Water in pass side after overnight rain ?

[jim_hoyland]

I had to park outside during the recent storm that passed though So. CA We only had an inch overnight; in the morning, there was a good size wet spot under the dash on the carpet. Opened the hood and removed the battery cover-tray to see if there was a blockage. Didn't find anything blocking the drain, but there was standing water near the drain.

Car was parked on a very slight incline, with front at the high end. Anyone else experienced this ?

[bar10dah]

If I recall correctly, there are three drains under the front hood and two under the rear.

Also, if I remember right, when you have water in the car, it's because the rear drains got clogged?

[jim_hoyland]

Originally Posted by bar10dah

If I recall correctly, there are three drains under the front hood and two under the rear.

Also, if I remember right, when you have water in the car, it's because the rear drains got clogged?

I assume there are only two drains under the front cowling, pass side and driver side. Funny thing is I never had this happen when washing the car...

[turbo23dog]

Clogged drains are a possibility but its also just as likely that the wetness is coming from water leaking past the plastic vapor barrier in the door. Quick way to check for this: feel for wetness along the bottom edge of the door panel, especially under the area where the door speaker is. If that's wet, then the water seeping past the inner vapor barrier and into the floor carpeting.

Check out the photos in the follow post:
http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/22781-drivers-side-footwell-wet.html

[jim_hoyland]

Update: Had the car on a lift today and blew compressed air up the drain tubes. Gees, what a bunch of junk, electrical tape, candy wrapper, two leaves, and misc debris.

It's supposed to rain Sat in So Cal, so I'll get to test it out

[healthservices]

Originally Posted by jim_hoyland

Update: Had the car on a lift today and blew compressed air up the drain tubes. Gees, what a bunch of junk, electrical tape, candy wrapper, two leaves, and misc debris.

It's supposed to rain Sat in So Cal, so I'll get to test it out

Be extra careful when using high pressure air to blow out the drain tubes. This tends to blow off the hose from the upper mounting point at times. If this happens all the water that would normally go down the drain will be in your interior.

[Drphil]

Originally Posted by jim_hoyland

Update: Had the car on a lift today and blew compressed air up the drain tubes. Gees, what a bunch of junk, electrical tape, candy wrapper, two leaves, and misc debris.

It's supposed to rain Sat in So Cal, so I'll get to test it out

Jim, Phil here from S.C. (think 914 site) - i had a Saab convertible that had the same thing happen and drains needed cleaning,but the main cause of the water in the car was from the top leaking. once i retreated it , even with a hard rain i did not have the water problem. -- your car is a '97 or '98, so could be a good idea to retreat the top with water proofer if you never have.

hope you stay dry!

[Paul]

The cloth on our tops is not waterproof, it just covers a second rubber layer.

[Paul]

3 drains in the front, 4 in the rear.

[thstone]

Yeah, I was surprised at how much stuff was in what looked like an open drain tube on my Miata. Even if they look clean and open, its a good idea to blow them out once a year.

[amschnellsten]

If you ever have a drain tube that can not be unclogged with high pressure air you can use some weed whip string (light gauge) and gently clean them out.

[Kenny Boxster]

After high pressure air, it generally helps also to use a vacuum hose and stick that sucker down there. I pulled up a bunch of leaves in my shop vac as a result!