Expert: Roland Finston - 12/23/2004

Question
The Driverside carpet in my 1998 Concorde is continuously becoming wet,and I can't seem To track where the water is coming in from. I dried it completely the other day w/ a blowdrier, and it is wet again. I keep my car in the garage over night and i don't leave the windows open. Have you ever seen this happen bofore? Do u know of a solution?  

Answer
Hi Jeff,
There are two possibilities: a heater core leak and a plugged drain tube from the AC condensor coil drain pan.
If you smell antifreeze odor in the wet carpet, then it is a leak in the core that carries the hot coolant to operate the heater system. More likely, if it seems to be plain water, is that the condensate that collects on the condenser coil of the AC when it operates (even when just using the defrost the AC is operated) which is collected in a drain pan at the floor level at the fire wall is not draining to the outside but rather is overflowing onto the carpet. You will need to jack up the right front wheel (secure it with a jack stand)so you can get under the car and look for a rubber tube fitting that comes thru the fire wall at a point near the midline of the car and the lower edge of the firewall (the panel between the engine and the passenger compartment). You will likely find that the tube has a clamp you can release to take off the tube. Then take a wire that will fit thru the nipple to remove the crud that is blocking that opening and similarly check the lumen of the rubber tube. Then reassemble and see if that solves your problem.
Roland