Wet carpet....

I have a 96 grand am GT, and my carpets, over the last couple years, have been getting wet. I recently put in a new windshield (to help solve the problem, cause there was a crack, so you never know) and during the replacement, noticed that the vent cover and foam strip were in bad condition, so I replaced those ( I heard they were a common problem for leaks in the grand am) but it hasn't seem to solve the problem.

Any ideas? Don't say 'put a pressure washer and get under the dash board' cause I've done that. I really don't know how it's getting in.

Thanks.

it gets in through your floor vent most likely the passenger side front , on the front passenger side on top the bulkhead(firewall) is the air inlet for your vents , they can get water built up through there unless you leave the defrost or max ac on before you turn the car off , this closes the inlet. If the water is getting in through there your carpet underlay will be soaked as well and will need to be dried really good or else your cars gonna start stinking bad. I suggest you pull the carpet out and hang it in the sun on a nice day take turns on both sides to ensure it is dry. Take advantage of the carpet bein out to wipe all the water and moisture off the floor. I bet there will be more trouble shooting suggestions , try the simplest fixes first.

have you checked the ruber around the door ????

excellent question , i feel dumb not askin the simplest thing first.

i have a 1993 grand am, and i noticed my floors were soaked 2 days after i bought it.. which sucked because if i knew this, i probably wouldn't have bought the car.. anyhow, i hoped that maybe the dealer or someone had left a window down and the car got soaked, so one day i ripped up the carpet, soaked up the water, used a hair dryer to dry the carpet and hoped for the best. The next time it rained, it did the same thing. My mechanics daughter also has a grand am, and has the same problem.. So he did to my car, what he did to hers.. Drilled a 1/4inch hole in the driver and passenger's front & rear floor.. which helped to drain most of the water that got in, but the carpet is still damp for a day or so... but it did help most of the problem.

There is a TSB on this issue. If you go to you local dealer and tell them your problem and ask for the sealing strip that is needed to solve this issue, they will sell you one. They might be kind enough to give you directions on how to do it as well.

I'll try your guys suggestions... thanks!

I am having the same Wet Carpet problem you are. Except my floor boards have 3 inches of water in them. I have not replaced a windshield in the car. I have not left the door open at all. I do not think the water is coming in through the vent. Most of the water is on the Drivers floor board. The insulation between the the firewall and the driver is soaked. The pading and isulation under the gear shift is soaked. I pulled the carpet out of the drivers floor board to suck out the water and dry the carpet. I have thought my problem was with the condenser unit for the air conditioning/defroster. As I had a problem with the ex wifes Sunfire but on the passanger front floor boards. The dealer tech said he couldnt find a problem and that I had left the door open. Well I was driving home one day and left the defroster on and by the time I got home I had 3 inches of water. It had not been raining. No water on the roads. I dried it up and didnt turn on the defroster or air conditioner again. Then yesterday it rained, I didnt turn on the defroster, but I did turn on the bi level air cycling (is this connected to the AC in th 96's) If it is then it is the condensor unit droping water inside the car vs out. The dealer didnt want to spend much time on this. It upset me. And now I have a stinky car that I can swim in. I though it might be a hearter hose leak, but there was no anti freeze in the car nor that smell. I dont think it is outside water as its not grimey enough. At a loss. Do I take it to the mech or to a body shop?

I have a 96 grand am GT, and my carpets, over the last couple years, have been getting wet. I recently put in a new windshield (to help solve the problem, cause there was a crack, so you never know) and during the replacement, noticed that the vent cover and foam strip were in bad condition, so I replaced those ( I heard they were a common problem for leaks in the grand am) but it hasn't seem to solve the problem.

Any ideas? Don't say 'put a pressure washer and get under the dash board' cause I've done that. I really don't know how it's getting in.

Thanks.
Check the drain vents located under the plastic grill where the wipers home. They can fill with leaves and pine needles. If clogged will cause water to go where it don't belong. If water is still getting in..a body shop dude rigged some tubing with sht. metal flares right to those 2 vents and ran the tubing along the fire wall down to the bottom of the engine compartment --no more wet carpets !!!

I'll take a look!

So right under the 'beauty panel' (or plastic grill) ?

It seems to be more on the drivers side, so I'll take a look. I'll give you an update of what I find. :)

Thanks

I'll take a look!

So right under the 'beauty panel' (or plastic grill) ?

It seems to be more on the drivers side, so I'll take a look. I'll give you an update of what I find. :)

Thanks

I just got my 96 Grandam back from the shop. The checked all possibles as far as they can go without dismantling. There are no pressure leaks.

Their suggestion is to pull out the entire dashboard and steering column to look for the leak. They believe it to be a void in on the otherside of the firewall retaining water and it finaly rusted through, thereby droping gallons and gallons of water into the car..soaking mainly the drivers front floor boards..

