Has anyone else had a problem with the passenger side floor board being soaked with water leaking from under the dash? I had a 1/2" of standing water in my floorboard a few weeks ago and took it to the dealer and they said it was rain water leaking through the seals around the door. I told them that the car has not been in the rain in several months, but they said that was the problem. Today, (a bright and sunny day) I was driving when I noticed a steady stream of water dripping onto the passengers side floormat. Once again I have to take the car to the dealer. Anyone else have the same problem??

Very fustrated C5 owner

James Pierce
jpierce@chartertn.net

 

AC maybe?

 

Sounds like a clogged AC drip hose to me.

If you need to its very easy to remove the carpet from the passenger side of the car.......I had to do it last year after a nasty mishap with a 2gal jug of water.....yes it completely leaked on onto the floor....almost made it high enough to get into the computer (under the passenger foot rest).

There are other posts on the forum about this same problem....try a search and see what you can find.

 

THis is a well know problem. The A?C drain pipe gets clogged up and it dumps water into the passenger floor board. If you don't remedy it soon it will FRY your BCM which is right under the leak. Been there done that..costly... :D
Tell them to dig up in there and pull out the leaves and such that are probably in there and then blow it dry with some air.

 

I had a leak also, and found it was from a plugged a/c pipe. Beware of parking under trees where things fall onto the windshield wiper area.
Good luck! :cool:

 

JamesP,

My 1999 C5 coupe began leaking water under the dash on the right side while my wife and I were out-of-state on vacation. Suddenly, the horn began to honk, the doors repeatedly locked and unlocked, the hatch kept releasing, the guages would "sweep" and various messages were displayed on the DIC.

The car shut down and was immobilized. The a/c evaporator drain was clogged and caused water to drip under the dash. The water traveled to the forward edge of the carpet and flowed into the BCM computer compartment under the floor mat. Water followed the wiring harness and entered the computer, ruining it.

Although the repair was covered under the new car warranty, my car was out of service for five days (and our vacation ruined). A rental Toyota was provided by the Chevrolet dealer and the Toyota ran like a top.

This is a very common defect on the C5's and will ruin your BCM computer and immobilize your car. I have always garaged (and covered) my C5 and I do not park under trees. The mechanic told me that the drain tube design is poor and prone to clogging. It is also STUPID design and engineering to place the car's computer underneath an area that can leak water.

Get it fixed and don't drive with the a/c on until it is fixed or you will ruin your BCM computer. Good luck.

1999 White C5 Coupe

 

Again I must state that this forum is the best thing since the car it self.

I have the same exact problem. Was just thinking about problem as I read this post. I was in an accident a couple of months ago but now as I read this post, I'm sure this is my problem as well. We'll I'm almost 100% sure. Anyway, time to go to dealer to fix problem.

Problem only occurs durring real heavy rain. Not while washing the car with hose?

Question? How hard is it to determine if the AC drain is clogged and is the fix easy.

Do I need to remove the lower windshield plastic thing running along the bottom of the windshield? I would rather fix myself if you know what I mean!

Again thanks for the post.

 

Traffic Hater,

Two issues:

1. Chevrolet recently issued a very long TSB regarding water leaks in the 1997 - 2002 C5 . I have seen it but do not recall the number or have a copy that I can post. It has various pictures and suggestions to identify and stop water leaks.

2. The a/c evaporator drain is a small 90 degree tube that exits the firewall, near the passenger side exhaust manifold. It can be "felt" by placing your hand between the manifold and the firewall (only when the engine is cold). You can also remove the lower hush panel and evaporator case cover and reach the drain. I believe the HVAC motor and blower cage also has to be removed (easy). You do not have to remove the shroud on the outside, beneath the windshield wipers.

Good luck.

1999 White C5 Coupe

 

Thanks.

Question? Does the AC drain only when Ac is on or will a heavy rain cause the same problem with the drain. My case is caused by rain not AC itself. Also is it possible that the windshield itself is leaking from the bottom shroud area. It does sometimes creak in this area. A glass man told me over the phone that it wasn't possible to have a water leak from that area under the window itself. He said in 30 years hasn't seen it happen once? I can't believe that is the case! He states I would/could hear wind noise but and the water just rolls off that part of window section. I didn't remove the shroud to take a look, but I think it might look like a roof type structure. Water rolls right off and down. Not down then up underneath?

Thanks so much for your rely

 

It sounds like your air conditioner drain is pluged.

 

any pictures of the drain ?

 

The A/C will only drain off condensation that accumulates on the evaporator coil when the A/C is running. Rainwater has nothing to do with this drain.

Tom