Hello all,

Here is the back story, I bought the car brand new (22 miles on it) from a Nissan dealer. Since, then I've had to deal with a slew of issues, the biggest one, replacing the engine because of the oil consumption issue: http://willsani.com/2010/03/10/2006-...-issue-solved/ - this right here, took nearly a whole year of convincing on my end to get it replaced.

That said, since, the engine was replaced, a few other issues crept up, which is annoying to say the least. One being with the Nismo exhaust putting weight on a bracket that holds the cats, which in turn broke the left cat.

Now, within the last couple of months, when the weather gets really cold, condensation builds up on the passenger side of the car, and then the whole carpet gets moist and damp causing even more condensation during the day when the moisture evaporates.

I've already had to shampoo the carpet once because it smelled like mold. I'm wondering if anything else has seen such an issue?

NO, I didn't leave the window down - stupid Nissan service tech had the nerve to ask me that.

Any suggestions, rants, raves or criticism would be appreciated

 

hey there i had the passenger side water issue last winter when i got my 04.5 and i fixed it and till now after a whole year i didnt get a single drop...basically u should lie down on the passenger side footrest, ur head towards the stereo (feet out of the the door) and turn ur heater on. when i did this, i noticed water droplets pooring out of a whitish/transparent plastic thing inside the dash above the footrest which contained water in it. notice that this reservoir like thing is made up of 2 pieces. i got some creamy silicone on my fingers and went over the crack which brings together the 2 pieces of the reservoir like thing..make sure to cover all the way back of the reservoir..i hope i was able to explain

 

Thanks, sounds like a potential culprit. I'll take a look and report back.

 

Nope. That wasn't it. What's even more strange is that the condensation seems to be only under the floor mat (see pic).

That seems to evaporate, and then the windows get condensation as well. Is it possible there is a hole on the floor somewhere?

Any clues?

 

Do you keep it garaged?? Or out in the open?? My old integra had a leak in the cowl in on the passenger side. Every time it rained, it would leak into the car, and I'd have the same problem as you.

 

Years ago I worked in a body shop and one of my jobs was water leaks. I found out you can make ANY car leak. The first question I'd ask is are you sure the windows are all up? Not trying to be a smart a$$, but I've seen it. Are you parking the car in a different location? A small twist from a hill can cause them to leak. The best suggestion I can give you is to park the car with someone inside it. Have someone else on the outside with a hose. Spray it EVERYWHERE from different directions. Atleast this will tell you if the water is coming from outside, or you have a coolant leak.

 

@porschett - I'm not a moron that can't remember to roll up the windows. I'm sort of obsessive about these things, always park the car in a certain way, get the oil change on time, keep ALL of the repair and oil change manifests, etc. Rolling up the windows would be an easy task for me. That being said, I took your advice.

I found the source of *this* problem, and it was a "WTF" moment. I was washing the car with the pressure washer, when I ran it across the passenger side, I noticed the floor got all wet. I had someone record it. It looks like the water is coming in under the dash??

Please take a look at the video:

http://willsani.com/wp-content/uploa...3/IMG_0469.MOV

I thought to myself, okay, that's pressurized water, I'm not supposed to point it and run it through the seams. I tried the driver side but nothing.

I can't say I'm not disappointed because, I am. The car is five years old with less than 50K and it has this issue already...

Ideas?

 

I'm sorry if you took my response the wrong way. I never implied you were a moron, but like I said, I've seen it before.

I couldn't download your video, maybe I'm the moron. My first thought would be your windshield.

 

Oh no! I didn't take it to heart. I guess semi-sarcastic emails don't come off to well in print.

Anyhow, the video was shot with an iPhone, I'm sure that has a lot to do with the issue

 

It sounds like it could be the grommet for the main wiring harness. Remove the battery cover and battery. There is a large bundle of wires going through the dash there. Check the rubber all the way around.

 

Coolant would have a distinctive smell, so you can rule that out.

Check the condensation drain from the AC coil in the heater box. It goes through the floor on the passenger side footwell. If it's stopped up, the water will overflow and collect on the floor mat on the passenger side.

You can find the drain on the underside of the car to the right of the transmission tunnel. There's a bracket there holding several tubes.

 

Just trying to help. If you found water coming in the car with a hose, we can write off a coolant leak. The next step I would take is repeat the exercise with the hose. Have someone inside the car with comms with you. Concentrate on ONE area at a time.

It can be a long process to find a leak!

 

Found the issue. The firewall boot cover cracked, causing water to come in.

noted here: https://my350z.com/forum/exterior-an...ide-floor.html

I suspect this is either a defect or, possibly happened when the engine was changed though I don't know how that would have happened. Being fixed with industrial strength adhesive.

Thanks for the help all.

 

Just bought my Z 2 days ago and had it rained on the next day went to go check it out and it was half a foot deep filled with water on the inside. :O

I was able to get all the water out and dry most of it but its been a week now and I still notice condensation everywhere. I'm worried and beginning to suspect mold is beginning to grow. Seeing if I can get some advice on how to professionally shampoo the carpets myself without damaging anything.