RRod

About a day after every drive-through carwash (2004 Mountaineer), water sometimes begins seeping from behind the passenger right side plastic footwell panel (just where it meets the floor carpeting at the front door pillar edge). Water then soaks the carpet along the right front door sill and eventually works it way to the right rear door sill. I can roll my fingers up behind this right kick panel and feel drops of water falling.

I always place the HVAC to off (both the the front and rear systems) when running it through the carwash.

How does this right front kick panel come off (w/o busting it) so I can actually see what is happening here?

Strangely enough it only starts leaking after the carwash when the HVAC is later switched on and set to "Bi-level" or "Defrost-Floor" with the AC compressor "running" (either recirc and flow-through). However, the upper part of the front passenger footwell under the carpeting remains dry beneath the heater box/evaporator core area. I seriously doubt it is the evaporator core drain, plus I don't think that drain runs behind the far right footwell kick panel.

I'm at a loss as to what this could be unless water sits in a creavice from the carwash and then spills when the HVAC ducts move to direct air to the floor?

For now, I just need to get that kick panel off without breaking it so as to see what's happening and any instructions for how to do that would be greatly appreciated ... Thanks.

sstroud

Even if the HVAC is off water can still collect in the blower and leak through to the floor or you may have a leak in the seal under your windshield and the high pressure is enough to force water through. notice a lot of fogging in that corner on humid days?

RRod

No fogging even when raining (and not even using the defroster or compressor).

This leaking only happens when running the AC with air flow directed to floor via "Floor Only, "Bi-Level front vents/floor" or "Defroster Bi-Level Winshield/Floor" within a day after a vigorus drive-through car wash.

However, if I drive around after a carwash with flow directed to the front vents only or to the Defrostor Windshield only (again with AC compressor running) it does NOT drop water down behind the right side front kick panel by the front passenger door .... weird .... huh?

If I drive around for about a week without directing any chilled air flow to the floor via the 3 possible modes, then there no water intrusion regardless of where I direct chilled air after that. Seems that whatever water had accumulated during the carwash must have evaporated during that time (or maybe dribbled away slowly so it was not noticeably damp at the carpet.

BTW, there are no leaks in the rains regardless of how I use the HVAC ducts or AC compressor (as long as I have not recently washed the vehicle). I leave it parked outside in the PacNW where it does rain a lot.

My guess is I need to just start washing the vehicle myself for a while and see what happens

sstroud

Yeah thats weird, it's definately a high pressure situation. Just start washing her by yourself lol thats really weird though.