Rear seat floor carpet damp...??

I had a small tupperware container under the seat and had a bunch of stuff to carry into the house. I pull the Tupperware box out and set it on the rear seat. When I picked it up I notes it was wet! Made me feel the carpet and it was damp! I removed the Toyotas rubber mat and it had moister on it!

I felt around some more and found out both pass and driver side was damp!

I did have the a/c on with windows down on a hot day, 90*F and it was set to half dash/floor.

Could the a/c air from the floor vents bellow the seat and rubber non breathing mat cause this?

Ive been chasing a "earthy" smell after my truck sits closed up fo a day or so..

 

A couple of things come to mind - check undercarriage for any obvious damage (just in case you've used it as a 4Runner..) that would create a path for water to enter passenger compartment - then also check AC condensation hose to see if it may be plugged up, which will cause all the water condensate from your AC unit to spill onto the floorboards, instead of outside where it should go. Easy way to check that is just let it idle in your driveway with AC on - should see a puddle of water under it after a few minutes at idle. If no water is spotted then you "may" have a plugged condensate hose. If you live in a really dry climate you may not notice much of a puddle - but you should see some.

The above is assuming the tupper ware was not originally full of water

 

I started taking the carpet out the best I could. I discovered ALOT of standing water under the rear cargo carpet, the rear door gasket has moisture where it fits on the body. Very only the large piece of hard "tape" had cracks, if I pressed hard enough I could get water to bubble out of the cracks.

The pad under the driver and pass seats was damp, there was standing water in the drain plugs under rear pass seats nearest doors, the styrofoam under where your feet would be on pass front was really wet.

I took photos and also drove it to my local dealership to get it documented. I have 35,000 miles just out of warranty...

I noticed seat mounts rusting, carpet staples rusting..

 

No river crossing, Ive owned it since new.

Told the wife, your about to see a grown man cry!! I ordered to my specs and played the Pro waiting game.. this is terrible...

 

That is horrible - well damn sure it ain't no plugged condensation hose! How do you wash the car - car wash or just hose wash? Looks like maybe a failed weather strip? Glad you caught it when you did but what a heart breaker! What year is it? You didn't happen to leave the windows down during a hurricane?

 

Yes this is awful! I am so sorry!

 

call Aquaman

 

ok guys... I think I figured it out... I might have had a mag mount antenna cable ran down the outside of the trunk seal following it down and to the bottom then up in the truck. I set it all back up, sprayed water (under city pressure) all around the closed hatch. I had a helper in the truck with a flashlight. I was able to get one droplet on the bottom of the plastic hatch INSIDE (Past the seal). It was only literally one droplet... but Ive ran that antenna for a little better than a year and Ive been hunting the "smell" for at least 5 months.

Its been relatively dry in my area except the past 2 days it has rained at least 8 hours each day.

I cleaned everything up, dried the carpet pretty good. I was able to prop it up and shove a small desk fan to move air under the carpet. I completely removed the foam and carpet from the trunk. It will probably need another day to dry. I might empty a bottle of frebreez into it tomorrow and let it dry outside.

Since I was able to squeeze water from it I am guessing that was the point were water was coming it; it was by far the wettest. Best I can guess water was coming in, and like a pick up truck when I hit the brakes it would surge forward under the carpet?

 

That seems like a lot to be the cargo door gasket but i guess it's possible.
Check up in fender wells and behind the jack in the side areas. Maybe spray from tires got up in there?
Are any of those hole plugs loose In the floor?

 

I agree it sounds crazy.. But for as long as the 5th gen has been made certainly they have nailed every little problem.. I just start undoing everything Ive done..

 

You can do this too. Put a fog machine inside your car and see where the fog comes out. Plug and fix where you see the leaks. Just one idea I can think of.

 

Update

I tossed and turned last night about not fully removing the carpet. Today I pulled all the seats and removed the carpet. Glad I did too! The pad under the rear seat was damp and there was water collected in a low area of the floor.

I soaked everything with a carpet cleaner left over from a house project; Folex Spot Cleaner. I also sprayed and wiped down the metal too.

I am feeling pretty good, the back side of the OEM carpet is very glossy, almost sealed. I think my carpet is good... it just absorbed into the padding pieces.

 

Wow, great job. And you resolved the cause of the leak OK?

 

Thanks.. Its surprisingly easy! Thank goodness this truck has been made the same way for a very long time. I couldn't imagine taking apart something like a 200LC or even comparable Land Rover!!

Anyhow, I addressed a few concern areas, I have no evidence that I fixed anything. My thought is, eliminate the smell and if it never comes back them I most have got it! Also seems most water was in the rear and that carpet is really easy to get up. I could realistically check it weekly.

 

What year is your 4R? Is that not covered by warranty?

 

I would also ask, do you still have the factory roof rack? Lots of aftermarket roof racks have poor sealing methods that lead to leaky headaches later.

 

I have a hard time checking the condensation hose too.

Our daytime humidity in the summer is usually less than 15%.

I don't think I've ever seen a puddle of water under my truck.

 

Wow you gutted that whole thing out yourself??? I don't believe you ever did answer WHAT YEAR IS IT?? So where did you determine the water was coming from? That was a lot of water for one hole...

 

It’s a calvary blue TRD Pro. Makes it an 2018 IIRC.

 

Well if there was any kind of warranty still on it it's probably voided now.

 

Sorry guys, it is a 2018. just out of warranty... Yes I pulled everything myself. Its actually really easy. Only took about an hour to get everything out!

This week I worked on spraying everything down with a vinegar water mix, then sprinkling with baking soda and some pet stuff I found too. It took forever to dry! Humidity has been 80%+ the past few days. I did both sides, pad and carpet. I got everything back together tonight. I got my little helper to peel away from video games for about 2 hours each evening the past few days. She really did help, I would get bolts started then she drove them home with the impact. Then we both tackled the plastics together. Easily shaved an hour off for me.

I am a little worried that it will happen again. I am pretty confident I solved the area that water got in. Time will tell.

 

Hate to see this man, I had a water leak under my driver side floor board when mine was less than a month old. Ended up being one of the floor plan plugs, I would verify all of those are seated correctly.

 

Thanks for posting. I've been trying to track down a smell when it rains. Looks like this will be a good way get a clue where it's coming in.