water on floor behind driver in 300D
June 15, 2007 - 8:33pm
I've got a 300D that has a lot of water behind the drivers seat. Been running the air alot all summer so far but this just started about a week ago. I think it must be air conditioner related since we havn't had any rain in my part of Florida for weeks. Anybody got any ideas? Thanks
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gary
June 15, 2007 - 10:42pm
#2
Onetank, No I don't put my dogs in the Mercedes. I hav'nt been in any rain for weeks with the car, and yes it is water. At night it is under cover so no dew gets on it. Anyway there is a lot of water coming from some where. Thanks for your input.
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gary
June 16, 2007 - 8:53am
#3
OK- I had this problem too. There are a bunch of things you can check, in order of most probable to least probable:
1. Sunroof drains- there are four (one at each corner) of the sunroof. Push a wire down the drains to clear out any tree detritus (if you park it outside) or mud. A clog would cause the drain to back up into your car, down the pillars, and into the back seat.
Cost:
No parts: $0
2. Sunroof seals- the front one is easy enough to replace. Check to see if it is cracked or just plain missing. The side brushes also help keep water out. They could be rusted out or not fuzzy any more. The rear seal could be cracked or missing too.
Cost:
Front seal: $12
Side brushes: $66
Rear seal: $15
3. Windshield seals- those are probably leaking too. Most shops will not guarantee the laminate rear windshield in these cars, so you may not be able to get the window taken out and have the seal replaced. You can inject watertight caulking (silicone) into the seal all the way around the edge. It does stop leaking quite well.
Cost:
Front seal: $67
Rear seal: $55
Caulking: $10
4. Rust under battery tray or brake booster- pull your battery (passengers' side). I would almost guarantee that your tray is rusted to pieces due to leaking battery acid. Brush that stuff away and see if the acid has caused rust on the car's body. Chances are there is a good sized hole there that leads directly into the cabin. Water will drain right into that area. The same could be true for the area under the brake booster (drivers' side). You will have to cut out the rusted areas and weld on new metal, or just patch it temporarily.
Cost:
Variable, based on how much you do yourself and which method you choose
5. Vacuum line seals- when you open your door, you will notice a black, flexible tube that goes from the car body to the inside of the door. It houses vacuum lines. If you can see the vacuum lines, you should replace the tubes. Water coming from your newly unclogged sunroof drains (the front ones drain into the area near the door hinges) will get into the tube and drain into your car near the driver's feet, and flow to the back seat.
Cost:
Not sure, I have not replaced these on mine.
6. Door and window seals- as a last resort, replace the window seals and door seals. They will allow a minimum amount of water in, but enough to make it damp.
Cost:
Door seals: $55 x 4
7. Floor rust- if none of these are the root of the problem, look for rust on your floor pans. It would not cause lots of water to appear, but it could make the mats damp.
Hopefully this helps you a bit- I went through all of this last spring on my car.
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Andrew
1983 Mercedes 300D Turbo- 171K
Grease How-to Articles/Forum
June 16, 2007 - 10:06am
#4
Thanks for the ideas on my problem. The car has not been in the rain for weeks and is stored inside. There is no rust anywhere except unde the batterey tray and that is very slight. All the sun roof seals and window seals appear to be fine. We have driven it in the rain in the past with no problems. The water was about a quarter of an inch deep on the floor behind the drivers seat when first noticed with the floor mat removed. I dried it up and it stayed dry for a few days until I drove it again in dry weather. The floor became wet againbut not nearly as much water. Anymore ideas out there? Thanks again.
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gary
June 16, 2007 - 10:42am
#5
cavaliers16, if you EVER have ANY inclination to sell your car, LET ME KNOW!!!!!! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
u da man,
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JBG
June 16, 2007 - 11:07am
#6
Gary.
Could this be coolant? I don't know what your setup is but if you had HIH coolant hoses running through there could there be a leak in it. Just a thought as it hasn't been mentioned yet.
June 16, 2007 - 11:09am
#7
The best way to test the seals to be absolutely certain that they do not leak is to grab a pitcher, fill it with water, find an unsuspecting water spotter, and pour away. Pull all the floor mats out of the car, and start pouring small amounts of water into each of the four drains on the sunroof. Then close the sunroof and douse the whole roof in water (that will test the seals). If this doesn't give you anything, try the windshields next. The drips often flow inside the pillars, under the soundproofing, or through the door panels- quite hard to spot.
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Andrew
1983 Mercedes 300D Turbo- 171K
Grease How-to Articles/Forum
June 16, 2007 - 11:14am
#8
Quote:
Originally posted by: JBG
cavaliers16, if you EVER have ANY inclination to sell your car, LET ME KNOW!!!!!! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
u da man,
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JBG
I'll keep that in mind! :)
BTW: I'll shoot you an email this afternoon- I've been swamped with final exams. All done now!
