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Wet carpet under driver's feet

11K views 38 replies 14 participants last post by  Leeann_93 
#1 ·
Two years ago my 1994 Astro developed a fishy smell and wet carpet in the front, both driver and passenger sides. Turned out to be drains from the cowl area, blocked by oak tassels, water backed up through heater. A mechanic blew out the drains. Water stopped collecting. Fishy smell went away, leaving musty carpets, which eventually dried out with help from wet-vac, baking soda, and hot dry summer weather.

But now a leak is back. It's only on the driver side. The smell is musty, not fishy. I was having some body work done anyway, so I asked the gent to check the drains up front again. He did, said they were OK. He had the cowl drain webbing off, so he said he put silicone sealer on the seams down in there, just in case there was a leak along the seams somewhere.

But after a rain, I still have a soggy carpet on the driver's side. I can get it dried out within a few days, with wet-vac, baking soda, newspaper, and airing-out. But when it rains again, the carpet gets wet again, in those low places -- one low spot is right behind the rubber heel-rest pad, and the other low spot is alongside the door edge. The wetness appears when the car has been sitting parked in rain for a day or two, so it's not from splashing up from road/street puddles.

The newspaper soaking up the water turns yellowish-brown, but I figure that may be rust under the carpets dissolving in the water and wicking up. The baking soda turns more pinkish-reddish, and I don't know why that happens. The dampness/water has no odor at all, but if the van is closed up, it smells moldy/musty, which makes sense because mold must be growing under the carpet.

Any ideas for how to find and fix this? Thanks!
 
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#27 ·
Oh I KNEW I was doin' sumpthin' wrong! No wonder I got wet floor liner. :lol:

Lisa
 
#29 ·
Ok, reading up on Dex-cool. That seems to be a can of worms. Could the leaking coolant on the floor liner be due to thing(s) other than the heater core failure?

Is that coolant I've been using compatible with Dex-cool, since it says 'use with any color' coolant?

Is it a good idea to have a complete flush and get rid of the Dex-cool? We are probably due for a flush/change anyway.

Could this also be a sign that the radiator or other parts of the system are on the way out? Van is 03 Astro, 205k miles.

And it seems from what I'm reading about heater cores it will be a good idea to keep a bottle of coolant on hand and check coolant level each time before I drive until this is fixed - yes or no?

Do I have to be worried about blowing the engine? Or parts within the engine?

The temp gauge has been stable, so I'm glad I caught this during the vacuuming.

Can you tell I'm freaking out a little?! :eek:

Since this topic has shifted somewhat from my initial inquiry about wet floor liner, do I continue posting to this thread or start a new topic related to my heater core and leaking coolant/Dex-cool?

Thanks,
Lisa
 
#30 ·
Yes the universal coolant will work with it.
Yes it is a even better idea to flush out the Dex-Fool.
No it is the heater core. The color of the slime leaking out is the give away. Is it syrupy on the floor when you rub that shag nasty stuff between your fingers.
:angry-tappingfoot:
 
#31 ·
DogMom said:
Is it a good idea to have a complete flush and get rid of the Dex-cool? We are probably due for a flush/change anyway.
Yes, a complete flush is always a good idea, DexCool or otherwise. It's really not difficult. Open the draincock valve on the bottom of the radiator, remove the radiator cap and allow the fluid to drain into a bucket. Dispose of responsibly. It's poisonous and attractive to dogs. Most LAPs will dispose of it for you.

Then remove any radiator hose junction and insert a gentle garden hose stream. Let it run till the stuff that comes out the other end is clear. Reverse the flow and let the water run the other direction. Remove the thermostat, buy a new one for six bucks. While it's removed you can get water through all parts of the system. Flush with your heater controls set to ON. Stick the hose into any and all openings in the cooling system, especially the upper and lower radiator hoses.

Repeat every couple of years or so.

DogMom said:
And it seems from what I'm reading about heater cores it will be a good idea to keep a bottle of coolant on hand and check coolant level each time before I drive until this is fixed - yes or no?
You don't have to use coolant to top it off. Your system holds about 4 gallons of antifreeze/water mix. 50/50 is the general ratio but it could easily vary from 25/75 or 75/25. Topping off with a cup of water to 4 gallons won't change the ratio. But WATER is a better coolant than ANTIFREEZE. So people that live where I do don't really need much antifreeze. We need the better heat transfer properties of plain water. ANTIFREEZE is a better freeze protector than water. So people that live where you do would need antifreeze. About the only thing antifreeze does for people in hot climates is add a little rust preventative, lubrication, and disenfectant.

