How do i trace water leaking into the footwell on rover 620?

Question

While driving in heavy rain with the heater on" water suddenly poored into the passenger footwell,i thought it could be a blocked drainage hole but could not find any! then i covered the car over for a few days but it was still dripping,then switched heater fan on and it poored out again"so thougt it was the heater leaking" but it was cold water, and the radiator level is still showing full; has anyone any ideas where it could be coming from? "Thanks"

Answer 1

Its not your heater matrix as the heating system for the car runs in conjunction with the cooling system for your engine therefore the water level in your header tank would have dropped and the water would be hot when the engine was running.
You will probably find that its a blocked drainage hole somewhere under your bonnet close to the air inlet of your heater.
Start your car up put the blower on and expel all the water from it.Then get a friend to hose the area around the heater air inlet gently(obviously don't squirt the water directly into it) just let the water trickle around and see if it drains away. There are two drains just under the bottom of the windscreen in the corners that usually block up with leaves and other road dirt!
Also the heater box may have a drain on it that passes through the underside of the vehicle that might be blocked but you will have to put the vehicle on a ramp to check this.
In all its definitely rain water so don't worry about the heater matrix needing replacement but you will have to find the drainage holes and unblock them.
Hope this helps!

Answer 2

there is a drain on both sides of the car where the wings come up to the windscreen also under the air intake, if you have a sunroof the pipe could be split on the drain hole pipes going down the pillars. You say that the car is not using any coolant so the heater matrix cannot be rotten etc as your radiator would empty
try taping round the sunroof for a couple of days and see if it dries out,
also check the seal where the air intake for the heater goes into the engine compartment

Answer 3

I am not familiar with your car however;

HEATING COIL CORE LEAK sounds likely only if you are mistaken about water level in header tank staying the same, unless an airlock in, say the radiator was occurring

Sometimes there are DRAINS IN THE ENGINE BAY on the shelves between the engine bay rear bulkhead and wheel arch tops. Typically where the battery might be put. If these small drain holes block water can build up and flood the heater fan inlet duct or be drawn in when it is put on.

A vague possibility is that water is passing the WINDOW SEAL and gathering on a ledge, duct, or similar inside the car, only to fall to the floor when you move the car or put the heater fan on.

Try checking the smell of the water to see if any antifreeze is in it, in which case it would confirm leakage in the heater system.

Hope this helps

Answer 4

it is type of a V W engine setup. Heater midsection hose clamps will want tightening (properly beside gasoline pedal) and there are 4 clamps.(2 by technique of the pedal and a pair of contained in the engine compartment. midsection continues to be ok. that's purely that the rubber has decreased in length below the clamp. guess you a million/2 activate each and each and every clamp will do it. would to boot examine all the different hose clamps if you're doing that job, so as which means contained in the engine compartment too. If one hose decreased in length then all of them decreased in length. extra appropriate than being stuck on the throughway at the same time as a hose blows off>you're a touch overdue at this factor<

Answer 5

sit inside and get a freind to hose the car down, you should be able to find the leak that way.

But in all honesty its probably collecting water due to a clogged drainage hole, behind the windscreen and rusted through allowing it to drain directly into the car.

Answer 6

heater matrix .... i would say ..its a big job , radiator matrix costs about 50 pounds , but its the labour charge thats expensive cus the dash has to be removed to gain access to matrix could be as much as 100 pounds best of luck !

Answer 7

smell this water it could be comming from the heating rad behind the dashboard there's a small rubber gromet on one of the pipes feeding into it, these sometimes perish, good luck

Answer 8

i thought it might be the heater matrix which will retain water independant to rest of car's water supply

Answer 9

sounds to me like you have a hole in your heater core.

Answer 10

drive it into a lake and then look to see were the water comes from works on an inertube dont it LOL