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Hey guys,
Had some heavy rain yesterday here in FL and came into car this am and found water on passenger side etc...did much research and see a few causes, though the main culprit seems to be the sunroof drain etc; however, after talking the panel off and looking at connection, it all looks ok and nothing is wet on side pass wall where i presume and from reading other posts, would have left the carpet and padding wet...so looking further, i see that my cabin AC filter was wet , but just on right top corner, so took out the ac fan and found water in there...like the water came down just in this area. Recently changed my battery and took the cowl out etc...so question is, could this tubing/lining be part of the problem? looks like its 100 years old...but what is that stuff? its gray in pics, but that is mildew rot or something i guess...anyway, my thought its that the water made its way through there somehow and down onto the filter, then on to the panel below the glovebox to floorboard..no other areas were wet or damp, just those i mentioned, so thinking to replace this piece of rubber material and then will water hose test etc..thanks windshield cowl gray stuff liner gray stuff filter only wet right top corner
I had the same problem. I am going to assume you have a sunroof. It comes from either the drain lines being plugged or the brackets that support them being broken. I had mine fixed while it was still under warranty. Apparently it happens enough that the dealership knew exactly what it was and what to do immediately upon hearing about the water in passenger side. Mine totally soaked the floor mat and everything. If you don’t have a sunroof, I have no idea??
Hey guys,
Had some heavy rain yesterday here in FL and came into car this am and found water on passenger side etc...did much research and see a few causes, though the main culprit seems to be the sunroof drain etc; however, after talking the panel off and looking at connection, it all looks ok and nothing is wet on side pass wall where i presume and from reading other posts, would have left the carpet and padding wet...so looking further, i see that my cabin AC filter was wet , but just on right top corner, so took out the ac fan and found water in there...like the water came down just in this area. Recently changed my battery and took the cowl out etc...so question is, could this tubing/lining be part of the problem? looks like its 100 years old...but what is that stuff? its gray in pics, but that is mildew rot or something i guess...anyway, my thought its that the water made its way through there somehow and down onto the filter, then on to the panel below the glovebox to floorboard..no other areas were wet or damp, just those i mentioned, so thinking to replace this piece of rubber material and then will water hose test etc..thanks windshield cowl gray stuff liner gray stuff filter only wet right top corner
had the same problem in my G. Clean out all that crap in the slot on the cowl that slips over the windshield. There's a channel that will get clog and water won't be able to drain where its supposed to and drain on top of the filter opening.
thanks, i guess just based on where the water was, on the filter and not running down the sides where i presumed it would have been if it was a sunroof issue etc...but will check out the drain again in better light and see if an issue is there...also, anybody know about the rubber trim piece? any specific type used ?
thanks, i guess just based on where the water was, on the filter and not running down the sides where i presumed it would have been if it was a sunroof issue etc...but will check out the drain again in better light and see if an issue is there...also, anybody know about the rubber trim piece? any specific type used ?
if it was a sunroof issue there would be a ton of water under the glovebox and under the mat.
thanks and when i said sunroof , i meant the sunroof drain, as my logic was that since its on the far side firewall, the water would back up and run down the side of the panel etc and that side carpet would be wet...in my case, it was under the mat but it looks like it just came straight down the top on to the side of cabin filter and on down...but since i never had the issue, guess i will start with the most posted scenario, sunroof drain...so thanks
thanks and when i said sunroof , i meant the sunroof drain, as my logic was that since its on the far side firewall, the water would back up and run down the side of the panel etc and that side carpet would be wet...in my case, it was under the mat but it looks like it just came straight down the top on to the side of cabin filter and on down...but since i never had the issue, guess i will start with the most posted scenario, sunroof drain...so thanks
If its just a little water on the filter like you showed in the pic I'd start with cleaning that channel out in the cowl. Then see what happens next rainfall. If it happens again go from there.
yeah, definitely, read some bad stories on electronics going bad for some posters, so got a dry week ahead and will try to look into it and do a hose test on driveway...i rather catch it now before a rainfall and it gets worse next go round
yeah, definitely, read some bad stories on electronics going bad for some posters, so got a dry week ahead and will try to look into it and do a hose test on driveway...i rather catch it now before a rainfall and it gets worse next go round
So I had the same problem, and my solution was to bypass that stupid firewall drain completely. I took off the A pillar trim, replaced the hose, ran it down into where the AC drains in the floor and T-ted into that line. This way, it wont clog on the firewall drain and all the water is run completely away from any electrical components, BCM etc. No issues at all after a year, and lot of rain.