DogMom said:
Do I have to be worried about blowing the engine?
That's probably a topic for the explicit section.

Lump
 
#32 ·
Thanks chevymaher and Lump!

Let's see - the felt floor liner under the vinyl floor cover (03 Astro cargo van), in the areas where it's reddish, it doesn't feel slimy - it feels cool and moist. There's also no odor in the van, although I've not put my nose to the floor to smell it directly. I'll re-check these again and post if I notice something different.

After my minor freakout post, I took a deep breath and went out, checked the hot/overflow coolant reservoir - had coolant showing (it's not pink - so could the DexCool leakage/stain be old? And it's currently wet because it's still leaking? I'll check with Steve to see if he's had the Dex-Cool removed), so got into the van and went to AutoZone and bought: a bottle of 50/50 Peak universal coolant to have on hand; a roll of shop paper towels; and a Haynes manual. Also checked the oil (golden, not cloudy, level OK) and the brake fluid while I was at it. All good.

Thanks Lump for the how-to on the coolant flush. One question - after you let the coolant drain out, do you also have to catch the water flushing through and dispose of that the same way?

Re the engine - now, now! Although, I did laugh out loud. That was a good one…. :rockon:

thanks,
Lisa
 
#34 ·
DogMom said:
Thanks Lump for the how-to on the coolant flush. One question - after you let the coolant drain out, do you also have to catch the water flushing through and dispose of that the same way?
You can't catch it all, of course. Try and contain the colored fluid. Then eventually it's diluted down really far. If you have some kind of gravel area to work that's ideal. Let the clear water soak in to the gravel. Most important is to not let the doggies near it. It smells and tastes sweet to them. But it's really toxic. You can probably flush the stuff reasonably safely.

It might even be that DexCool isn't so toxic to pets. I think that's one of (it's only) positive feature. Regular antifreeze is Ethylene Glycol. The antidote for ingestion is ETOH. Ethyl Alcohol IV. Closely related it Propylene Glycol, used as a disenfectant and wetting agent in commercial HVAC units, paint, other uses that we shouldn't ingest.

Lump
 
#36 ·
OK - update on the heater core - PO Steve (JR's dad - we visited his folks over the weekend) says that one of the last things he had done before giving us the van 2 years ago was have his mechanic put in a new heater core. Steve thinks the leakage might be due to blockage in the HC hoses.

Steve likes his mechanic, personally I think the guy is a little squirrely and don't really want to go back to him for a fix if I don't have to.

Is this likely something related to the original HC install that should be fixed/replaced by the original mechanic, or a new failure? How do I tell what is what?

Thanks!
Lisa
 
#37 ·
With your hood open, look to the farthest PASSENGER side of the underhood compartment, up against the firewall. You should be able to see TWO rubber hoses, both the same size, a little over an inch in diameter, going THROUGH the firewall. They will have hose clamps on your side (the engine side). Those are the hot water lines that run to and from your under dash heater core. Here's mine -



Mine has a large shutoff valve (yellow handle) that yours probably won't.

The LOWER of the two hoses carries hot water from the engine side TO the heater core. The UPPER hose returns the water from the heater core to the engine side.

Remove those hose clamps then CAREFULLY get the hoses off the male connections. I say CAREFULLY because if you wank them around too much it might break or tear something on the inside, on the heater core. It's safest to slice off the hoses with a razor blade.

Now with the hoses open and exposed (you'll get coolant running out of them) you can run a gentle garden hose into the heater core from the engine compartment side. Just do it with the engine off. Put down a bunch of towels or similar on the inside in case there is a leak. Be careful that you don't squirt water past the rubber sealant on the engine compartment side. The seals get old, dry out and shrink, like my joints. Squirting a lot of water in the area may let water through to the inside.

Flush it out to your satisfaction (no coolant for the doggies remember!) then if you feel like the core is ok (no leaks on the inside) button it all back up. Apply some RTV sealant around the firewall where the hoses pass through.

If you DO get some leaking on the inside, and you're pretty sure it's because of water IN the core (not just sneaking past the firewall seals) then consider replacing the heater core.

It's not really difficult to replace the core, there's just a bazillion different plastic doors and covers and trim pieces to get off, then get back on. There's weatherstrip stuff on the edges of the air box down there and they, like my joints and your hose seals, will have dried and perhaps turned to dust and benefit greatly from replacing.

All of this will open your cooling system so be prepared to deal with the coolant that gets spilled, and be prepared to replace with new coolant. Do it all when you're doing the flush thing and you only have to take it apart and refill it once, till the next time you flush in a couple years.

Lump
 
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