Water leaking in 2002 Galant LS

I just purchased a 2002 Galant LS. Recently, I've noticed that when I make turns in the car, a water/sloshing noise comes from the front passenger area (like behind the glovebox) ... and today, I noticed that a few drips of water have came in into the carpet/floormat after turning and it making that noise.

I don't know what is wrong with the vehicle ... It has been really hot out lately so I don't know if it maybe has a buildup of condensation inside or what. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do?

I am having the exact same issue with my 2003 Galant. Any guidance on this would be much appreciated.
Thanks...

well, if you think about what is there...

A/C condensation ?
heater core?
is there anything else really under that part of the dash?

I just purchased a 2002 Galant LS. Recently, I've noticed that when I make turns in the car, a water/sloshing noise comes from the front passenger area (like behind the glovebox) ... and today, I noticed that a few drips of water have came in into the carpet/floormat after turning and it making that noise.
I have the exact same problem on a 2003. I also had it a few years ago and my local mechanic said the drain was clogged for the a/c condenser. Find the drain, and my (and your) interior will dry out. My floor is soaked and it sounds like there is a half full cooler in the glove box.:evillol:
Anybody know how to find the drain?

Here's what I did:

(note that all references to "left" and "right" are from the perspective of sitting in the driver's seat, facing toward the front of the vehicle)

- I pulled back the carpet on the front, left side of the console (driver's side in NA)
- That allowed me to see the drain tube from the HVAC box, going to the firewall
- it comes out of the left side of the air box. and makes a right angle turn toward the firewall (this makes it very difficult to get anything into it to clean it out)
- Using that as a reference, I was able to locate the drain on the firewall, in the engine compartment
- The drain exits the firewall beside the steering shaft, directly behind the lower engine mount, on the left side of the center tunnel (there was no tube attached on my car)
- There is a section of insulation that hides the location of the drain - lift it up to see where the drain exits the firewall - the drain pipe is flush with the firewall, and surrounded by a soft, spongy padding/insulation/sealer.. It is tricky to locate, but it's there!!
- Next, I cut a 4 foot length of 1/2 inch garden hose, and attached one end to a ShopVac (duct tape works great http://www.mitsubishi-forums.com/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
- I turned on the vaccuum and worked the other end of the garden hose down to the drain, and sucked all the crud out of the box!!! (cut the hose at an angle to help make a good "seal" around the drain pipe)
- To be sure I had gotten all the crud, I removed the plenum cover under the glove box (between the HVAC box and the blower motor - 4 Phillips screws, 1 bolt, and 1 nut - 8 mm socket)
- I had a friend pour about 2 gallons of water into the heater box from a watering jug, while I used the ShopVac to suck it out the other end
- Then I poured another gallon or so through it, without the vaccuum
- Now the system drains as good as new!! http://www.mitsubishi-forums.com/style_emoticons/default/460.gif
- The shopVac had a TON of crud in it!! Nasty!!

I hope this will help others who have the same problem. I photo documented the process, so if anyone is interested, drop me an e-mail and I'll send them to you - jimmy_dean0@yahoo.com

My next project will be installing the cabin filter this weekend to prevent this issue occurring again.

Hope this helps,

Jimmy

Hello,
I have received several requests for the photos, so here’s a link, plus step by step instructions:

Please note: All information is provided "as is", and I accept no responsibility for any problems that may occurr if you attempt this proceedure. I make no claim as to the potential success of this proceedure (except that it worked for me :) ).

Please be very careful when working around any mechanical parts. Make sure the engine is off, and has had time to cool down, so as not to burn yourself. Plastic parts may be brittle, and could break. Use care when working with any parts. Be careful not to strip the threads when removing/re-attaching the plenum cover.

Ok, now that the disclaimers are out of the way :), here are the photos, and the steps I used:

Photos:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jimmy_dean0/album?.dir=/7e49re2&.src=ph&.tok=phHSaGFBOYDwiqBw
1. Pull the carpet back on the left side (driver's side in North America), and you will see the drain tube (see DrainTube1.JPG).

2. Note the location of the drain tube where it intersects the firewall, next to the steering column.

3. Open the hood, and locate the exit of the drain tube in the engine compartment, next to the steering column. It is a small hole in the firewall, about the size of a quarter (maybe a little bigger), behind the lower engine mount. Reach down with your hand, and you should be able to feel the hard plastic tube in the hole. My car had a soft, spongy material around the tube, inside the hole.

4. Use the ShopVac and garden hose combination to suck the water out through this drain hole in the engine compartment. If you cut the end of the garden hose at a slight angle it may make it easier to "seal" the garden hose around the drain hole, to get a good suction. There was a lot of crud inside that was plugging the hole, and quite a bit of water, so expect the vaccuum hose to dance around a bit as it sucks it all out :).