Thats about 15 hours worth of labor to pull it all out...15 to put it all back in...and then the actual repair of the car. Est low end cost 3grand.

Needless to say we are looking for a new car. Sighs..

Have fun looking for yours....

Hi, guys,
My 96 Grand Am SE (mint 47,000 km baby) was just diagnosed- rotted firewall-terminal. Has 5 months tops. Common problem since 94 according to shops. Mine was one of the 96's starting to come in. Symptom? Water on driver's side floor. Not formally recognized by GM, but I was told that it's an engineering flaw. Anybody else reported this to GM??? Thanks.

I am having the same Wet Carpet problem you are. Except my floor boards have 3 inches of water in them. I have not replaced a windshield in the car. I have not left the door open at all. I do not think the water is coming in through the vent. Most of the water is on the Drivers floor board. The insulation between the the firewall and the driver is soaked. The pading and isulation under the gear shift is soaked. I pulled the carpet out of the drivers floor board to suck out the water and dry the carpet. I have thought my problem was with the condenser unit for the air conditioning/defroster. As I had a problem with the ex wifes Sunfire but on the passanger front floor boards. The dealer tech said he couldnt find a problem and that I had left the door open. Well I was driving home one day and left the defroster on and by the time I got home I had 3 inches of water. It had not been raining. No water on the roads. I dried it up and didnt turn on the defroster or air conditioner again. Then yesterday it rained, I didnt turn on the defroster, but I did turn on the bi level air cycling (is this connected to the AC in th 96's) If it is then it is the condensor unit droping water inside the car vs out. The dealer didnt want to spend much time on this. It upset me. And now I have a stinky car that I can swim in. I though it might be a hearter hose leak, but there was no anti freeze in the car nor that smell. I dont think it is outside water as its not grimey enough. At a loss. Do I take it to the mech or to a body shop?

Evaporator core, the condensor is in front of the radiator

dudes, i got the same problem with my 95. Wet drivers side floor when it rains. not too much tho...no it has nothing to do with the AC, at least in my case, cuz i dont have one. Ive torn my carpet up 5 different times to dry it then finally gave up and learned to deal with the smell (aka 2 airfreshners, one up front hanging off the heater knob and one in the trunk) the one in the truck helps out in the back of the car but try not to open them both completely when theyre brand new cuz that just creates a whole new nasty smell....but none the less just open them both up about 1/4 and it should work fine

POINTER: might wanna use the same scented fresheners (tried 2 scents at the same time once...not good)

P.S. i know this isnt a solution to the problem but it is a temporary way to deal with the smell

Hi guys, I've got a 98 GA SE with the exact same problems you're all talking about...first it started on the passenger side and I was told it could be linked to the heater core...that was about six months ago, since then the problem has migrated to the driver's side as well. Today, I got so pissed off and decided to rip the carpet out of the front wells. I like the idea of drilling a hole, but I'd like to ultimately find out what the cause is...I believe I have read before that it is a design flaw..and why GM doesn't admit to it I won't ever understand.

Are there any other suggestions?

The water is coming in by the blower because the drain holes are plugged with leaves. There are 2 drain holes under the plastic grill under the windshield. The problem one is under the ventilator on the passenger side.

The hole to the right of the ventilator is deceiving; it actually goes under the plastic box and goes deep. When the leaves plug the hole, water rises beyond the blower and goes down the vent to the carpet.

I remove the plastic grill, then the hood. 3 screws hold down the plastic vent box. Then I use a vacuum cleaner to suck up the debris.

Check it with water it must come out into the engine compartment.

The water is coming in by the blower because the drain holes are plugged with leaves.

Bumping up a 8 years old thread? Like, relly? 2004-2012... He probably don't even still have the car... Please check the post date next time before replying to long time dead threads...

I didn’t know that there was such a thing as a dead thread. I still drive my car just as many other people do. I am sure someone would appreciate a proper solution to resolve their problem. Some problems become more prominent as a car ages.
These forums are not just for the original inquirer. Many newer searches are made by owner encountering the same problem.

Welcome to AF luckyluc.

Ya unless you have an issue you prob should NOT bring up threads this old, thanks!

Now on the subject, it is almost impossible for leaves to get into their and clog the hvac drain unless the cowl has been removed/damaged.

Most likly on this model it leaks around the strut towers agaisnt the firewall

The cowl or plastic grill between the window and engine compartment has little holes except around the wiper arms where even medium size leaves, maple tree seeds, pine needles easily enter. And the way it is shaped the debris is directed toward these holes. The water level easily rises beyond the blower entrance.

That is why even when parked,( no driving ) the car get wet carpets, when it rains.