Water leak behind dash

[kimberleyrolla]

Hi All,

I have a right hand drive 1991 Corolla Hatch. Since I've had it there's always been an annoying water leak coming from behind the dash on my passenger side (behind the glove-box). Recently had some bad storms and ended up with 1" of water in the foot well :-)

So, what I know is that the leak only happens when the front of the car is facing downhill. My blower resistor recently blew the 1st speed resistor (maybe related?). I do get a leak sometimes from the windscreen and it drips straight down from the very top but I know how to fix that one.

With the car facing uphill no amount of hosing could cause a leak from anywhere.

I though that maybe the heater core drain was blocked and maybe coming back up to the resistor and leaking out there but today I re-fitted my glove box and of course it rained and leaked again but i couldn't check.

Anyone know of this leak and if it's a common one?

Thanks.

[Flashmn]

Possible rust hole under the grille where air goes to the ventilation system... do you have a sunroof?

[REN69]

ah yes, rust holes in the air vent intake area... I had one of those on my old civic hatch, I fixed it with lots of muffler tape... seriously.

[SCT]

If your name is actually spelled kimberley, I like that "e" being there for some reason...

Even tho it has "rust ihibitors" painted on as said on my original dealer sticker, rust is a far too common problem.

I doubt the air intake for the climate system is leaking but it could be/ happen. Especially in the area you say it's leaking to.

Have you tried washing the car and looking for any wetness inside the car afterwards?

[kimberleyrolla]

My Corolla is "Kimberley Red" hence my username.

Well, I did some work on the weekend. Pulled off the wipers and vent cover. Pulled out the glovebox, blower, fan and recirc/fresh "flap". Also pulled off the front fender which was not helpful other than being able to clean out some dirt and put on a fresh coat of lanolin spray.

The water is definately coming in through the vent intake but to get it to leak with a hose I need to actually spray the water down the vent intake. Not much room to get my hand or anything else in there from the top which makes it difficult - I thought removing the wiper motor would have helped but not really - other than to add some light to the area.

I wanted to remove the air system completely but it looks like the dash will have tom come out first. I was able to clean out the drain pipe below the heater core? which was full of dirt and leaves. Sprayed the hose in there and gave it a good wash (with the carpet out and drain plug removed)

So, if it is rust related it's somewhere that can't be seen. The best access to the intake is via the hole left by the blower fan. My next step is to reach up and place a shower cap over the intake and then see if it's still leaking. If, not, I'll leave the shower cap there and stick to recirc. :-)