5. Optional, but highly recommended - Remove the plenum cover (see PlenumCover2.jpg) under the glove box on the passenger side. The cover sits between the fan on the right, and the plenum box on the left. There are 4 Philips head screws (the "+" type head), one 8 mm nut and one 8 mm bolt (locations are circled in the photo). The two screws towards the front of the car, closest to the firewall, are difficult to locate, especially the one on the left. Use a stubby Philips for that one. You may be able to get away with taking out the two rear screws, closest to the passenger seat, and "twisting" the cover down. Be careful not to break it!

6. Have a friend pour water slowly into the plenum (see PlenumCover.jpg) in the spot circled in yellow in the photo. This will help to flush out any additional debris that has accumulated in the plenum.

7. To prevent the problem from coming back, install a cabin filter (available at the Dealer - $58.00 in Canada, including the reusable bracket). Cut out the plastic behind the glove box, and attach the filter with 2 screws. I'll be doing this on the weekend, and will take photos of the process. I'll post them once I've completed the job. See the CabinFilter.jpg photo for the location of the filter. You'll need to take out the glove box to reach this.

Hope this helps,

Jimmy

Update - New Photo's added

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jimmy_dean0/album?.dir=/7e49re2&.src=ph&.tok=phHSaGFBOYDwiqBw (http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jimmy_dean0/album?.dir=/7e49re2&.src=ph&.tok=phHSaGFBOYDwiqBw)

The saga continues - Installing the cabin filter, and drying the carpet

Cabin Filter:

- we picked up the cabin filter from the dealer - part number MR500360
- after removing the glove box, I used a 1" wood chisel to cut out the plastic "blanc" behind the glove box
- CAREFULLY work one corner of the chisel into the plastic blanc, along the outer edge
- you could also drill a hole in each corner, and then use a fine hack saw blade to cut out the blanc
- the plastic is quite thin in this area, as it is designed to be cut out
- using care, I moved the chisel along, at an angle, cutting a small amount of plastic at a time
- once the blanc is removed, smooth out any rough edges, and slide in the filter
- use 2 screws to secure it in place

Drying the carpet:

After fixing the drain problem, and installing the filter the last problem we have is the nasty smell of the wet carpet on the passenger side. I tried using a wet vac to suck it out, but that was pretty ineffective - the carpet was very wet, and the backing has what appears to be a plastic, waterproofing on it. Here's what I've done to resolve this

- remove the plastic sil-plate from the passenger side door opening
- BE CAREFULL!!! As you can see in the photo (Carpet2.JPG), I managed to break off one of the clip retainers http://www.mitsubishiforum.com/image/s7.gif
- there is a single Philips head screw at the top, front corner that must be removed (just below the dash)
- after completely removing the sil-plate, pull the carpet back, over the passenger seat (Carpet3.JPG)
- the insulation on the back of the carpet will most likley be SOAKED (this seems to be the source of the smell)
- I used a wet-vac to dry this out as much as possible
- it was a warm, sunny day today, so I left the carpet like this, with the front doors and windows open
- to speed up the process even more, I put a small fan in the passenger footwell, blowing over the carpet
- we also sprayed Fabreeze on the carpet to help get rid of the smell.
- we plan to disinfect the carpet with a strong disinfectant spray too, to prevent any mold and mildew from forming.

With any luck this will be my last posting on this subject. I hope this thread will help others who may experience this problem.

If anyone has any questions, or would like clarification, on any of the posts, feel free to drop me a line - jimmy_dean0*Yahoo.com.

Thanks,

Jimmy

There's a technical service bulletin out on this.

For those that discovered this BEFORE flooding your carpet: once you find the drain line (it's a black plastic fitting with a hole perhaps 3/8" in diameter. Like Jimmy said above it is most likely hiding behind the thin firewall insulation sheet the hangs down). Get a small slightly rigid wire with some flexibility, make a small kink or curley que on the end and snake the wire into the drain line 3-6 inches, twisting and rotating until you get crap coming out. The clue will be water coming out and hopefully the offending blockage.

If you successfully clean it, do like Jimmy said and make a hose that will go into or around the drain. I then put a couple of ounces of chlorine in a little over a quart of water and poured it into the box, ensuring that it was actually going in vs. leaking to the ground. Once all inside, I let it drain then flushed twice with the same quantity of clean water.

The moldy smell is now gone.

I went to put in a filter per Jimmy's instructions. My 2003 did NOT have a filter in it. I used his approach and took a chisel to the the cover. I had found cheap filters, but they don't have the carriage tray so I'll be going to the dealer to get the filter tray for installation (hopefully along with the cover).

Hello All,

The Yahoo page I was using for the photos has expired, so here's a new location:

http://cid-5b2a6e30d8c06fda.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/.res/5B2A6E30D8C06FDA!107

I am glad to see that so many folks have benefitted from this article.

Have a great one!

