Lexus RX 2004-09 :: Major Water Leak - Carpet Wet / Funky Smell
Dec 7, 2011
My car has wet carpet, particularly in the passenger footwell and I have also noticed on the driver's side as well. My car did have a funky smell quite a few weeks ago, but after a couple of weeks of good strong sunlight and heat that smell went away. At the time I thought maybe some water had spilled and it just needed to dry up.
Yesterday we had a bucket full of rain. Quite heavy and strong. I didn't notice anything yesterday when I got to my car as it was still raining. However this morning I found that the smell was back (that wet carpet / mouldy smell) and I had a few minutes before the next train arrived. I checked quickly and found that the passenger side (in Australia it's the left side of the car facing forwards) carpet had a small wet patch.
Anyway got home after work and proceeded to find out what might be causing the problem. I dismantled part of the passenger side and lifted up the carpet and found that all underneath (the padding / noise proofing) was soaked wet.
I removed the plug that normally sits there and the amount of excess water from that plug to the garage floor was more than I was expecting
** Drain Plug **
I asked my wife to point a hose at the sunroof to see if I could spot where the water was coming from. I noticed that just underneath a big electrical bank sitting just above the carpet, water was basically running out of this hole.
** Close up of the hole where water is pretty much running straight through, basically someone turned a tap on and it just leaks straight into the carpet **
As you can see the closeness to the wiring is dangerously close.
I tried to see if the sunroof holes were blocked and they looked okay. I took some whipper snipper string and tried to feed it down the sunroof holes, but alas did not see where this would come out. I tried searching under the car, but couldn't find the spot where the water would normally drain out. The string went in and I fed it through, but eventually I hit a block somewhere but I don't know if this is a problem or just the string couldn't twist to get where it needed to.
I need to find out why there is water spilling into my cabin at the footwell. This has started to ruin my carpet and getting into the car with that smell surely isn't good for my or my family's health. Where this is meant to be draining out underneath the car? How do I fix this leak without spending a fortune?
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There is water sound under dash. I read about clogged drain so I tried sticking up a thin rod from drain line and gets stopped after some length. Should I force it up (push, hit harder) or will that break something? Is there a angle bend?
I did not get a water leak on carpet yet but the sound is getting more so more water collecting? What should I do next?
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Last weekend I had to pull up the front passenger carpet to check my DVD player wiring, and I was shocked to find a puddle of water in the foot well, and the carpet pads were soaking wet. The water looked clean, and quite recent luckily.
On further investigation, I found water in the front driver's side foot well and in the rear passenger side foot area.
So I took the heroic step of removing all the seats and pulling out the carpet to thoroughly dry out the car, and replaced the carpet pads which were too soaking wet. Took almost two days of work, didn't want to spend the big bucks on a new carpet with the pads attached ($1400). Not hard work, just tedious, and the seats are heavy to lift out.
Now the mystery part, where did the water come from ? No water on top of the carpets, not a drop to be seen anywhere. But loads of water below the pads.
1. Checked the sunroof drains, all four drain well, and the sunroof drain holes are totally clear. Did a test with a garden hose but no water gets into the car.
2. All the body drain holes have the rubber plugs. Car is in pristine condition. The car is a 2009 RX350 with very low usage.
2. Checked AC drain hose- condensate water is draining to the ground. Ran AC for an hour, not a drop felt anywhere below the evaporator.
3. Now that I have dried out the car and put the carpet in, I am mystified as to the source of this water, and am afraid it is going to recur unless I can find the cause.
Considering that the water was most present in the front passenger side, and below the carpet, I suspect it must have come in from the A or B pillars. Is it possible for the water to have taken this path if the sunroof was not totally sealed shut for some reason on a long trip in the rain ?
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Water intrusion problem in the cargo area of the GX? I was getting ready to wash my GX and as I was pulling out my Weather tech cargo liner... I discovered that it was completely wet underneath and the whole rear carpet was damp and slightly musty smelling. I have recently driven through two very heavy rains...but nonetheless the Lexus should be watertight... Is this a known issue? Is there an area where it is possible for water to come in through the rear floor?
