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cyntaxx
Veteran
Date registered: Aug 2006
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Vehicle(s): 2002 G500
Posts: 248
| Dampness coming from passenger front floor?
Tried to search but kept getting an error, so I thought I'd post. I apologize if this has already been covered.
I've been noticing a weird moldy smell in the morning when I climb into the G. It would go away after a few minutes of driving, even without the heat or AC on, and has been mostly an annoyance more than anything. Well, today I was cleaning the interior after an hour drive on the highway, and noticed that the passenger floormat had a patch that was sopping wet. I felt the metal floor underneath and couldn't feel any real moisture, but I'm pretty sure this has been the culprit of the smell. What is it and what's the best solution?
To give you some background, I have a 2002 G500. No malfunctions other than TeleAid not in service, 40k miles, and about 700 miles away from Service B. I have been using the heat generously for about a month now off and on, but feel like the smell was there before that. |
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DUTCH
Administrator Doppelgänger
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: US, GA, Atlanta
Vehicle(s): 2015 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI,2018 Sprinter
Posts: 9963
| RE: Dampness coming from passenger front floor?
Any antifreeze in the moisture? If not, you more than likely have a plugged drain from the heating/cooling unit. The drains are there to get rid of A/C condensate and any rainwater that sneaks down the fresh air intake plenum. See if you can locate them from under the truck and very carefully run a staightened coathanger up there. If you get a flood out of there, you've found the culprit. |
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03-Gwagen
Elite Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Western Pennsylvania
Vehicle(s): CLK63 Black Series, 2018 G63, 2016 GLE300d
Posts: 888
| RE: Dampness coming from passenger front floor?
My G had leaking wiper arm gaskets. Same symptons as yours but on the driver side.
You could actually see the gasket coming out from under the wiper arm rain cap. Also, you could flip up the wiper arm cover and see if the nut is loose.
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/g-class/1252220-floor-wetness-exact...
Edited by 03-Gwagen 11/19/2006 7:14 PM
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MarcO
Elite Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Irvington, NY
Vehicle(s): G 500 SWB, Volvo XC90 V8
Posts: 835
| Re: Dampness coming from passenger front floor?
Guarantee it is the wiper arm gaskets. Happens on all the post 02 G's. My 05 has had it yet but both 02's had the problem. |
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Adoni
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Sacramento, CA
Vehicle(s): '00 G500, '15 C300 4Matic, '06 L322 G4
Posts: 1283
| Re: Dampness coming from passenger front floor?
Cousins 05 had it for sure |
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cyntaxx
Veteran
Date registered: Aug 2006
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Vehicle(s): 2002 G500
Posts: 248
| Re: Dampness coming from passenger front floor?
MarcO - 11/19/2006 8:49 PM
Guarantee it is the wiper arm gaskets. Happens on all the post 02 G's. My 05 has had it yet but both 02's had the problem.
Beware, extremely stupid question to follow:
Is the water retained somewhere? I ask this because the smell seems to disappear after a few moments of driving (not even one minute, perhaps 30 seconds after start-up). I realize the water and smell may not be directly correlated for whatever reason but just thought I'd ask to help my diagnosis.
It also seems like the smell occurs intermittently but not always after/during rain. That last statement I'm not 100% positive on.... |
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drgork
Member
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Vehicle(s): 2000 G500
Posts: 42
| RE: Dampness coming from passenger front floor?
If it's not the wiper seal, make sure to check the A/C condensation line. Mine became clogged and the passenger side became saturated. Also make sure to check for moisture in the cubby underneath the front passenger's seat. Prop up the door and air it out.
Danny
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cyntaxx
Veteran
Date registered: Aug 2006
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Vehicle(s): 2002 G500
Posts: 248
| RE: Dampness coming from passenger front floor?
DUTCH - 11/19/2006 6:23 PM
Any antifreeze in the moisture?
There seems to be a bit. Definitely smells like there's a hint of antifreeze in the mats I pulled from the truck. I'm almost positive that's where the smell is coming from too.