JD

just to bump this up and let yall know that this worked very well..
...i just got a peice of 5\8 heater hose and duct taped to the shop vac then sealed it to the drain plug and it sucked it all out....now back to cleaning the carpet...lol

Jimmy Dean, if you are still looking at this forum from time to time, could you lend me some advice. I followed your instructions (2000 Galant ES) and oddly enough NOTHING came out thru the wetvac. Its my wifes car and water is all under the driver side and it only does this when she runs the A/C. It is SOAKED underneath the driver side mat and seems to be even slightly wet in the rear driver side. I haven't tried the plenum thing yet, you think that is something I should try?

If you peel back the carpet you can see where the elbow is for the drain to the right of the gas pedal plate on the firewall. There is a foam gasket there that keeps the water from coming back into the car. Over time it gets hard and stop sealing and it will leak. You will probably see the water trail from it leaking. Also, you can drill a hole big enough for a coathanger to go into if you need to forcefully swab out the hole, just use a screw and some black rtv to seal it. You can go through the mess of replacing the gasket. Pulling the dash, pulling the heater lines pulling the a/c lines and replacing it OR you can clean the area really really good and use black rtv to seal around the tube/firewall. Option 1 takes 5-6 hours option 2 takes an hour and makes a mess but works pretty good and is significantly cheaper. The foam gasket is about 10$ lol There is also a TSB about the body seal not being that great under the carpet about where the center console begins but I have yet to see one leak there. The fix for that is to use black rtv to seal it.

If you peel back the carpet you can see where the elbow is for the drain to the right of the gas pedal plate on the firewall. There is a foam gasket there that keeps the water from coming back into the car. Over time it gets hard and stop sealing and it will leak. You will probably see the water trail from it leaking. Also, you can drill a hole big enough for a coathanger to go into if you need to forcefully swab out the hole, just use a screw and some black rtv to seal it. You can go through the mess of replacing the gasket. Pulling the dash, pulling the heater lines pulling the a/c lines and replacing it OR you can clean the area really really good and use black rtv to seal around the tube/firewall. Option 1 takes 5-6 hours option 2 takes an hour and makes a mess but works pretty good and is significantly cheaper. The foam gasket is about 10$ lol There is also a TSB about the body seal not being that great under the carpet about where the center console begins but I have yet to see one leak there. The fix for that is to use black rtv to seal it.

Where is that gasket at? Is it at the end closest to the firewall on the inside of the vehicle, or at the other end of the drain under the center console? I ask because I called Mitsubishi and they said they are WELL aware of the issue, but there is no recall. But they would charge me a $250 flat rate to fix it. She mentioned that they found a way to fix it and they will use some silicone to solve the issue. But she wouldn't tell me HOW exactly they would fix it.

I think I may have finally fixed the problem. Last weekend I used the wetvac and sucked out what I could, then worked the drain with a coat hanger. Today I checked and it didn't seem to be any new wet areas, and some areas were completely dry. So I took Rahx advice and got some Black RTV and put that around the firewall area to re-seal the gasket (basically made a new one myself with the black rtv). Then I took off the glovebox, and found that my car actually did have the tray for the cabin air filter and had a filter in it, well what was left of it. This is a 00 Galant ES, and I am sure that is the same filter that was in there when it was manufactured. This filter was JET black, filled with dirt, mud, feathers, leaves, bugs, you name it, it was in it. Went to NAPA and they had it for $29. Thanks all for the assistance, when my wife pulled off today after me letting the veh. run for about 20 mins with the A/C on, I was pleased to see water on the ground for the first time in months.

The gasket is actually a 3in thick egg shaped piece of foam sandwiched between the drain and the firewall. If you ever remove it, it will be 1/4-1/2in thick and hard/crumbly.

Hello All,

New link for the photos I took while repairing the water issue on our 2003 Galant:

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=5B2A6E30D8C06FDA&id=5B2A6E30D8C06FDA%21107

Still working like a charm :)

JD

Hi, I am new to this forum and haven't posted before. I just bought a 2001 galant for my 16 yr old.All was good till hot ga summer came along,then the water in the floor showed up. last friday night I decided to try and unstop the drain,well it wasn,t stopped up just running back into the car on the outside of the tube thanks to the cheap worn out gasket.I decided after tearing out the trim and carpet to research it online. Turns out its a pretty common problem. I read all the fixes and attempts and one guy had said if you could find a 90 degree hose to put on the end of the drain.... Well saturday it hit me what would work how about a 90 degree spark plug boot from a chevy?? I went to the basement found an old plug wire pulled off the end and went back outside. At first it didnt want to go on but an old body man told me years ago you could shove a basketball through a garden hose if you greased it up with brake fluid.I put a little in the end and it went right on and the 90 side goes right between the power steering lines.Ive had it on for a week and it has drained outside and not a drop inside the car.I'll try to get pics tomorrow.Its worked for me hopefully itll work for you guys and save you a lot of aggrevation and money.