Water on the floor, soaked carpet - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

NoSparkNeeded · #1 10-15-2009, 05:03 PM

Big storm where I live. Now the driver's side carpet is soaked. It isn't obvious exactly where it's coming from. I'd guess the windshield rubber,
but? No rust holes that I can see. Is there a common culprit for this sort
of leak? Passenger side is dry. That darn thick pad is going to take days
to dry out. I hope the pad is closed cell foam or it may never dry. Perhaps
when my wife gets back next week I'll dry the floor really well, take off the panels and have her shoot around outside with the pressure washer,

UriahT · #2 10-15-2009, 05:09 PM

So many places it could be coming from that it isn't funny at all.
Windshield, Cowl drain, hood hinge pocket, window seals, door seals, sunroof seals, and sometimes even less obvious places like the evaporator draintube and rubber seals around the wiring coming into the cabin.
Water can build up fast, and takes a long time to dry.
Dry it out, remove carpets, remove kick panel under drivers side dash, and have someone hit it with a hose while you lay inside. One of the sacrifices of owning an old luxury automobile. I still have yet to do this on my new find.

erizo715 · #3 10-15-2009, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoSparkNeeded

Big storm where I live. Now the driver's side carpet is soaked. It isn't obvious exactly where it's coming from. I'd guess the windshield rubber,
but? No rust holes that I can see. Is there a common culprit for this sort
of leak? Passenger side is dry. That darn thick pad is going to take days
to dry out. I hope the pad is closed cell foam or it may never dry. Perhaps
when my wife gets back next week I'll dry the floor really well, take off the panels and have her shoot around outside with the pressure washer,

By mine 300 sdl with the same problem the solution was repairing the hole in the rubber on top of the door with krazy glue and a piece of rubber from another car, check the rubber on the door, is got to be water tight.

280EZRider · #4 10-15-2009, 05:29 PM

Sunroof drains run down the A & C pillars and if they are plugged, the first indication is water spots on the headliner, so not likely.

Evaporator drain runs thru the firewall on pax side, so not likely.

Window seals leaking would most likely allow water to run down the window, thru the door, and out the door drain at the bottom corner.

Even if the cowl drain were missing, the water would just run out the drain hole into the engine bay. A hole rusted in the bottom of the cowl, however, is possibile.

Door seals - possible, not likely.

The most common of this type leak in the 123 car is winshield seal and hood-hinge cavity.

turbobenz · #5 10-15-2009, 06:23 PM

if its the w123 its probably the infamous windshield leak

truckinik · #6 10-15-2009, 08:58 PM

Anyone consider heater core.....? Possibly evap drain is clogged.I see this all the time. You can blow out the drain tube with air pressure. Same goes for sunroof drains. Blow them all out from the top with air pressure. This has become quite a common problem because many people overlook it as even existing....

NoSparkNeeded · #7 10-15-2009, 11:19 PM

Windshield rubber was my first guess, but in the morning I'll check the
other suggestions. I have a little star crack in the glass, so perhaps I'll
just get an OEM gasket and have the local guy do the windshield and see if that works. In the past I'd never bail on a diagnosis by parts replacing,
however since I have star crack

. I will take off the panels and do the
pressure washer test on Monday. I hope I can still get an OEM window gasket.

NoSparkNeeded · #8 10-15-2009, 11:25 PM

I work IT for a bunch of doctors. They gave me an old endoscopic camera a long time ago. It wouldn't fit into a spark plug hole very well, but would go down the hood hinge hole, hehe I'll take a look and post this weekend. I just knew I'd find a use for that unit, other than sticking it in my pants to annoy the doctor's assistants,lol

NoSparkNeeded · #9 10-17-2009, 07:10 PM

I took all the panels off the drivers side and dried everything with paper towels. The little "pocket" behind the plastic panel was full of water.
I used a tube of "Goop" with a very small hole in the tip, stuck between
the windshield and the rubber. I slowly squirted a small bead stuck down as deep as it would go. Let it dry all day. Shot all over with a pressure washer just now and looks like no leak, however I know what a pita leak detection in ANYTHING is. Heck I'd really and truly rather pull a motor, than fiddle with a water leak. I'd rather trace ANY electrical problem than deal with a phantom water leak. If this does in fact cure the leak in the next big storm, I'll replace the window rubber. The windshield does have a little star crack that bugged me ever since I bought the car, so I'll get a new OEM gasket and windshield once I verify that the water leak is due to the gasket. Now I hope that smell in the car goes away in time. Looks like
the pad is drying OK. I put in in the drier for a couple cycles and hung it on the line for 2 days. I'll shampoo the carpet and trim carpet in the morning, hehe looks like I AM doing now what my wife wanted after the break-in, sanitizing the car, lol

280EZRider · #10 10-17-2009, 09:18 PM

Congratulations!

tobybul · #11 10-27-2009, 03:44 PM

So, Sparks, I guess I'm not clear on what you found to be the cause of the water on the carpet. I have a similar problem right now. My indy said to check the sunroof drains.

NoSparkNeeded · #12 10-27-2009, 04:21 PM

It was indeed the window gasket. I just squirted a small bead of "Goop"
between the rubber and the glass and pushed it down. I pulled the rubber
away at little at a time first and cleaned with laquer thinner and a rag. Then
stuck the tip of "goop" tube down in between the glass and the rubber on the outside, ran a nice bead as deep as I could then every foot or so I pressed the rubber against the windshield and wiped off the excess glue with a rag. I did it all around the rubber. Let it dry for a few hours, then cleaned with laquer thinner and a rag. Can't even tell it was done. I've washed the car twice now with no leaks. The smell in the car went away
after steam cleaning the carpets. All is well for now.

tobybul · #13 10-29-2009, 01:14 PM

So, by window you mean windshield? Normally, if the windshield has a leak you would see the water trickling inside right behind the windshield. I see such sign on mine.

I already cleared and checked the sunroof drains and they are now draining just fine. I don't know if the they really plugged or not.

I know that my sunroof seals are not that great but i see no signs of water stains on the headliner.

I think water is coming infrom somewhere else. Any ideas where else to check?

evoldeal · #14 10-30-2009, 12:09 AM

Just went thru 3 days of major rain, and what I had noticed as a drop of water here or there on the cabin side of the windshield seal has wreaked some real havoc on the floorboards. Do not under-estimate the power of this "little leak"!

I bought some Permatex silicone sealant today and went to town on the inside and outside window seals. Rear windshield included. Won't know if that will do it until the next big rain. I also had a trunk leak through the left tail light. I removed both tail light assemblies and ran the silicone over the decayed seals.

The door seals are all pretty decayed as well. I'm afraid to research how much it would cost to replace them all, and even more afraid to undertake the project myself...

I need a garage to keep this car in!!!

Meanwhile, the back seat floorboard coverings are soaked. I have them out of the car drying. Could all of this water on the floorboards come from the rear windshield?? The carpet behind the back seats are wet below the windshield. The carpet interior is not wet around the door-frames.. more as if it is coming from the ground up..

tobybul · #15 10-30-2009, 08:46 AM

After all the rain all night, the soaking of the carpet is back. I felt around the trims just above the front footwells and viola!!! I felt wetness upfront at the passenger side. I looked at the inside rubber seal of the windshield but it looked dry. But its clear its coming from upfront.

The other day, I just removed the rubber grommet under the carpet of the rear passenger side floor board to help release the water on the floor. I may have to do it at the front too for the time being.

I be parking the car inside the garage this weekend and do some sealing. Probably turn up the heat too to dry things up.