Water in floorboard! Help

[Mk2lilD]

I've got a 91 jetta gl and the floor is full of water, only on the passengers side, but both front and rear floors. More water in the back than the front. I can't, for the life of me, find where it's coming from! Thanks in advance.

[Mk2lilD]

And it happens when the car is parked... The screen over my cabin air intake is in great condition. Very minimal leaves under my rain tray. I can't find the high point of the moisture. It literally almost seems as if the water is traveling up from under the car. I'm banging my head trying to find it?

[TylerDurden]

The plastic inside the door panels is not just for dust. Sadly, it is vital to have that plastic sealed to the metal and a flap also hanging inside, to keep water from going into the cabin. The window sill has the rubber strips, but they are only modestly useful.

I'd also check that the weep holes in the bottom edges of the doors are clear of debris.

[Mk2lilD]

The plastic inside the door panels is not just for dust. Sadly, it is vital to have that plastic sealed to the metal and a flap also hanging inside, to keep water from going into the cabin. The window sill has the rubber strips, but they are only modestly useful.

I'd also check that the weep holes in the bottom edges of the doors are clear of debris.

I've checked all of that. All good. Ice leaned the sunroof drains in all directions, cleaned the drain tube coming from under the dash (no water) checked all the window sills for leaks...

Still can't find it...

[TylerDurden]

The times I see the lake forming in the footwells are when the raintray is missing or fails to cover the fresh air intake (AC models) and when the plastic behind the doorcards is not completely sealed to the metal of the door.

A windshield leak is rarely that severe.

[Mk2lilD]

The times I see the lake forming in the footwells are when the raintray is missing or fails to cover the fresh air intake (AC models) and when the plastic behind the doorcards is not completely sealed to the metal of the door.

A windshield leak is rarely that severe.

I've checked and rechecked the fresh air intake. I've got an almost new rain tray, removed the wheel well covers off the front, cleaned them, made sure all the runoffs were free of debris... I appreciate your input. I don't know where to look next. I removed the plastic cover from the bottom of the car a few weeks ago to replace the axles and seals, any chance not having that thing on is letting water through the firewall somewhere? May sound dumb, but I'm at a loss. It happens even when the car is just sitting so I can't imagine anywhere other than the sunroof, window seals, and cabin air intake (mine is an Ac model).

Can I get in pass the fan to inspect a little deeper? There is a hose just under the glove box that appears to be the drain for the purpose of letting any water out that gets in. I removed the little rubber flap on the firewall just to make sure it's not getting stopped up somehow.

It's driving me nuts and ruining my carpet!

[TylerDurden]

I've heard of those plastic engine splash pans on MK2s, but never actually seen one, lol.

Ja, this is a puzzler...

Usually, you can tell if it's the door plastic, if the bottoms of the doorcards are damp. If you remove them, you can often see stains where the moisture has crept up, or even smell musty odors.

If water is entering the fresh air intake, it enters the fan housing, not the evaporator housing, so the drain tube probably won't be of use. The padding on the fan housing may be wet. I'd put a bunch of newspaper up around and under there, but not touching the floor or carpet, to see if it shows signs of water from that area.

This will sound/look totally ghetto, but I'd put gaffer's tape over the sunroof gap and see if the problem persists. Gaffer's tape comes off clean if it doesn't get cooked-on by hot sun.

The sunroof rain management relies on the tubes being open and connected properly. There is also a diverter on the rear edge of the sunroof that directs the water to the sides and tubes... if that has rotted or is packed with debris, water can spill over its edges and enter the cabin. I had to replace that diverter when water poured out of my headliner.

I got my 86 with rotted doorcards and sheet metal for a floor... this is not uncommon. Even my replacement doorcards were musty smelling but not rotted. Sealing the plastic behind the doorcards with double sided tape solved that. I flooded my 91 (parts car) overnight by forgetting to replace the rain tray.

[Mk2lilD]

I've heard of those plastic engine splash pans on MK2s, but never actually seen one, lol.

Ja, this is a puzzler...

Usually, you can tell if it's the door plastic, if the bottoms of the doorcards are damp. If you remove them, you can often see stains where the moisture has crept up, or even smell musty odors.

If water is entering the fresh air intake, it enters the fan housing, not the evaporator housing, so the drain tube probably won't be of use. The padding on the fan housing may be wet. I'd put a bunch of newspaper up around and under there, but not touching the floor or carpet, to see if it shows signs of water from that area.

