Foggy Windows, Smelly Vents, Holden are no help

[Dayvo]

Ill have to have a look at this . Left my car at the Melbourne long term car park for 5 days and when I picked it up the passenger side was soaked . I thought it had fixed it

Ok , today i pulled off the cowling around the bottom of the winscreen . I then poured water over the windscreen and noticed it ran behind the plastic strip and down onto the pollen filter then into the vent and down to the carpet .What ,makes it worse is that when the car is parked the vent defaults to fresh air even if you have it set to recirc when you turn the ignition off so the water runs in .

 

[exmec]

usual operation of these systems is to run heat and air together and adjust as necessary. the heat will clear the fogging and the air should remove moisture. while the fan is operating using an anti bacterial spray like Glen20 or a Dettol anti bacterial spray sprayed into the vent intake has helped in the past good luck(a cheap fix)

 

[mpower]

So I've had an on going issue where the vents in my car smell like bacteria and mould. I have found that the windows fog up very quickly when AC isn't running..

Run the AC, modern cars are designed to have the ac running all the time.

Adjust the temperature as necessary.

 

[Dayvo]

usual operation of these systems is to run heat and air together and adjust as necessary. the heat will clear the fogging and the air should remove moisture. while the fan is operating using an anti bacterial spray like Glen20 or a Dettol anti bacterial spray sprayed into the vent intake has helped in the past good luck(a cheap fix)

That's what I do . Pull the pollen filter out and spray Glen 20 through the vent with the aircon on . Cheap fix

 

[greenacc]

I seem to remember there being drain holes in the bottom of the 'plenum' in front of the pollen filter. Have you checked they are clear and draining water?

 

[Dayvo]

https://forums.justcommodores.com.au/threads/another-wet-carpet-thread.254645 have a look at this thread , it might be of some help

 

[brcstar]

Ok so carpets are not damp! They are completely dry. If the AC drain pipe was blocked would I notice water here? It appears the condensation is only coming from the vents. I have ripped apart a large chunk of the dash and notice no moisture anywhere. I'm hesitant to continue this as there may be no point?
I will douse the car with the hose tomorrow and see what happens while running heater.

Honestly I'm just stumped. FML

 

[Dayvo]

Have you checked the floor under the underfelt ?There is what looks like a sheet of thin plastic between the underfelt and carpet so the carpet might feel dry but the underfelt will be wet .Try taking off the trim under the bonnet where you access the pollen filter then run a hose over your windscreen and see if it leaks down into the vent . You can also check by feeling under the dash on the passenger side where the carpet meets the heater , if it leaks you will feel it coming in between firewall and heater housing

 

[brcstar]

So, soaked the car with the hose tonight. I have a leak! Not sure if this is the problem but is a problem for sure. The drivers door allows water to go through it down the window and down to rear drivers side carpet! Hmm!! How do I fix this??

 

[kwaka738]

So, soaked the car with the hose tonight. I have a leak! Not sure if this is the problem but is a problem for sure. The drivers door allows water to go through it down the window and down to rear drivers side carpet! Hmm!! How do I fix this??

All the doors allow water to go down into them. You will see small gaps next to the door window glass. However when the water enters the door it exits the door via the drain holes in the door. This is how it is supposed to work.

HOWEVER if there is an issue with the plastic that sits behind the internal door trim it might allow the water that enters the door to drip into the car from behind the door trim. If it enters from behind the door trim the door seal can't stop it as the entry point is already beyond the door seal. (This plastic is held in place by some sticky crap similar to windscreen sealant).

FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS AND IT WILL DETERMINE IF THE PLASTIC BEHIND THE TRIM IS YOUR ISSUE (and this is so easy to do!!!!!!!!!).

1. If you suspect the driver's door then fully open the driver's door.
2. Get the garden hose and slowly dribble water onto the driver's door window allowing water the enter the door through those slight gaps (I mentioned). Leave hose on for 5 minutes or so.
3. Then periodically inspect whether water is coming out of door behind the door trim (at the inside bottom of the door trim). If it is you have a problem with the plastic protection behind the internal door trim. (Note: water should also be coming out the drain holes at the bottom of the door while doing this test).

If this doesn't show water leaking in do this with the other doors especially the rear passenger door. Also it may be prudent to park the car with the driver's side slightly higher than the passenger side of the car. This is the angle the car will be on when it is paralleled parked in the street with the camber of the road putting the car on this very slight angle. This slight angle lets the water that enters the driver's side doors hit the plastic (behind the internal door trim) easier.

If you find water leaking from the internal door trim, remove the door trim and repeat with the garden hose and you will see the problem.

This is what happened to my car. Running the garden hose on the window with the door open was a real winner in finding where the problem was. In my case it was the rear driver's side passenger door and the carpet in the footwell of the rear driver's side passenger was wet.

Hope this helps!