures so you can see what is all torn up and then I try my best to show where the water is coming from. I am now assuming that possibly one of the gaskets on the hatchback is going bad or maybe something else...

Thank you all in advanced!

 

[Link.27]

Water is leaking through these 2 screw holes above the driver's side curtain air bag..... WHY.

I have torn up so much of my car, super frustrated, hoping I can put everything back together, and finally found where the water is coming from. It is dripping down from these holes, creating a puddle in my car and then eventually draining all the way down to my driver's footwell.

Only problem is, I still can't tell exactly which gasket is letting the water in to this area! Or if it is even a gasket?! I can verify that pouring water on top of the car near the antenna does eventually cause water to leak through the holes. I just can't pinpoint yet which area on top of the car still.

Right now, it is late, been working for about 4-5 hours, just going to get some rest and work on it more tomorrow.

Anyone have any ideas of what areas of the car may run to that area?!

 

[Spdbump]

Maybe the gasket for the antenna has failed? To remove the antenna you may be able to lower the headliner and remove the big bolt lift the antenna and use a sealant under it maybe RTVR or a a new gasket? it is a thin rubber gasket under pressure and exposed to the sun.Since you know that if water is near the antenna it ends up where you said I would seal the antenna. Once that is done I would bet your leak would be gone.