[paulbeaney]

I think this has been happening for a while, but I've only recently twigged what is happening. Whenever it rains (doesn't have to rain very hard), water comes in down the back of the dashboard and drips onto the floor - not huge amounts, but enough to be noticeable (and no doubt be causing me problems for later on...)

The car doesn't have to be moving for this to happen - the water finds its own way in no problem! There are drips on both driver and passenger side. I have taken off the plastic trim that covers the bottom of the windscreen thinking it might be a bad seal around the screen, but the glass overlaps the opening and so would naturally deflect the water without difficulty.


Has anyone else experienced this or, more importantly, know where I should be looking?! Just as well we are still in drought here...

Regards,

- Paul

 

[ecoravman]

Yea, my '99 leaks water under the driver's side carpet when it rains and I think even when I wash my car. Turns my car into a sauna. I've gotten under the dashboard and taken off all the sound deadener and put silicone sealer on all the metal seams - to no avail. I did the same thing under the car.

Has anyone else themselves or had Toyota find and fix this problem and where did it need to be sealed? For all I know it's coming from the roof rail down the windshield pillar or anything.

Thanks for any advice anyone can give us.

 

[AussieRAVer]

Are you able to actually see the DRIPPING - get someone to pour some water in various spots around the bonnet, windscreen and roof to see when it is comng in......

Maybe one of the channels are blocked and the only way out is via the interior....

 

[ecoravman]

Yea, I've run a hose on the roof, in the windshield wiper area, sprayed water behind the tire liner, etc. but I never see any water then. But when it rains, presto, water under the driver's side carpet, mainly on the left side (left hand drive car). And I don't know if I said earlier, but I want to move from dry Texas to wet Portland, Oreron; so I've got to get this figured out.

 

[AussieRAVer]

possibly when it rains it fills the channels and drains a lot more than a quick hose...... have you checked the drain holes in the sill panel for debris.....

 

[ecoravman]

Good idea, but I think the sill plate holes or door drain holes you are talking about can't be it because the water comes from the up high dripping from behind the dash and actually running along and wetting the jumble of wiring next to the outside of the car before dripping down onto the floorboard near the front (outside side of the car just to avoid confusion between left (mine) and righthand drive cars). It's good nothing has shorted out yet. The carpet then becomes progressivelly wet enough to rust the fuel filler door handle metal piece.

I have lain on my back under that car (with a hose squirting on it) until I had lines in my back and taken everthing off and still can't see where its dripping from.

 

[Bluenoser]

My '98 had the windshield replaced before I got it and a few years later the left side carpet started getting wet. Then the headliner above the mirror would get damp. I took it to the shop that replaced the windshield and they dropped the mirror and front part of the headliner and used a compressed air gun to blow all around the inside of the weather stripping. They had put soapy water around the outside of the wx stripping, and where there was a leak a bubble would form on the outside from the compressed air.
I would bet that your windshield is leaking like mine and there are no open seams on the bottom of the vehicle........

They never did succeed in stopping all the leaks, and if I had kept the Rav, I would have replaced the windshield.......as it had quite a few nicks anyway.......
Good luck guys!!!

 

[Arik]

Hello everybody!
It has been a while since the last post was posted in this thread!
Did you guys (paulbeaney and ecoravman) find and fix the source of your leaks since then? I hope you did and can share your findings. :wink: I am very curious because I noticed couple of weeks ago that my 97 Rav4 has a major water leak that builds up on a front passenger side floor. The water level is high enough to cover carpet mat if I leave the car under heavy rain overnight. I was looking for tracks of water in passenger window/windshield areas but it is all dry! I removed plastic trim underneith dashboard and saw the water dripping along bunch of wiring. The water seems to go from around the dashboard area but I have not figured out exactly the source yet (exactly what ecoravman saw in his 99 Rav4). For sure it is not a blown cabin heater- just a little rusty water without any smell. It does not matter if I drive the car or not (definitely not a wheel covering area). I am going to investigate that little more but don't want to go too far and don't want the airbag deploy on me... :doh: Any input from you folks is greatly appreciated!

 

[Derek]

^ That is the exact same problem that I had experienced just a few months ago; and was the deciding factor in selling off my RAV. Nothing like a lake of water in the passenger side footwell after a heavy rain to persuade you.

I also traced the water coming from the exact same spot as you Arik, but did not have the time or effort to fix the problem. From my experience, water leaks are one of the hardest problem areas to detect and fix correctly. :?

 

[brett gazdzinski]

A very common leak site is through the air intake for the climate control system.
If the drains clog up it runs through the ducts into the car.
My new passat had that problem, water leaked in around the air intake i think, down the kick panel, and under the rugs.
Unfortunetly, VW put a lot of electrical connections in the kick panel, and the transmission ecu under the rug, and none of it was water proof!

My 99 rav does not leak at all so far.

If it did, i would remove the cover under the windshield where the air goes in and clean it out, and find the drains and so on....

