I have a 2005 Mazda 3 and have recently noticed that the passenger side floor (front and back) is soaked. The driver’s side of the car is dry. There is no smell, so I’m guessing it is water. Nothing has been spilled and the windows have been closed during rain. I began noticing this about a week ago. The only change that I’ve noticed is that it has been very hot recently and I’ve run the AC quite often. Has anyone else had a similar issue or have any thoughts? Could it be that the AC is somehow leaking condensation on to the passenger side floor of the car?
It is a possibility, a check of the AC drain tube could solve your problem. Tom and ray usually suggest just blowing some air in it to clean it.
Most likely a clogged drain. Clogged drains come in several flavors.
AC drain. When you run the AC it de-humidifies the air and if it’s drain clogs the water ends up on the passenger side. Same if the drain for the area under the grill in front of the wind screen. Look for drain(s) under the car on the passenger side. carefully use string trimmer line or low pressure compressed air to clean them.
If you have a sun roof, it could be the problem. Sunroofs are not water tight. They are designed to drain. There are drains at each of the four corners. You may need to clean one or more of those drains, using the same tools recommended above.
Good Luck
Thanks a lot for the replies! I’ll check out the drains when I get the car back from the detail shop tonight (I wanted to make sure the water was cleared up as quickly as possible to prevent mildew). I’m going to leave the AC off until I figure this out. I do have a sunroof so I’ll check that out as well.
I was able to check the AC drain tube that runs out in to the engine. It was clear. I also put a pipe cleaner up in to the little nozzle it connects to (going to the drain pan?)just below the vents at the top of the firewall near the hood. That also appeared to be clear. Floor is dried out now. I Will drive with the AC off for a while to help narrow down the possibilities.