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Need PROFESSIONAL or experienced help Passenger side floorboard wet. NO SUNROOF

Thatsgr8

Member
Messages
22
Location
Avondale Arizona
So I just purchased a 2008 Alpha H3. We just had rain last weekend. My daughter took the H3 late that night AFTER it stopped raining. She told me the next day the floorboard on passenger side was wet. As I said "I DO NOT HAVE A SUN ROOF". I inspected the floor and a/c box, both were wet. I pulled the cowl and cover in front of the windshield off to inspect it. Completely clean. I took a 32oz cup of water and poured it in the middle of the opening, Water drained from both sides. Checked the a/c. box and carpet again and water was dripping. I cannot see the entire passenger side cowl opening because there is metal covering it from the frame. Is the fresh air intake under the passenger side that water might be seeping in from? I am stumped and just short of cutting the metal out to see where it is leaking. Also the previous own had the same problem because someone put duct tape and some form of sealer all over the a/c box. It also appears a Saran Wrap was used to cover the cowl. There is still remnants of it on there.
 

JPaul

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,400
Location
Way up north, UT
Could be a plugged or detached drain for the HVAC. I have never dug into it that far to help you much, but you can mosey on over to https://schwarttzy.com/h3-hummer/ and take a look at the factory service manual PDF's he has on there to see if you can locate the drain tube. It should drain out through the firewall a bit below where the heater and AC lines go in.

If they tried putting sealant on the box then it could be cracked, though I have no idea how that would have happened in the first place without some other obvious signs of damage. Not a lot of fun to tear that whole thing out of there and replace it, but you may end up needing to if water keeps getting in. Mold and rust are going to be a real problem if that keeps up.
 

Thatsgr8

Member
Messages
22
Location
Avondale Arizona
I have searched the FSM but could not locate anything to help out. I think removing the dash is about the only option at this point. I did find a drain lower on the fire wall and it seems to be clear. I removed the 90 degree rubber tube and pushed a coat hanger in there pretty far with nothing on it when pulled out. IT baffles me though. Thanks for the help anyway.
 

Bowser-II

Well-Known Member
Messages
268
Location
Hagerstown, Maryland
I have experience here, and some here could tell you that the pro shops don’t always solve this.

From the outside:
The drain for the hvac is below and to the right of the computer module in the engine bay. It might actually be hard to see behind the fabric which covers the firewall if the fabric has been torn or damaged. It is just a small tube poking out about 1 inch

From the inside
You can find the drain on passenger footwell behind the carpet and you are best off removing the glove box to be able to pull out the insulation pad behind the carpet



The tube has a foam seal that can fail or be damaged, when that happens the amount of water that is able to come in due to splash up is ... astonishing!


Roof rails:
Also, as has been noted all over this forum, the roof rails can be notorious for leaking. Mine were never a problem and I wonder if that’s because I don’t use my bars or have a roof rack, so the nuts are not bearing a load but occasionally.

When sealed everything up I added a thin layer of silicone around them, probably does nothing but make me feel good [emoji2369]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Thatsgr8

Member
Messages
22
Location
Avondale Arizona
For the roof rails to leak would be impossible considering I poured the water directly in the center of the cowl. I did not pour it on the windshield and let it fall in. I did find the a/c rubber drain tube. The one I found is I believe for the a/c condensation. Is there another drain tube I should be looking for?
 

Thatsgr8

Member
Messages
22
Location
Avondale Arizona
IMG_3658.jpegIMG_3659.jpeg
This is the a/c box botch job the previous owner instead of fixing it properly.
 

JPaul

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,400
Location
Way up north, UT
I would peel all that off to see what you're really working with, duct tape and whatever that smeared on there is probably isn't going to do spit. Seems very suspect, especially looking at that notch that has been hacked out at the top there. Someone has clearly been mucking about under there.
 

Thatsgr8

Member
Messages
22
Location
Avondale Arizona
I agree it needs to come completely out for inspection and repair. I know there is a seal kit but unfortunately they are discontinued and no one has stock. I am not sure what plan B will consist of to fix the leak.
 

JPaul

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,400
Location
Way up north, UT
If you get the tape off at least you can see why they even put it on there in the first place. You can either get another one for a few hundred (I saw one on Ebay) or use something better suited for patching the plastic up than duct tape and whatever that goop is. Since it's not a pressure vessel it wouldn't be hard to use some black or red ATV sealant to fix up any cracks or leaks.
 

JPaul

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,400
Location
Way up north, UT
Once you get the tape off something else you could do is mix in some UV dye with water, clean and dry the housing first, and pour that in the same place you did before and then use a blacklight to see where exactly it is coming from. Should be able to get a UV detection kit from any auto parts store.
 

Thatsgr8

Member
Messages
22
Location
Avondale Arizona
I ended up finding an OEM seal kit from Rock Auto. Now the dreaded dash removal. I looked on eBay and did not see a replacement box. When I remove mine I will remove all of that garbage duct tape and nonsense. If its cracked, what is the best plastic sealer I should use? Thanks.
 

JPaul

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,400
Location
Way up north, UT
Here is the one I saw: https://www.ebay.com/i/303127647067

As for a sealer, unless someone has a better suggestion and if it's only a crack or leak and not whole pieces broken off then black or red RTV sealant should work just fine. Black will blend in better obviously and be less noticeable.

I would peel the duct tape off before going to the trouble of taking the whole thing out. It might just be a minor crack right there that you can easily patch with RTV and not have to tear the whole thing apart. Start with the simple easy stuff and work your way up to the hard stuff.
 
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