Brett

 

[Arik]

Thanks for your thoughts Derek and Brett! I am not ready to give up my Rav-4 yet- here in Northern California we don't have rains as often as in Hawaii or Washington state so I could probably live with that another year...
I removed the ventilation panel and cleaned the drain channels as far as I could see, but there wasn't much debris there and of course it still leaks! The problem is that I can not inspect channels or apply silicone if needed because most parts of the drainage system are hidden behind front quarter panel.
So any other thoughts especially from folks who experienced the same problem with their Ravs and managed to fix it are greatly appreciated!!!

 

[chakangt]

I had a similar problem just develop ( I think) in my 2000 rav4. I went awayfor a weekend camping, came back and the battery was dead. Jumped fine, looked (and felt) around and carpet was wet. I thought that maybe some fuses got shorted, and reached my hand up and behind the fusebox, and it was wet. I put some saran wrap under the door rail panels (added to exisiting plastic already there) but not over the back side of the fuse box.

I drove the car for a few days just fine, but noticed last night when I turned off the car that the clock and the radio stayed on. This has never happened before (clock and radio always turn off when key turns off). Additionally, the clock and radio stayed on when i pulled the key out as well. So I think that I have found the reason for me dead battery.

I pulled the SRS/Acc fuse on the fuse panel and that killed the radio and the clock.

So... i have a few questions:

1. I have looked for the various drainage channels, but am unsure exactly where they are (I know from research that there should be one that drains to the wheelwell... ) Can someone tell me where the drains are? i.e. 1 in the wheel well, 1 just at the forward edge of the door, etc?

2.If I removed the SRS/ACC fuse, I think i understand the acc part, but what about the SRS part? am I disabling the SRS system?

3. Since the accessories stay on when the key is out... does that signify a short somewhere (the SRS/acc fuse was not blown)....

4. I will look for leaks, but until then am trying to keep electrical components dry... is there any danger with covering the back side of the fuse panel with saran wrap to prevent water from dripping on it?

5. If i find that the leak is in the windshield seal... can i reseal with silicone in specific places? or is this more of a remove windshield and reinstall kind of thing....


Many thanks for any insight as I try and chase this problem down....

 

[ecoravman]

Has anyone found source of water leak into cabin???

I now live in Portland, Oregon and my '99 is an f'ing damp, moldy bathroom. I have sealed the rear side red lights on which the plastic surround deteriorated and cracked, allowing water in. But water is still entering from somewhere behind the instrument cluster and I cannot find it from outside with panels under windshield removed. Or from underneath the dash (I can just see it coming from somewhere way up above and have sealed everything I can see with silicone caulk). Or from under the wheel well or engine side of the firewall.
Help!!! Someone must have figured this out as it's a common problem.

 

[philmaur]

Just a suggestion, look at where the radio aerial mounts to the roof it could possibly leak around the seal. Also check where the roof guttering joins the front window possibly leaking around the window seal

 

[chakangt]

I did find a small crack in my antenna housing (which I siliconed over). hard to say if that was the cause of the leak or not.

i cleared (or tried to) the drain channels, but generally a mechanic will do it for you in about 2 seconds to clear out the drains...

I also stuff a shirt on the backside of the fusebox to prevent water from dripping down on the fuse box.

so, I am getting closer to figuring it out i hope.... (baby steps)

 

[bru73]

water leaks

if you have axcess to ta a air compresser get some fooming window cleaner spray it around suspected aera. use air to blow along body seams and window dont forget to check the call vent.if it is from a body seam 3m makes a seamsealer that workes grate. good luck i am a mechanic I know !!!!

 

[Vampyre]

I have the same leak wet passenger floor left side UK, Can anyone show me where are the drains in doors? door sills?
V

 

[ecoravman]

Hasn't anyone in the world figured out where the water comes from that drips on top of the fuse box wiring? This is crazy.

 

[xfactoraeg]

I'm in the same boat, water leaks on the front passenger side and rear hatch. Found a sopping wet carpet today when I stripped the interior to install sound deadening. It rained two days ago! Think the hatch was due to an incorrectly installed seal, reinstalled correctly when I put it all back. Have yet to look at the passenger side leak. Fix one thing and another pops up on this car, I swear!

 

[xfactoraeg]

Think I fingered it out. Most likely will NOT apply to anyone else's Rav but ours was purchased as a salvage title, owner claimed a tree fell on it so the roof was replaced.

Had a hard rain on Saturday and this time the headliner was pretty wet near the windshield. Ended up removing the headliner and upper trim, having someone water down different areas with a hose. Front leaks weren't from the window/door seals, but somewhere in the roof gutter. Removed the roof channel trim and it looks like there are pinholes and seperation in the material they used to seal the gutters. Also a nice sized hole on the driver side where the windshield meets the gutter. Add to that I'm missing the 2 roof rack hooks on the driver side and the channels are uneven sized gaps. This car was shoddily put back together and should have been scrapped. Even more evident when I had the entire interior removed.

I put down silicone sealant the length of the channels and hoping that does it.

For the rear, the door looks like it was repaired instead of replaced and now the repaired area is cracking and allows water in which drips down and pools in the brake light assembly. Sealed that up as best as I could and hoping for the best as well, may try to pick up a junk yard door in the future but I'm starting to question putting any more money into it.