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Andrew
1983 Mercedes 300D Turbo- 171K
Grease How-to Articles/Forum
June 16, 2007 - 3:53pm
#9
Another thought for you:
If you find, when doing the water test on the sunroof drains, that the drains are not clogged but water is still getting in, check the metal drain that runs through the side of the headliner. It can rust through if enough stuff builds up in there. Mine rusted out (for some reason, nothing else is...) and I replaced the drain with a section of PEX and some silicone sealant. It gets the job done and requires no special welding equipment. It does look good too, in case you were wondering (no hack jobs here). :)
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Andrew
1983 Mercedes 300D Turbo- 171K
Grease How-to Articles/Forum
June 16, 2007 - 4:10pm
#10
Coolant line leak sounds like best source, especially if you
are not running antifreeze. If you are sure car has not been in rain, testing drain holes is useless.
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1984 MB 300 SD Turbo
June 16, 2007 - 6:47pm
#11
Thanks everyone for the ideas, but so far no luck. I run bio-d only in this car and no coolant lines have been changed or rerouted. It is definitly just water that is pooling on the floor. I have antifreeze in the coolant. I poored water in the sunroof draines and they are all open. I then sprayed water all over the car with everything cclosed and no increase the amount of water. Also now my car won't shut off unless I do it manuelly, plus the door looks work very slowly. All this in the last few days. Keep thinking out there I'm lost.
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gary
June 16, 2007 - 8:13pm
#12
Quote:
Originally posted by: gpeterson44402
Thanks everyone for the ideas, but so far no luck. I run bio-d only in this car and no coolant lines have been changed or rerouted. It is definitly just water that is pooling on the floor. I have antifreeze in the coolant. I poored water in the sunroof draines and they are all open. I then sprayed water all over the car with everything cclosed and no increase the amount of water. Also now my car won't shut off unless I do it manuelly, plus the door looks work very slowly. All this in the last few days. Keep thinking out there I'm lost.
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gary
For the leaks, try the cowl drains and the drains under the hood springs. The rubber tubes from the cowls pour the water into the engine bay against the firewall. See if those tubes are still there or are leaking water. The hood spring drains are a stretch, but it could be a problem if something out sight has rusted.
As for the shut down and locks, one of your vacuum lines is disconnected in the engine bay. Check the area above the oil filter housing- there are a bunch of plastic vacuum lines there. One of them is undoubtedly loose. Just plug it back in to the rubber fitting and it will be all set.
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Andrew
1983 Mercedes 300D Turbo- 171K
Grease How-to Articles/Forum
June 16, 2007 - 8:19pm
#13
Also- get rid of all the water in the back seat before you test again. It is much easier to see water pouring into an empty space than a space full of more water.
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Andrew
1983 Mercedes 300D Turbo- 171K
Grease How-to Articles/Forum
June 17, 2007 - 10:29am
#14
check your a/c drains when you run your a/c lots of water is draining out of the a/c "suitcase" under the dash there are drain tubes that run the water out of the car, much worse if its humid where u live.
Sacveggieguy
June 17, 2007 - 10:53am
#15
How much water is there back there? Inches, feet? :)
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Andrew
1983 Mercedes 300D Turbo- 171K
Grease How-to Articles/Forum
June 17, 2007 - 7:51pm
#16
Damn lost another long post, will try again. The water is 1/4 inch at the deepest behind driver, also found the floor wet under drivers rug. So where are the ac drains under the dash? Also car still will not shut off. Checked vacum lines near oil filter. all ok. There is a small black one from the inj. pump that runs forward and I can't find where it should go.
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gary
June 20, 2007 - 10:07am
#17
Still having the water problem. It must be condensate from ac, so where are the ac drain tube located. Also need to find a picture or a diagram of how the vacuum lines run. I have one that runs off the inj. pump. It is black and seems to go forward but can,t find a place that is open.
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gary
June 20, 2007 - 1:34pm
#18
Quote:
Originally posted by: gpeterson44402
Still having the water problem. It must be condensate from ac, so where are the ac drain tube located. Also need to find a picture or a diagram of how the vacuum lines run. I have one that runs off the inj. pump. It is black and seems to go forward but can,t find a place that is open.
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gary
Gary if you don't find the answer here ttry Mercedesshop.com go to forums and then scrool down to DIY by Parts and go to climate control and ask your questions . A lot of knowledgeable peeps there as well.
June 24, 2007 - 7:46am
#19
I had the same problem and it WAS the AC drain. I never found it the lines, though- took it to the shop and they fixed it... pretty cheap.
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1985 Mercedes 300D- Greasecar conversion kit.
1983 Mercedes 300TD- one-tank, german eBay system
1979 Mercedes 240D no mods... yet
Greasel "One Shot" filtration system
June 24, 2007 - 9:33am
#20
Thanks everyone I got the water problem solved. It was the drain line for the AC. It is located under the dash accessable from taking off the covers under the dash on the right side. It is kind of hard to get to and replace but can be done. Thanks
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gary
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GARY, their are drain plugs under the carpet in the rear floor, if it was raining alot i would say it would be clogged sunroof drains. have you been riding those 2 big dogs in the back seat ??? are you sure it's water ???
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