Car Leaking Water Under Dash
After a brief inspection and another quick drive with a lot of turns with ac now off i noticed water escaping from under the dash on each side depending on wich way i turned.
Car leaking water under dash. If you can smell something that reminds you of a petrol station feel confident that you ve identified your mystery puddle. The higher the humidity the higher the volume of water can be seen dripping under the car from the evaporator drain tube. Water on floor passenger side from clogged ac condensate drain this is one of the more common problems. It s caused by bacteria buildup on the ac evaporator coil located in the heater box under your dash.
It s only when the water drips on the inside of the car there s an issue. The most likely cause is a leaking heater core. It happens every time it rains and my floor inside my car gets soaking wet. If you see a brownish puddle under your car that looks multicoloured when the light hits it just right you re probably leaking petrol or diesel.
Varying amounts of water dripping condensation under the car is to be expected depending on the level of humidity in the air. Fresh water on the floor with no odor or loss of coolant is more often humidity removed by the evaporator. Water seen dripping under the vehicle is from humidity removed by the air conditioner. The passenger side was wet but not nearly as bad as the driver side.
Bacteria from airflow combines with condensation from the ac coil to produce a mildew mold smell and the formation of a slime on the ac fins. If you see a clear and odorless fluid under your car then it s possibly just water from your car s ac system. Petrol and diesel both have very strong distinctive scents. When i stopped i realized the driver side foot rest area was completely soaked with water.
If the core corrodes or one of the connections comes loose it can leak into the car. Heater cores can be very difficult to access as they are generally buried away behind the dashboard but if it s leaking a replacement is often the only fix. Water from humidity removed by the air conditioner is normally drained from the evaporator case.