The Be-All & End-All of the Wet Driver's Side Floor

About 6 months ago a few days after a rain I noticed a mildew smell in "ol' Hoss". I pulled up the driver's side mat and the floor was soppin' wet.

I immediately went to the Internet, the source of all knowledge, and found this problem to be fairly common. The smart money was on a clogged sun roof drain. So I ran a piece of weed whacker line down the drain tube and followed it with some water and the drain showed clear; water ran out of the pinch welds in the frame.

So I took it to a guy. He gave the troubleshooting a half-baked try and couldn't find a leak. Second guy, not even a half-baked try.

Now I'm getting desperate. Every time it rains I have to put a fan on the floor for 24 hours. And the smell is starting to become stronger.

So, I figure it's water damage and I'll file an insurance claim. They set me to a collision shop but no joy, the estimator says it's mechanical damage.

But he told me the windshield had been replaced and maybe the seal's leakin'. Not likely, he said, but still. So he gave me the name of a glass guy, Texas Quality Glass.

Those guys took the trim, front seat, carpet and pad out. Then they hosed water on the sunroof. Pretty soon water started running out of the door frame. They pulled the driver's side kick panel. And pulled the drain tube up.

What they found was the driver's side drain was clogged. Toyota put a fitting on the end of the drain line that effectively cuts the size of the line down to 1/8 inch. So the weed whacker line would go through the clog, water would pass for a while then the clog would close and voila, l'eau sur le sol...

The fitting on the end of the driver's side drain hose was plugged with schmutz. So the water would run through the frame and pool on the driver's floor.

They removed the fittings on both sides. Then they dried everything out reassembled and SOAKED the roof for 5 minutes. Bone dry...

Texas Quality Glass is top notch. I'd recommend them to anybody.

 

Google shows they're over in the Beaumont area - is that correct?

 

Glad to hear you found someone who had the initiative to track down the problem!
Welcome to the forum.

 

Where is the drain located on both sides?

 

When you clean drains make sure to use hot water, not warm water, HOT water!

also sunroof drain cleaning tools typically have a ball end that pushes debris out instead of stabbing through.

Also just another random tidbit, never use compressed air to blow them out. If there is a blockage the pressure will just blow the drain tube off the sunroof frame.

 

Quality Texas Glass 344 Branding Iron Ln Houston, TX 77060. Find 'em on google.

The drains are behind the kick panels/trim in front of the doors down at floor levels.

Yes, use HOT water. The stuff that came out of the fittings looked like some king of mold or mildew. I think it would just regrow.

Why are there fittings on the drains to begin with?

 

Great job getting it resolved!

I worked as an auto adjuster for a few years for a reputable insurance company and water/mold damage is covered under Comprehensive coverage. I handled a bunch of water damage claims. Most were due to improperly installed windshields, some by sunroof leakage, and some due to blocked drains.