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I purchased my car second hand. I don't know if the previous owner was a big, sweaty dude who didn't take showers but....after driving in my car for certain periods, I get a funky body odor from the seat.
I sprayed vinegar/water onto the seat, let it stay and wiped up. I wonder if there's bacteria forming on the seat heat/cooling source?
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I noticed a bit of funky smell coming from the vents when I first turn on the AC and after turning off the AC. So I am trying to locate the air conditioner evaporator drain hose and make sure it's not plugged.
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Today I noticed a wet carpet in my wagon(floor behind driver seat) and I know that my bro washed it for me last week, so how it got wet. He takes really good care of our cars and he's confused also. I just got back from a long trip. BTW it is water, and not coolant.
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I am trying to find out what could cause water to leak onto the front carpet of a 1995 Olds Acheiva from under the dash. It is not coolant. Testing with a power washer didn't cause a leak, only rainwater.
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I do believe my a/c drain is plugged and wetting my passenger side carpet with water. I pulled my floor mat the other day to vacuum and noticed the carpet was wet underneath the weather tech floor mat. No water on top of the mat. It must be leaking down inside of firewall and under the mat.
My guess is I need to find the drain hose and un-plug it with weed cutter line or re-route the tube. I leave for a work trip tomorrow and don't have time to take it to the stealer. I have to run A/C the whole time so I know it will get wet again. I have today and tomorrow to figure it out.
PS - no rain here for months so I know it isn't the door seal leak. I have had the a/c on 24/7 all summer.
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Started noticing small drops of oil a few weeks ago under the RX. I checked the dipstick and oil level was well within range so I figured something just needed tightening. Went ahead and took it in for it's first oil change last Friday and told them about the leak. Turns out it's leaking from the timing chain cover and will rake 3 to 4 days to repair. Never had something this major on a 9 month old vehicle.
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I have a 07 6.0L and the other day while cleaning it out I noticed that the carpet on the passenger side was wet. I have never noticed it before so this had to recently start. I don't think its heater core related as its completely clear and doesn't have a smell to it. I am also not loosing any coolant. The truck only has 18,300 miles on it,and it sits most of its life until recently after I took it over.
It has never had the windshield replaced,to be honest nothing has been replaced. I don't believe its a/c drain related either, the hvac controls have been in the off position for the last 2 weeks,and just 3 days ago after drying the carpet out completely(with a fan), its wet again after a nights rain, not as wet as before, but its damp.
And last night it was pouring down rain and I had the carpet pulled back to dry/air out, so I thought I would go out and take a look to see if i can see water coming in. Sure enough there are 2 trails of steady water flow. Its coming from directly under the glove box, there is a silver canister that is held on by 2 screws, its dripping down 1 of those screws. I cant quite make it out where its coming in from, but i am thinking the blower housing.
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All- Yesterday i had the car in a driveway (incline of ~5Degree). I gave the car a nice wash (both above and under the car and got it in the garage so that i can wax it. removing the rear carpets (both Driver and pass side) i saw it being damp..
Pulled out the carpet and the rear of the car(see pics) was soaking wet. there was absolute no water in the driver and passenger well. I am not able to figure of the reason. Also the temperature is ~50 in Michigan so have not used the A/c for almost a month..
This is what i have done:
Looked at all the seals (the ones visible)- looked ok.
Took a horse and gave a nice under body wash.. no water came up
Checked the sunroof.. the sides of the seat were not wet (I think no water came from there)
All the door moulding, dry..
Am I missing some seals.. or am I overlooking something.
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2010 RX450h, 63k miles. Noticed a bad smell, we thought it might be spilled milk or something, but now I've found that the carpet is wet. Worst under the front seats, but also the mats and under the mats, front and back. Probably worse on the passenger side.
I've read that this might be due to a clogged a/c drain line. I've noticed, though, that there is definitely water dripping underneath the car...I think from where the drain line would be (the dripping is a bit forward of the glove compartment). The thing is, it is still dripping now some 3 hours after the car was last driven. Specifically, I drove from about 10a-11a, then again from 2:45p-3:45p. Noticed dripping beneath the car, maybe a drop every 1-2 sec, 2.5 hours after the last drive ended. Now more like 3 hours after the last drive, the dripping has slowed. I'm wondering, does the dripping mean that maybe my a/c drain line is fine? Or does is the extended dripping time unusual, maybe indicating a partial clog and water then getting into the car?