This will sound/look totally ghetto, but I'd put gaffer's tape over the sunroof gap and see if the problem persists. Gaffer's tape comes off clean if it doesn't get cooked-on by hot sun.

The sunroof rain management relies on the tubes being open and connected properly. There is also a diverter on the rear edge of the sunroof that directs the water to the sides and tubes... if that has rotted or is packed with debris, water can spill over its edges and enter the cabin. I had to replace that diverter when water poured out of my headliner.

I got my 86 with rotted doorcards and sheet metal for a floor... this is not uncommon. Even my replacement doorcards were musty smelling but not rotted. Sealing the plastic behind the doorcards with double sided tape solved that. I flooded my 91 (parts car) overnight by forgetting to replace the rain tray.

The pad just above the fan is wet... The rain tray may have been slightly too far to the drivers side so I pushed it over... If that pad is wet, would you suspect that being a problem? There's a tad bit of standing water at the bottom, underneath the pad, but it doesn't seem to have anywhere to go... I cleaned out from there all that I could. Wasn't much in there as my screen is in mint condition... I've checked all the plastic behind the doors and the weep holes... Guess I'll just have to keep trying new things til it works. My passenger side sun roof was barely dripping from the tube, got it flowing out much faster now, crossing my fingers.

I'll try any ideas you can think of.

Really appreciate the help! Looks like I'm gonna camp in my car next time it pours.

[bscutt]

Try pouring water into the rain tray area while someone is looking inside (or vice versa). Pull the carpet away from the firewall first. Not sure on the MKII how the A/C & Fan plenum seals to the rain tray area but mine (Mk1 Rabbit) leaks between that plenum and the metal tray it bolts to - After replacing the heater core many years ago which required removal of the entire HVAC system from under the dash, that area never sealed back up in one small dimpled spot and getting to it for me has been impossible (might cut out a section of metal some day to facilitate getting to it!). I ended up using a magnetic cover over the hood louvers to keep rain out - it's a pain and prevents me from using my windshield washers but I don't drive the car in the rain or bad weather anymore - at 35 y.o. it deserved a rest from that and the floor replacement job due to massive rust (from the leak I didn't know I had) just forced me to stop using it in the snow, salt, and general wet mess.

Anyway on mine pouring water into the rain tray showed me pretty quickly where the water was coming in. If you don't get any there, try the windshield corners. IF still none, I agree with taping off the sunroof for a test. From there I would try door seals, plastic liner as previously described and so on. Best help is having someone to pour water for you so you can troubleshoot different areas. A good plastic pitcher or even a red solo cup works well.

[TylerDurden]

I also prefer to test on a nice day with a hose, then stuff can dry out.

I'm surprised you can move the rain tray at all.... My 91 had the heavier tray that would only fit if it was very close to the hinge. Maybe you have an earlier version; they are shorter and very flimsy. The actual 91 tray was robust and covered more stuff by the intake.

Here's a 91 ECO and original tray:

Bigger: https://dl.dropbox.com/s/8cnzzroqtyr2c2w/IMG_9068.JPG

The rectangular hole would have been covered with a clear plastic window to show the VIN, IIRC.

[Mk2lilD]

Well it rained last night...

I put an old glass shower door over the sunroof and ensured the rain tray was over the cabin air fan, seemed that the car was dry. So I think I've narrowed it down. I just reached up under the dash and realized that pad is all that stands between the cabin floor and the water. It's still soaking wet, anyway to dry it?

Thanks again for all of your help.

Any idea where I can find replacements for the padding under the carpet? Pretty sure those things are ruined. Slimy and falling apart...

One more question. Is it an awful idea to just drill a tiny hole in the floorboards just in case this ever happens again?

This might make me a redneck, but seems better than a lake in my car floor!

[Fatmobile]

I've been using blue closed-cell camper mat for undercarpet padding on the Rabbits,.. haven't tried it with a MK2.

I had a back seat leak in my Rabbit,.. it ended up being water coming in around the tail lights and running forward.
I've drilled small floor holes before,.. doesn't mean it's not hillbilly, ha.

[will81vw]

I have the exact same issue, water on the passenger side without driving the car. I think its coming from the sunroof, in my case the drains are rusted out so I'm thinking to resort to covering up the sunroof with a tarp or something when it rains.

[greg lousy]

I've drilled small floor holes before,.. doesn't mean it's not hillbilly, ha.

My golf leaks visibly from one front door, the sunroof, and rear door but there's no internal rust or corrosion and I'm pretty sure its because my floor pans are so shot... self draining vehicle