1999-2009 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
I am betting that the drains for the sun roof [there are four] are clogged.
I am not aware of any instruction in the manual, nor has any dealer mentioned to me, for some requirement for cleaning out the drains, or even where they are located.... BUT DON'T get burned like I did recently.
There are four exits to the pan under the sun roof opening, 2 on each side, two of the four total to the rear and two towards the front. The front exits from this pan can be seen and felt with the sun roof open, at the front corners. The two rear ones are back where the rear edge of the window sits, when fully open, and can't be seen.
There are two nipples, immediately behind the rear wheel, just inside the weld lip. Dirt, stick bits, or whatever, clogs up there, and water backs up into the pan under the sun roof, and then overflows onto the rear floor board. You may see, or only see, water under the two rear seats if you flip them open. The carpet may be wet, and the water under the carpet may be more than expected.
CHECK THESE DRAINS REGULARLY. Pour water onto the pan/ring of the sun roof, and see to it that water drains from behind the rear wheel [that nipple], or from behind the front wheel [through a hidden nippel that must be up under the plastic somewhere...?]
I have cleared the two nipples by tweeting them, or by inserting a short ground wire from house wiring, ie, the ground from NM-2 #12 or #14 wire. I have successfully inserted a straight #14 ground wire [about 4+ ft long] into the front drain, until the drain clears, and water flows out behind the front wheel.
[CAUTION: There is a rubber tube attached to the sun roof pan, at each corner, and the LAST thing you want to do is to dislodge it, or puncture it.]
I believe that the drain tube, from the front drains, runs down the pillar at the front windshield/front door, and there are a couple of hard turns making up part of that tube's run. The portion towards the bottom has a more obvious turn that seems to make using the wire as a ream disfunctional at that point, require a little twisting, and push pull jiggling. I have had this NOT work on one occluded front drain tube, either because the tube is occluded with some harder/compacted material, or because the tube is bent such that I still couldn't manage to making the ground wire continue on.
IF SOMEONE KNOWS where the "nipple" / exit is for the front drain, I would like to know. The rear one's accesibility makes clearing it from below relatively easy!
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SYMPTOMS:
First symptom may be misbehaving anything electrical in the car, connected with the TWICE unit, or anything that communicates on the I-Bus. See below. You may not be aware of water in the car. Water in the cabin may not result in other odd symptoms. CHECK for wet floors, and wet spots under the rear seats on regular intervals.
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CLEARING WATER:
Probably very good idea to remove the rear seat where you find water. Possibly good to unwrap the seat cover from around the lip of the metal bottom, unfold the metal [the seat's electrical connection is still tethered], and let the foam dry out. Removing the seat cover is easy: lay seat on the floor, metal side up. Press on the seat, collapsing it towards the floor; while doing this, lift off/remove the seat edge from around the metal. Restoration is done in the reverse.
In the cabin, pop off, carefully, the plastic bottom lip that is the boundary between the carpet and the door. Push UP the carpet, moving it out from behind the pillars [you can stuff it back under, later]. Reach under with a sponge and grab all the water you can. The jute, under the rear well [by that passenger's feet...] will be soaked. You can [and should] slide that piece of jute out, and let it dry; go after the rest of the water. Replace the jute, later, along with the plastic piece and the carpet.
Dry out the carpet, with A/C running, when you drive. After you remove water sitting on the cabin's base, the rear passenger well, it will continue to collect as it drools from the wet carpet.
If you don't catch this early, the TWICE gets corroded, and everything is lost. Removing the front driver's seat will let you get at more carpet, and check the TWICE unit. And let you remove all the jute all over the place. If the TWICE gets corroded or the connector pins do, things short and you get all sorts of problem potential that reverberates to other modules that might also short out... BAD BAD pain if that happens.
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More on Symptoms: A musty smell. Blinkers inside not blinking, or staying on. Radio reporting locked or not working. Blinker sounder not working. Lights on the dash behaving oddly, going out, or dimming. Cabin light coming on and staying one while the car is running. Problems go away when one module [say, the radio] is removed. Basically, ELECTRICAL GREMLINS of unknown origin. These may disappear if/when the car drys out.
Other symptoms: Car not starting.
posted by 174.148.2...
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