W126 87 300SDL Mysterious Sopping Wet Carpet
 

I picked up my new SDL in Florida yesterday (144K miles) and spent the last two days driving it home. By the time I got back to Atlanta the carpet was completly saturated with water! I first noticed it behind the passenger seat, but it quickly spread and was even pooling under my heel. No rain, no carwash, no hurricane! No explanation!

Complete story below

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/156871-diamond-lemon-87-300-sdl-600-mile-drive-get-home-post1235000.html#post1235000

Any thoughts? I'm thinking AC condensation inside the car...?

85 300SD had same problem
 

When i got my 85 300SD beater, the prev. owner never noticed it. Sopping wet right passenger carpets. . Are there stains around perimeter of roof? My sunroof seal is bad. My conclusion was those carpets hold a lot of moisture for a long time. Since mine is a beater, i cut the carpet so i could take out the sop.ping wet pads. Have not noticed it since. Been 2 months. Of course it has been a drought too :)

Im intereseted to see what you come up with.

Doubt it's the A/C as the dryer is in the front of the car.

The fact that it's spreading, probably rules out leftover water from a typhoon or such, but rather water currently entering the cabin.

Only one way I can think of from your desciption (no wash, rain, sleet, snow or hail) and that's condensate from the A/C leaking from disconnected/plugged evaporator box drains. They will leak in the front, but often pool in the back. Not uncommon.

The drains are behind the side covers of the console, near, but not at, the firewall. They empty on either side, by the trans, underneath the car.

I'll bet you have one pulled out of it's little grommet in the console anterior.

Why's the evap core leaking the water? I thought only the dryer "sweat"... :confused:

I've had people complain about getting "dripped on" while riding in the passenger seat with the A/C on.

Hopefully the evap is ~35ºF, and the dewpoint is obviously much higher, so the water vapor in the air coming thru the evap condenses out as liquid water and drips down the core to the bottom of the evap box, and then, supposedly out the drains.

On a TXV system the receiver/dryer handles high side refrigerant liguid only and should be hot, never cold and should not "sweat". An accumulator/orifice tube system (like many US cars) has a different "plumbing" system with an accumulator on the LOW side of the refrigerant circuit, and those cannisters will "sweat", but not our R/D's. ;)

Black/silverish tube to the right of the "go" pedal. You can sorta make out some black tie-wraps in it. That' the evap box drain. Bet yours is pulled out at the bottom.

Ah, makes sense. :D

How about mud dobbers (insects) ? They clogged up the drain line on my BMW a/c ,cleaned it out with a screwdriver :) .Johnny

I think it's the condensate drains. I bought some 5/8 tubing last night. I'll snap some pics and let you know how it goes.