Hi - I have a 1998 Mercedes Wagon - I think it’s an E320 w/sunroof. After a good rain, there is quite a alot of water behind the driver seat, on the floor. It makes a lovely swishing sound when stopping/turning etc…The ceiling is not wet, nor are the sides. My mechanic cannot find the leak but did remove a plug or screw to allow the water to run out. Very worried about electronics/wires/rust or whatever is runninng under the car carpet. The idiot light just went on for elctronics so it could be related. Please help!
Some Sunroofs Have Channels Immediately Around Them And Drains In The Corners.
They are allowed to leak and then the water is drained out of the channel.
If your’s is like that, then possibly a drain / drain tube is clogged. This is not a highly unusual problem. This tube can often be accessed on the firewall (wall dividing the engine compartment from the passenger compartment), under the hood. Sometimes the clog is right in the end, there.
My 2000 Blazer had the same problem. The short version, I found the leak by using a garden hose to pour water continously into the windshield cowling. Using a flashlight to reflect off the water I found the leak under the dash. The seam between the firewall and the inner fender was cracked. The water was running down the seam underneath the carpet and padding and accumulating behind the front seat. A little silicone caulk and the leak was fixed.
You need to get the carpet up and dry out the padding underneath. I was able to remove the carpet trim and slide some towels between the carpet and the floor pan. If you can’t do that, use towels and pressure (phone books or anything heavy on top of the towels) to sop up as much water as possible. Run the car with heater running full blast with the windows cracked to finish drying the carpet out.
Good luck,
Ed B.
Is It Warm Enough Where You Live To Have Recently Run The Air Conditioner?
You have probably noticed puddles of water under your car or other cars when air conditioning is being used. The air conditioner removes moisture from the air, collects it, and drains it to the exterior of the car, when everything is working properly. The water exits the car, usually from under the dashboard, through a drain tube. Possibly a drain / drain tube is clogged. Water can travel and pool in a low area of the floor. This is not a highly unusual problem.
The liquid water is only part of the problem. The padding under the carpet will soak up water like a sponge, and hold it, even when you can’t see any liquid water on the carpet or hear it sloshing around.
This trapped moisture will allow mold and mildew to grow, and the interior will start to smell.
You have to determine where the water is coming from (I’d suspect the sunroof drain) first, and fix it, but after you do that you have to get the wet padding out from under the carpet and dry it out. There isn’t a shop vac on the planet that will do this. You must lift the carpet (easier said than done), remove the padding, and let it dry completely, or you will have a moldy, musty car.
Good luck.
Some Of Those Steam Type Carpet Cleaners, Rented Or Professional, Can Suck The Spots Off A Leopard!