So based on this information, what's the issue at hand and what's the route I should take to repair it?
1) Smells after it sits for a few hours, goes away under a minute upon start-up.
2) Passenger front dampness in carpet, but nothing dripping or pools of water.
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ewalberg
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Past: San Francisco. Present: Germany
Vehicle(s): 2000 g500
Posts: 1887
| Re: Dampness coming from passenger front floor?
i speculate the smell goes away just becuase you've circulated the air.
Where the moisture is located will help tell you where it's coming from. If it's wettest at the stainless steel sill area by the door, then it's probably the inner door skin that needs re-sealing. If its at the front of the mats toward the engine bay then it's more likely what the other folks are talking about. if you've got enough general moisture in your carpets, you might want to consider taking measures to get the carpeting under your seats aired out becuase what evers under there is going to be living in an extremely moist environment for a LONG time if there isn't some way of circulating the air under the seats. |
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cyntaxx
Veteran
Date registered: Aug 2006
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Vehicle(s): 2002 G500
Posts: 248
| Re: Dampness coming from passenger front floor?
ewalberg - 11/20/2006 1:51 PM
Where the moisture is located will help tell you where it's coming from. If it's wettest at the stainless steel sill area by the door, then it's probably the inner door skin that needs re-sealing.
Bingo. It does come from the upper right part of the mat/area, near the door sill. Are our seals notorious for leaking? I guess that wasn't an issue I had previously encountered in my searches before....
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ewalberg
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Past: San Francisco. Present: Germany
Vehicle(s): 2000 g500
Posts: 1887
| Re: Dampness coming from passenger front floor?
If you see that the cloth portion of the door seal is all wet its another really good indication that it's coming from the doors. Check benzworld if i didn't talk about it here, but i've spent some time discussing the fix i had to do on my doors. If the plastic skin behind the door isn't sealed well it tracks water to the inside of the door (just behind the visible trim) and leaks water to the interior side of the seals, which then saturates/overflows into the mats.
I was amazed at how long the moisture remains under the seats unless ventilated... It's like a steam room under them when wet because the heat from the exhaust heats the floor but witihout an airflow path... i've got the doors on mine so i propped them open. Since it's more of an endeavore on the new trucks, i might make a long term solution and make a little cut-out at the box the seats sit on. Up underneath the rear of the seats where people can't see it.
I don't know what's under your seats. My stereo amplifier is under there so i had a vested interest in drying it out. |
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cyntaxx
Veteran
Date registered: Aug 2006
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Vehicle(s): 2002 G500
Posts: 248
| Re: Dampness coming from passenger front floor?
ewalberg - 11/20/2006 6:22 PM
If you see that the cloth portion of the door seal is all wet its another really good indication that it's coming from the doors. Check benzworld if i didn't talk about it here, but i've spent some time discussing the fix i had to do on my doors. If the plastic skin behind the door isn't sealed well it tracks water to the inside of the door (just behind the visible trim) and leaks water to the interior side of the seals, which then saturates/overflows into the mats.
I was amazed at how long the moisture remains under the seats unless ventilated... It's like a steam room under them when wet because the heat from the exhaust heats the floor but witihout an airflow path... i've got the doors on mine so i propped them open. Since it's more of an endeavore on the new trucks, i might make a long term solution and make a little cut-out at the box the seats sit on. Up underneath the rear of the seats where people can't see it.
I don't know what's under your seats. My stereo amplifier is under there so i had a vested interest in drying it out.
Thanks! I will poke around this weekend and post my findings. I'm hoping it's the former and a very minor fix. I've got both a brake job and Service B coming up shortly so I do NOT need to spend any more money on this truck (for now). |
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ewalberg
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Past: San Francisco. Present: Germany
Vehicle(s): 2000 g500
Posts: 1887
| RE: Dampness coming from passenger front floor?
I've had to re-do my door seals and then later i've re-lubed my windshield wiper seals. Annoying in so far as time had to be spent on it, but both were nearly free jobs... let's hope it's not some strange fluid. |
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