Standing water on rear passenger floor

[Louer Adun]

Ok, as the title reads, i am accumulating standing water on the rear passenger floor, I have removed the drain plug under the carpet and dried the carpet numerous times and the problem still comes back. I have had a friend stand outside the vehicle and spray a powerful blast of water in all directions at the door edges, under the car where the seat is, along the hatchback... everywhere i can think it could possibly be entering the car... I am completely stumped... the water seems to appear only after a rain, but it doesnt take much rain for a large puddle to form on the floor, this would lead me to believe that the leak is fairly large... (BTW this is a 94 camaro V6 F-Body without T-Tops). The problem just started occuring a few weeks ago and there is absolutely no sign of rust on the floor from either inside the car or underneath, and i have checked underneath for any sort of punctures to the floor area. Also, if it helps, nothing else seems to be wet or even damp in the car, and with consistent water puddles in the back seat no odor has developed at all. Unless you saw the puddle you would never guess it was there (this also leads me to believe it is rain water and not something else, although i dont think any pipes carrying fluids go back to that part of the car). Ok, I guess thats all the relavent (and probably some non-relevant) info that I can think of. Please, if you have any ideas or suggestions or if anyone else has had this problem please let me know, this problem is driving me nuts.

Thanks,
- Louer Adun

[Trash man]

just in the rear? maybe its coming up thru where the seat bolts in? or try a consistant jet stream, maybe the door isnt closing, if it was a ttop car i just blame it on them lol

[MN6WS6]

Have you checked to see if your AC's drain hole in the box is plugged? My car did the same thing, and I thought it was rain too until I tracked the problem down. What you need to do is pull the passengers seats out, door sill, etc. and pull the carpet up. If it's only wet in the back, then it's rain. If it's wet from front to back, then it's AC drain hole plugged. Because of the design of the floorboard, the rear footwell fills first, then overflows and causes puddles up front. What happens is leaves get past the screens below the wipers, blow through the blower box and block the drain hole for the AC evaporator. The box is located above the starter, but can only be accessed from below the car (requires car ramps, a lift, or a really skinny dude laying on the ground with the car only on jack stands). Look up and you should see whatever is blocking the drain hole. 5 minutes and the problem is solved, and yes you will be PO'ed if it's all it is because I had to pull all my carpet out and air dry it for 3 or 4 days. And all thanks to a friggin leaf.

[Louer Adun]

Update

Ok, time for an update, I jacked my car up so the front wheels were about a foot off the ground and peeked my head underneath (and yes I am a skinny guy). I found the drain hole for my air conditioning system and it was not blocked by anything that i could see... I then started my car up and let it run with the A/C on for about 10 or 15 minutes. After about 5 minutes, a fairly decent drip was coming from the drain hole. Also the puddle did not seem to grow in size, so im still thinking this leak might be rain related... I'm not to happy with my car atm, but I'm fairly confident I eliminated the A/C as a culprit without tearing up the seats and carpet (god i hope i dont have to do this).
Any other suggestions anyone?

[Screaming mad]

This is one of my cars many problems to! Ive put it down to a leaking heater matrix..

[96Formula]

Puddles On The Floor

I've got the same thing, driver's side only. No T-top!! Water leaks into the interior where the 2 pieces of plastic moulding, covering the edge of the carpeting, overlap and are screwed into the door sill between the front and rear seat below the rear of the driver door. Water runs OVER the top of the moulding and a large puddle accumulates when the vehicle is washed or it rains. Since it doesn't rain much where I live, it was a no brainer for me. Checked everything for tight seals, weather stripping is not damaged, door closes and is hung properly,and the drain holes are clear. I have no idea where the entry point is, but yes, a lot of water comes in and I can't stop it!! When it does rain, things float back there!!
After talking to the dealer about their recommended solution (what a joke), I decided that keeping a couple old bath towels in the car to absorb the water, to be the only sane and cost effective solution. The folded towel, placed tightly against the plastic moulding below the door, between the front and rear seats, acts as a wick and absorbs the water before it runs down the carpet and pools on the floor. Just swap in a dry towel when one gets wet. No fuss, no muss, no rust, and GM doesn't make a dime on something they should have mastered long ago.