It's such a stupid design the way they did it, after heavy rainfall i literally had TWO blower motors and filters totally ruined. And i'm super lucky that no water got into my BCM module.
So I had the same problem, and my solution was to bypass that stupid firewall drain completely. I took off the A pillar trim, replaced the hose, ran it down into where the AC drains in the floor and T-ted into that line. This way, it wont clog on the firewall drain and all the water is run completely away from any electrical components, BCM etc. No issues at all after a year, and lot of rain.
It's such a stupid design the way they did it, after heavy rainfall i literally had TWO blower motors and filters totally ruined. And i'm super lucky that no water got into my BCM module.
I did the same exact thing. Drains under the car now.. Haven't had a problem since!
I did the same exact thing. Drains under the car now.. Haven't had a problem since!
Yeah, that solution sounds logical ....so you replaced the entire hose from the start at sunroof and ran it all the way to where the AC drain etc....? How difficult vs doing the straw extension I'm reading about ? Also you t'ed the connection and did you glue/epoxy it all up etc? Thanks ...
Yeah, that solution sounds logical ....so you replaced the entire hose from the start at sunroof and ran it all the way to where the AC drain etc....? How difficult vs doing the straw extension I'm reading about ? Also you t'ed the connection and did you glue/epoxy it all up etc? Thanks ...
DON'T bother with the "straw-extension repair". Either bypass the designed drain completely or replace the drain with a new one.
Why?
Most drains don't start leaking for a long time with the original design. My passenger started leaking at 13 years and 150k-ish miles. My driver has not leaked, yet. 14 years and 166k miles, now. Dozens of heavy storms, not a drop.
The new design is infinitely better than the old one. (Pun unintended) Nissan/Infiniti did a great job with the redesign. Seems like they actually performed a RCCA.
The part is cheap and can be purchased from a Nissan dealership. Nissan is 20 minutes out of my way for commute, Infiniti is 60.
The access to the drain is extremely limiting. Trying a MacGyver fix (I love exploring these) leaves too many variables to consider if it doesn't work well the first time. Mine lasted through a few Southern, heavy thunderstorms. And then it leaked. I would have saved so much time and skin if I would have just waited the day to order the part.
Purchase the new part straight from the dealer so you know it's the new design (think it was around 10-15 bucks).
Bypassing the drain requires a lot more thinking/collaborating to get the confidence you want. Opposed to the original placement which has the factory service manual and tons of online resources (forums, blogs, YT, etc.).
Bypassing the drain the best solution imo. It's easy as well. Getting access to that stupid firewall drain is nearly impossible without pulling half the dash, vents etc.
I never took any pictures when I did this but basically just pull the A pillar trim off and you will see the drain tube. Cut a little piece off, measure it and go to home depot and get some more tube, coupler and a T line.
DON'T bother with the "straw-extension repair". Either bypass the designed drain completely or replace the drain with a new one.
Why?
Most drains don't start leaking for a long time with the original design. My passenger started leaking at 13 years and 150k-ish miles. My driver has not leaked, yet. 14 years and 166k miles, now. Dozens of heavy storms, not a drop.
The new design is infinitely better than the old one. (Pun unintended) Nissan/Infiniti did a great job with the redesign. Seems like they actually performed a RCCA.
The part is cheap and can be purchased from a Nissan dealership. Nissan is 20 minutes out of my way for commute, Infiniti is 60.
The access to the drain is extremely limiting. Trying a MacGyver fix (I love exploring these) leaves too many variables to consider if it doesn't work well the first time. Mine lasted through a few Southern, heavy thunderstorms. And then it leaked. I would have saved so much time and skin if I would have just waited the day to order the part.
Purchase the new part straight from the dealer so you know it's the new design (think it was around 10-15 bucks).
Bypassing the drain requires a lot more thinking/collaborating to get the confidence you want. Opposed to the original placement which has the factory service manual and tons of online resources (forums, blogs, YT, etc.).
Good luck!
Originally Posted by iCrap
Bypassing the drain the best solution imo. It's easy as well. Getting access to that stupid firewall drain is nearly impossible without pulling half the dash, vents etc.
I never took any pictures when I did this but basically just pull the A pillar trim off and you will see the drain tube. Cut a little piece off, measure it and go to home depot and get some more tube, coupler and a T line.
I checked in mine today and I see the gasket is dried and broke or did so when I pulled it ...but either way, yes that seems the issue...so I'll check out the new piece as I'm already halfway in there and can see how to put new one in with long nose pliers , so will try that route and do a hose test and if all good...call it a day...otherwise will try the ac drain route...thanks guys , at least I have a plan now....
05-01-2020, 06:35 PM