If it might be the a/c drain hose, can I access it from the engine compartment, and then how to unclog it? I don't want to jack up the car and go underneath...would rather take it to a dealer than do that.
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In my 07 ES350 I had water on the carpet of the drives side all the way to the backseat! I was gone for a coupla days when this happened and with the heat it sure did have a musky odor when I opened the door!
I have looked all around the sunroof and cleaned the edges could not see anything that would leak although under the sunroof at the front there was water in the tray.
Then I looked all around the windshield. Could not see anything that could cause a leak. Lightly hosed off the car today and had water dripping down the driver side pillar and the covering for the pillar was wet.
This car has never had a leak anywhere until now. Gonna have to have the carpet removed and steam cleaned I guess to get rid of the odor, but not until I stop the leak!!!!
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I have an 06 with a 5.4 with 70k on it and I have already had to do the exhaust manifolds twice, once covered by warrantee at 19k, then again around 40k and now at 74k I have a major leak from the left side manifold again
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I've been having this funky smell from vents lately. It doesn't exactly smell foul or corpse-like, but rather more of an old unwashed sock....
The smell seems to come out after a bit of driving with the AC off. When I turn it on, it goes away after a little while.
This has been happening everyday, and I'm thinking that it's condensation, or maybe I just need to change my filter... Is there a way to get rid of this smell without changing anything?
I've read that I can spray Lysol at the bottom of the dash board (where the driver's and passengers feet are) with the AC on at the coldest setting with the recirculate button on. Doing that will flush out the vents and kill whatever is in there.
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I have a 2011 Sonata and have issues where my A/C won't cool properly and gives off a funky smell when I'm at a stop. Then it continues cooling when I drive at speeds.
I am going to the dealership for a steering clicking noise as well and was wondering is it worth telling them this problem too or should I go to an independent shop? My car is at 99,000 miles and I know A/C isn't part of powertrain.
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My 2000 vr6 gti been starting too act up. After about an hour or so of driving the ride gets rough , loses power and it makes this knocking noise . Although when I punch the clutch in the knocking goes away . Besides the knocking going away the rides still pretty rough though . Once it starts this it starts too backfire way louder than it usually does and it throws out this funky smell kind of like burning oil /syrup smell lol .
I really wanna fix the car . When the car does drive good it's no complaints at all . I do know that I have a misfire in cylinder 3 & 4 though and I do have all the codes scanned from the obd2. I've heared of this being the throw out bearing but I'm not completely sure. There's a video to actually hear it. [URL] ....
Obd2 Codes :
P1473
P1432
P0300
P0301
P0306
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I was driving my 2005 RX 330 (138k miles) North on I-75 through Atlanta in rush hour traffic when the car completely died in the left hand lane w/ no shoulder. GDOT stopped six lanes of traffic to push us up and over a couple of hundred yards to a right shoulder. It was determined that due to a coolant leak from the water pump the timing belt malfunctioned and shredded.
I had heard that the water pump should be replaced during the 90k maintenance when the timing belt is changed, but my water pump was not replaced according to my maintenance records. I understand from reading a couple of posts that this isn't always required but that they do check the water pump. Is this correct? And if so should they have noticed that there was a potential problem?
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Have water on passenger side floorboard after a heavy rain or car wash. Seems to come from more the dash glovebox area than rocker panel. I'm aware of cleaning sunroof drains, don't think that's it.
I've removed the kick panel, can see drain, it's not too short like other post show. I realize it could be the windshield, but what about the cowl drains?
Now to the clicking noise. I hear it when AC is on recirculate, if I switch to fresh air, it stops. The temp outside or in, seems irrelevant.
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Got a CEL yesterday and it came as an EVAP - major leak... cleared the code, ran the car - HARD....nothing came back up - car runs like a champ....
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