Wet driver's side floor (under mat)

[swegen]

After hours of investigation I found a ~1/2" open hole in the fender-cowl sheet metal. Open the hood, follow the fender edge all the way back toward the windshield, hiding way back behind the hood hinge(if I remember correctly) I found the open hole in the sheet metal. I decided to plug it with a tapered rubber bottle stopper and it seems to have eradicated the problem. hope that works for you, good luck.

 

[clockdoc]

Driver side wet carpet fixed - 2008 4Runner

Rubber stretchy nipple plug about 1/4" diameter fell out. Location, about 2.5" left of lower left steering column bolt from inside cab. (Have to peal carpet back and cut insulation shield to view) In motor compartment the hole is at the seam of the inner fender and the firewall which is why it leaked so bad. Dont know how plug fell out, it was laying there with some leaves. Epoxied the flippin hole.

 

[netslacker]

Bringing back an old thread.

2008 LTD. After a very hard rain storm passed over there was enough water in the drivers side floor that I could scoop it out and then use a wet/dry vac to get the rest. So, say 2+ gallons of water. The 4Runner is relatively new to us so this was the first time we saw this. Figured we left the drivers door ajar and went on our merry way.

Today, another rain storm but this time I can see a trickle of water coming down the drivers side kick panel just below the dash. Water is even coming out of the fuse box door. So, it's coming from somewhere above. Hoping someone can guide as to best place to look (windshield, sunroof, ...). Otherwise, seems I'll be digging into the hints in this thread soon as we're in rainy season and there's no room in the garage for the 4runner right now.

 

[netslacker]

So, pretty sure my problem is the sunroof. I put a hose on the windshield trim for 10-15 mins and nothing came in. Once I put the hose on the sunroof it was pouring in after about a minute or so. When I open the sunroof there is a lot of standing water under the wind deflector (down inside there). Is this water supposed to drain and if so, where/how does it drain out? What’s the path the water takes? It seems that once water fills up in the area it overflows into the A pilar, down and into the dash and over the kick panel. Sound about right? I just don’t know where to look for the drain or how to get the water going where it should. Thanks!

***Update: The drain is in the corner below the wind deflector and after clearing some dirt and debris that was hiding it it now drains and the problem appears to be solved.

 

[Morphyne]

I had just heard yesterday that toyota has admitted that there are weld issues with certain vehicles allowing this to happen. talk to your dealer about a recall.

 

[AuSeeker]

So, pretty sure my problem is the sunroof. I put a hose on the windshield trim for 10-15 mins and nothing came in. Once I put the hose on the sunroof it was pouring in after about a minute or so. When I open the sunroof there is a lot of standing water under the wind deflector (down inside there). Is this water supposed to drain and if so, where/how does it drain out? What’s the path the water takes? It seems that once water fills up in the area it overflows into the A pilar, down and into the dash and over the kick panel. Sound about right? I just don’t know where to look for the drain or how to get the water going where it should. Thanks!

***Update: The drain is in the corner below the wind deflector and after clearing some dirt and debris that was hiding it it now drains and the problem appears to be solved.

Just an FYI, there are 4 drains in the skylight, 2 in the front corners and 2 in the rear corners.

 

[cloud]

I have a wet passenger side floor, and a sunroof that clicks something fierce when used.

The sunroof started working without assistance recently, I did nothing to it. Although it clicks like a mother if I try to go past open or closed.

Is there a sunroof service write up? It's almost worth it to have the dealer do it because headliners are a pain. However, I asked a couple dealers in my area about the sunroof TSB and they claimed Toyota never released one. Not terribly impressed with that lack of knowledge. I'm in the Midwest temporarily, maybe I'll start the conversation again.


Is there a way to get cut carpet for this truck without paying $1000? That jute link is a great addition to this thread.

Update: Problem completely fixed. long story very short - check your sunroof drains. It's apparently not uncommon for them to get clogged. The water fills up in the sunroof tray then gravity takes the water, drips down the a pillar, through the foot well and soaks the carpet. FML

It's fixed.

You can salvage the carpet by drying it out in the sun or using a fan. The under padding or technically called "jute padding" absolutely MUST go as mold will develop.

I bought a few square feet of jute padding from www.stockinteriors.com

May this problem never curse anyone.

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

 

[dannyg]

Thanks to everyone who shared their experience to help identify the source of these leaks!

Any tips/advice on saving the carpet and padding after they have been soaked many times from a leaky sunroof?

There is a pretty strong odor in the cabin, so I assume there is mold. I'd really just like to get rid of the smell, but I imagine if i just cover it up it could be dangerous in the long run.

Any thoughts?

