I’m the proud new owner of a 2008 express van that was once a fleet vehicle for my local utility company. Going on a little over a month now I’ve noticed with the rain that my floors have water on them. I finally had some time to sit inside and find where the water was coming from. It literally pours in the passenger side firewall from this area where some wires come through and floods the padding under my rubber floors.. I took some close up pics. It’s kinda hard to tell because it’s behind the dash but I’m trying to figure out where this area leads to that rain would be getting to it. Or if anyone else had this issue and how you resolved it. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
thanks in advanced. I will also update as I try to pinpoint this leak

That square looking cut out in the firewall is where the water pours in


This is just a pic a little further away to give some more detail on the location of the hole. (Top passenger side of the engine cover)

 

It's hard to tell from pictures, but it looks like the grommet is not seated in it's place. That would do it I would think. Water is a tricky problem, it could be coming in from a higher point, like a leaking windshield, but appearing to come from here. Anyways, looks obvious. Re-seat the grommet.

If I didn't have a headache, I would crawl undermine and look for that same opening. That looks like a grommet in your picture. A grommet just sitting there in the wide open.

 

I’ll have to check that. It doesn’t even look like there is an existing gromet but I’ll have to dig around in there and see if I can re seat it. And unfortunately I can’t see it from the engine compartment. All the plastic from the hvac system is in that corner...


should of probably looked at the 2nd part of your reply before I answered. I will crawl underneath and see if I can see it from there

 

I see now. The picture looks a certain way, but it's not. It's not a grommet. That's a valve that I thought was a grommet.

That is the re-circulatory air intake isn't it? That valve controls the door? I am getting old, mine is cleaner than yours is, but it's such an awkward spot that I am not keen on laying there all twisted and contorted just to view it. Why don't you run a hose over the outside cowl, lower windshield, the HVAC fan.. see if you can replicate it.

Maybe something else is leaking and it's just pouring inside the cab from there?

 

Not wires. Vacuum tubes.

Check the drain on the A/C evaporator. Sometimes it get plugged, water pools up, and air forces it into the cabin.

 

Would rain water get into this area as well? I haven’t had a chance to break out the garden hose to mimic this leak. But checking the ac drain is a good idea

 

Water works in mysterious ways. I had a leak near the front almost at the windshield. But the water materialized in the very back by the cargo door.

 

So last night during another rain storm. I was able to do some more research (another forum member had the same issues on a 96 express) and this morning I went to work. I took off the wipers and cowl at the bottom of the windshield and found a drain hole that was clogged with gunk. That would then fill up and overflow into the Hvac system. And of course depending how I was parked. Front facing down hill the water would exit through the engine bay onto the street. Parked front facing up hill. The compartment would fill up and pour into the passenger side. ( the hole I previously posted pictures of).

I found the clog and worked a piece of Romex through it until all the leaves and gunk flushed out of the bottom. Will attach some pictures hopefully this will help someone else down the road


This is a close up under the passenger side wiper of me forcing the romex down the drain.

This is a close up of the drain that is suppose to be clear. This was before I cleaned it. So the clog usually happens further down the line. Not at the top.

 

Good job posting pictures and congratulations on fixing the leak. I have not seen down into that area yet.