[MN6WS6]

Well, then there's only three possible explanations for this one. #1, water is coming in the door seal, running down the B-pillar (behind the door) and onto the rear floor. #2, water is filling the rear channels where the hatch comes down because the back drain holes are blocked behind the taillight, running down the plastic panels and into the rear floor. #3, you are Duke of Hazzard-ing your car running through 2 foot deep puddles and water is coming up through the floor and through the screw holes and into the back of the car. I'd be more apt to think #1 is the issue, but #3 isn't so far fetched

My car is a t-top car, and I have never had a leaking problem, knock on wood, so it's definitely not a GM problem. You have a torn seal somewhere. You just have to find it. My car is a 96 too, with 80+ thousand miles that spends most of it's time outside exposed to the elements, in the wettest city in the US (Mobile, AL) so if anybody should be having a GM problem with weatherstripping, it should be me.

[96Formula]

I believe your first explanation, in my case may be correct. I live in the SW US where temps are 95-115, 5 months of the summer, with humidity as low as 2-3 % with 70 mph Santa Ana winds. I believe this climate will most likely have a more detrimental effect on the condition and longevity of door seals than the liquidy of the weather in Mobile, AL. Nothing personal.
Regarding this being a non GM problem, I must differ with you in the extreme. This car was purchased new and has leaked from its first washing. It was returned to the dealer the next day to have it corrected. It was returned to me one week later with a "she's ready to go". Only problem, it had 2 broken rear struts, a broken front right strut, damaged front right rim, among other unspecified front end damage. Drove it the mile home and parked it. I did not realize I had a problem until the next morning when I went out to go to work and was greeted with a flat right front tire. I had it towed back to the dealer, who called me back later that day tell me it would cost ME over than $3000 to repair the damage I did to my car. The things that came out of my mouth!!! I had never thought to do more than a quick lookaround of the car at the dealer because it was taken in for a "leaky door". It looked OK. After 3 trips to the dealership and a total unrestrained butt reaming of the owner and sales manager, in the middle of his showroom full of startled, but amused customers, all damage to the vehicle was finally repaired only because they could not explain all the damage to the car, "the extra 186 miles" stated on the RO odometer in and out boxes, and the fact their body shop "is just down the street" and reported "no damage" when the car was returned to the dealership. I was also extremely lucky to live close to the dealer so when it was towed back to them, the next day, the car had been driven only 1 mile from the "odometer out" on the RO closed out the previous day. (It was hauled back to the dealer on a flatbead) They were on the hook, they knew it, and were not very happy about it. No explanation for the damage was ever given and no apology was offered. The vehicle was repaired and the keys returned without a smile from the cashier. It was quit apparent from their attitudes, they did not want me back!! But, I did get a postcard from them, a month or so later, inviting me in for an oil change, lube, and a free tire rotation, but figured I had already receive enough lubin' and the runaround from these folks to last a lifetime, so I passed.
Oh yes, the door. The dealership's 2 efforts to stop the leak had reduced the flow to an "acceptable" trickle, and had, at the same time, taught me an invaluable lesson the hard way, so that my fore mentioned post was offered as the safest and easiest solution to the problem. Since that day I trust no one. And I let them know it!!!! I circle and initial the mileage in, and out boxes, on all repair orders, in front of service writers. This world is full of boy racers just looking for an opportunity to get behind the seat of your pride and joy, drive and thrash it with reckless abandon, without any sense of remorse look you straight in the eye and tell you "Your car has been well taken care of, she's ready to go", and we the owners, suffer the consequences of their actions.
By the way, when I finally returned home from the last trip to the dealer, I looked down at the odometer. It read 568 actual miles. I had owned my "Bird" for less than 4 weeks.

[Intruder]

Simple fix

The problem is the weatherstrip on the hatch. I had the same prob with my 94 cam not long after I bought it. The weather strip is not glued to the flange it sits on. If it gets just the slightest bit tweaked it will leak down the inside of the rear panel and puddle in the floorboard. Also pull the rear seat out (one bolt) you probably have water accumulated under it as well. Simple fix was to use 3M weaterseal adhesive (use the yellow not the black).

I have also replaced the heater core but had no water in the rear floorboard.

Hope this helps

[strkt_&_blwn]

i have the same problem in my '95 t/a conv. so i have a trunk lid not a hatch an i'm pretty certain that the problem is the door seal. but my door seals are also different on the conv. pretty cheesy set up if you ask me. i would definately do some good checking into the hatch seals and door seals

[ConElite]

Just a question. For those guys that have this leak problem and cant figure it out, answer me this, "Do you guys have a sound system installed or anything that requires a power cable straight from the battery?"
This is not a trick question.