 

[woodman60]

Is there a way to get cut carpet for this truck without paying $1000? That jute link is a great addition to this thread.

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

https://www.stockinteriors.com/AutoCarpet.asp?Itemid=22912&ModelId=415

Mine turned out great. Easy to install.

 

[happy camper]

2007, 4.0L. I have had wet carpet around the gas pedal. Unhooked the two heater core hoses and connected them in order to bypass the heater core. (I'm in Florida)

Shop-vac'd what remaining coolant may be in the heater core.

So no coolant coming through heater core and STILL I have a slightly wet driver's side carpet and my coolant reserve tank is slowly going down.

I'm losing my mind here. What have I missed? What else to try?

 

[hinmo24t]

I'm dealing with this on passenger side. Pry up the front mudflaps and look where it meets the rocker. Theres a drain hole exit there on each side and that side needs to be cleared. Run a wire or something up there.

 

[happy camper]

I'm dealing with this on passenger side. Pry up the front mudflaps and look where it meets the rocker. Theres a drain hole exit there on each side and that side needs to be cleared. Run a wire or something up there.

I will certainly check that drain hole exit. I am still wondering why the coolant level is going down. I'm not getting any indication that this is a head gasket, and this 4.0 was after the dreaded 04-05 time period when Toyota installed the faulty head gaskets.

 

[CineDiver]

A LOT of interior floor leaks in the front come from that hose that you checked on the firewall. That hose is the drain from the A/C system after the condensation process happens. The problem is that debris (leaves, dirt, etc) gets in the way of the water that's supposed to drain out to the street. Easiest thing to do is to get some pressurized air and blow it up the tube. I've seen a gallon of water come out of those tubes after you blow out the debris.

Do you have reference photos of how to get to this hose and where to plunge it? This make the most since because I don't have a sunroof on my 4R.

 

[hinmo24t]

Do you have reference photos of how to get to this hose and where to plunge it? This make the most since because I don't have a sunroof on my 4R.

in front of the passenger side on the firewall it is just a few inch hose sticking out of the firewall. i checked mine and it didnt appear to be clogged.

 

[wbgett]

Check the windshield sealant directly below the edge of the glass (between glass and wiper tray). Had the same problem on the passenger side. The gobs of sealant caused the water to run down behind the tray and firewall into the passenger compartment. Took me weeks to find & isolate problem. Use a water hose in that area until you locate the leak.

 

[YetiX]

If you've recently replaced your roof rack, check the mounting feet. I recently installed a Baja Rack. The instructions specifically call for applying RTV to the mounting points, but are not very clear as to where or how. In my case, this was compounded by the front driver's side mounting bracket dropping into the roof when I removed the stock foot. I was able to retrieve the bracket using a magnet on a stick, but it made it almost impossible to properly seal it with RTV.

Fast forward to the last week or two and we have had torrential rains (for San Diego). By the second day my driver's side foot well was soaked. At first I couldn't figure out where the water was coming from. The first thing I checked were the sunroof drains but those all worked fine. I did however notice that my seatbelt was damp.

So I removed the interior door trim pieces including the piece which covers the seat belt. Then I sat in the passenger seat and had my daughter soak the roof with a hose and specifically focus on the roof rack foot. Sure enough, within a minute or so I could see water running down behind the seatbelt and along where the side curtain airbag runs and down the A-pillar.

I bought new mounting brackets and mounting clips and this weekend will be pulling the headliner and installing hew brackets which will be fully sealed with RTV. Only problem is, it's supposed to rain again and I can't fit my 4Runner in my garage. :suspicious:

 

[vonbock]

soggy driver's side carpet

Thank you all for posting about this. I had no idea where to begin, but maybe there's hope?!

 

[dakrause]

Thank you all for posting about this. I had no idea where to begin, but maybe there's hope?!

Same here, location of water leak is not clear so I will stuff the edge of the carpet with paper towels then dump a bunch of water on the windshield to simulate a downpour and check for wet spots on the paper towels!

 

[Teamoatmealpie]

If you have wet seat belts or ceiling stuff its mostly likely your sun roof drains or roof rack.

If you have wet drivers side floor then see link below.

Solved a multi year leak problem for me, and here in Oregon any leak is a big problem with all the rain we get.

**WATER LEAK SOLVED** Everyone Should Read!

 

[dakrause]

Same here, location of water leak is not clear so I will stuff the edge of the carpet with paper towels then dump a bunch of water on the windshield to simulate a downpour and check for wet spots on the paper towels!

Did not detect a leak from dumping water on the windshield, but then dumped water at different locations until found that this rust hole in the passenger front (notice antenna cable) is letting water into the cabin: