97 Taurus, water on drivers side

Pulled carpet back and no holes in floorboard. Only get's wet when running. I drove it 4 miles to the store and 4 miles back and there was a 1/2" of water on the floorboard (it was dry when I started out).
Please help, this is pissing me off.

Thanks,
Jay

Does the floor only get wet when it's raining outside? Maybe that's what you meant instead of "running?" Did you have the A/C or defrost on when you noticed the water on the floor? Is it on the driver's side, passenger side, or both? Is it definitely water?

There apparantly is a TSB for water leaks from the front cowl, but I think that might only apply to newer Taurii. You may want to search this forum for "water leak" or similar.

It the A/C or defrost is always on when you notice the water, you may have a plugged evap housing drain. Normally the condensation from using the A/C will drain outside the car, but if the drain gets plugged, it can drip into the passenger compartment, usually on the passenger side. I would not expect that amount of water in such a short drive though.

If you're not sure it's water, it may be coolant (or whatever is in your radiator) from a leaky heater core. Again though, I would not expect this amount of liquid from such a short drive.

-Rod

Sat outside in the pouring rain for 2 days. Bone dry.
Defrost was on for the short trip that produced all the water.
Driver side only.
Just water, not colored, no coolant smell, coolant level hasn't changed.
Where is this drain you talk about that could be plugged. I would like
to check that.

Thanks !
Jay

Check all the fresh air intakes for the defroster too. They may plugged up with leaves or other debri and not draining properly.

Sat outside in the pouring rain for 2 days. Bone dry.
Defrost was on for the short trip that produced all the water.
Driver side only.
Just water, not colored, no coolant smell, coolant level hasn't changed.
Where is this drain you talk about that could be plugged. I would like
to check that.

Thanks !
Jay

Was the short trip the morning after sitting in the rain, or were the two events separated by a few days?

The drain will be on the passenger side of the car towards the bottom of the firewall in the engine compartment. There will probably be a small tube sticking out of the firewall that goes towards the ground and is not connected to anything. If you don't find it, I'll take a look at my '98 and see where it's at.

-Rod

Two events were separated by a week. It was in the garage drying out for that amount of time, then took it for the short trip.
I took it for a 14 mile round trip yesterday and no signs of water. Same conditions as last time, just a few more miles though.
It is now sitting outside again with a completely dry floor and it is supposed to rain today. So I will be doublechecking to see if it leaks when it rains.
Thanks for all the replies. I'll be back to report my results.

Jay

There apparantly is a TSB for water leaks from the front cowl, but I think that might only apply to newer Taurii. You may want to search this forum for "water leak" or similar.

Where can you go to find out if that tsb applies to your car?

There apparantly is a TSB for water leaks from the front cowl, but I think that might only apply to newer Taurii. You may want to search this forum for "water leak" or similar.

Where can you go to find out if that tsb applies to your car?

http://www.alldata.tsb.com/recalls/index.html
And it appears you could probably find them at http://www.autosafety.org/casresults.php?find=Technical+Service+Bulletin&x=0&y=0

If you subscribe to Alldatadiy.com ($25 for one year) you can get the full Technical Service Bulletins for the registered vehicle (not just the topic, but the full article) as well as the full service manual, labor rates, part numbers, and list cost of parts. I've actually been quite pleased with the Alldata subscriptions I've had in the past.

-Rod

Okay, it leaks when it rains. Thought it was just when it was driven, but, I'm wrong as usual.
Small trail down between the brake pedal and the hood latch handle. Can't see up to where it starts, all the wires, etc... are in the way. Guess I will start disassembling the cowl from the outside in and see if I can find out where it's coming from. Any ideas?

Jay

Re-reading your subject, I must apologize for my earlier posts. I was making the assumption that the leak was on the passenger side (I guess I didn't pay attention to the subject line). The heater core and evaporator core would both be located more to the passenger side.

Unfortunately, I think the TSB on the cowl leak was related to leaks on the passenger side as well.

You probably should serch this forum for similar threads. Maybe search for the key words "water leak" or similar.

-Rod

Also check around the windshield seal. It is a common place for many makes of cars to leak.