Hi all, Im new to the board so please forgive me if Ive ovelooked a thread concerning my issue. My 07 Caravan has for about 2 months had just soaked floor mats on the passenger side and in between the front seats is also wet. Someone told me it was the heater core but Ive also heard something to do with leaking drain holes any help would be greatly appreciated

 

Does the fluid look/smell like antifreeze? If it is then it's the heater core. I suppose A/C evaporator drain could be the problem too but if that was it I wouldn't think the floors would be "soaking".

 

No the liquid doesnt smell of antifreeze. It just smells like mildew

 

Model year?

 

2007 Caravan

 

Does it happen when raining, or is it when you run the A/C. If it happens when it rains the problem is probably due to a missing or torn weather strip that seals the cowl vent assembly to the windshield. Those weather strips dry rot and come off. It happened on mine and I didn't see the need for it until my floor started getting wet. The weather strip is made onto the cowl vent assembly and you can't buy just the weather strip, the dealer will want to sell you a complete cowl vent cover. Just use some clear silicone caulking to seal the cowl vent cover to the windshield. If you ever need to remove the cowl vent cover later (for example to get to the wiper motor) you can just cut the caulking with a utility knife. If the problem is happening only when you run the A/C let me know, there is a solution for that also.

 

Im truly not sure if it happens only when it rains or if its when I use the AC but I am leaning towards the AC because it has been wet before when it hasnt rained.

 

If it is from the A/C there are two possible causes, the drain is clogged or the turned down nipple on the drain pipe is missing. The drain from your A/C evaporator coil is a black hard plastic pipe, aprox 1 inch diameter that comes through the firewall into the engine compartment. The pipe protrudes out of the firewall by about 2 inches. There should be a rubber 90 degree elbow on the end of the pipe to direct the water down. If that elbow is missing, airflow at highway speed can cause the water to not exit the pipe and back up into the blower housing and run out onto the floor of the van. I fixed mine with a short piece of rubber hose from Lowes, heated it with a heat gun to create a bend in the hose, and pushed it onto the drain pipe so that the bend was pointing down. If the A/C is leaking on the floor but the rubber elbow is not missing, then your drain is likely plugged with gunk. Go to your local Heating & Air supply store and purchase some A/C foaming acid coil cleaner. Mix the acid coil cleaner with water in a pump up sprayer, the type that you use to spray weeds in your yard. Push the wand of the sprayer into the aforementioned drain pipe and give it a generous spray in all directions. Wait about 5 minutes for the foaming action to work and the spray water in there with a garden hose to rinse out the foaming cleaner. It may be a good idea to have the front of your van pointing down hill when you do this to help avoid any of the acid from getting to the carpet in your van. Where the drain pipe comes through the firewall can be hard to locate. My van is a 1997 and the drain is located approximately behind the alternator, but lower. Your van is a new model so it may be somewhat different. Also please ensure that the weather strip that seals the cowl vent cover to the windshield is in place. It can be difficult to determine if these leaks are coming from the rain or the A/C because once the carpet is wet it takes FOREVER to dry. I have encountered both of these problem with my van. When it was from the A/C, the carpet kept getting wetter and wetter during a 800 mile trip on a dry summer day with the A/C running and no rain. If the problem is coming from rain water, it will happen when parked, especially if the van is parked with the front pointed up hill. It is hard to explain why it happens more when the van is parked uphill without pictures, and I'm no artist, but trust me it does.