AHH yes,, The mysterious water swooshing noise in the dashboard when turning, and/or water leaking under the dash at the passenger side, as well as possibly the heater fan sounding like it's spitting water…there can be only one explanation and this is IT.
First, let me assure you that all manner of answers from mechanics have been researched and considered, but so far no one has yet answered this satisfactorily in any forum I have come across. Usually it is something along the lines of "coolant leak", evaporator core issues, etc etc but these fellows are missing the vital point…it is WATER not some exotic liquid cocktail usually associated with serious and expensive vehicle problems.
I own a 1996 Mercury Villager / Nissan Quest which developed this problem after a heavy rainfall. Coincidence? NO WAY!
I had the proverbial water leak beneath the passenger side dash, as well as what sounded like a bathtub full of water behind my dash swooshing back and forth.
So here's the deal. These vehicles, like many others have a reservoir above the firewall just beneath the plastic cover at the base of the windshield, which also houses the wiper motor, etc. typically the reservoir collects any water running from the windshield or rain in general. There are two drains one at the drivers side and one at the passenger side. These drains usually work great except when they become plugged with silt, debris from trees shedding leaves, insect matter etc. When this happens, the water simply collects and fills the reservoir with nowhere to go except into the fresh air intake for the cabin heating/cooling system located just above the passenger side glove compartment.
The water then leaks into the venting ducts and onto the floor. It also stays in the reservoir and sloshes back and forth while driving.
Any mechanic worth his salt should be able to figure this out and charge you ½ hr labor to remove the plastic shroud and unplug the drains. That's pretty much the extent of it. I did it myself and it took about 20 minutes.
The wipers have to be removed. There is a release clip at the bottom of the wiper coupling where it meets the drive shaft. Pull it back and lift the wiper straight up and off the shaft. Remove the plastic pins ( they look like slotted screws) along the top of the shroud by turning them 90 degrees and pulling them straight out with some needle nose pliers. Open the hood and remove the rubber seal strip along the edge of the shroud. Find the little plastic holding pins and reach around to the bottom of each pin. You need to compress the little barbs on both sides of the pin to allow it to be pushed up through the hole. There are also 4 plastic push-lock pins holding the bottom edge of the shroud. You will have to pull up on the center (looks like a screw) of each pin and pull it almost all the way out. Then remove the whole pin assembly. A small sharp pair of end cutters works great. Now with a little bit of twisting and careful manipulation you should be able to pull the plastic piece up and out of the way. Start at the corners and pull the piece down and out from under the windshield trim. Then lift it up carefully and move it to rest on the windshield being careful not to disconnect any rubber hoses from the washer nozzles.
The drains are located at the far edge of the trough in each corner. Use a straightened coat hanger or something similar to poke and clear the drain. Get your garden hose and with a good straight stream of water flush out each drain hole and make sure it is draining. Water will pour out of the rear of each wheel well just under the front of each door.
Try using a spray of Lysol or other household disinfectant into the trough since it may have had stagnant water for some time. This will kill any bacteria that may have found it a haven for while and ensure that you will not be blowing it into the passenger compartment every time you turn on your blower.
Put it all back together and enjoy!!!
And tell your mechanic who was going to charge you $1000 to pull your dashboard apart and fix your heater core and who knows what else, to go back for some refresher courses.
Good luck.
Rainer Wiechmann
Sounds like heater core is leaking
Heater core / hose leaking.
Be more informative on "over heats". Is it being driven along time before it over heats? Is the guage showing hot but not boiling out the radiator, is there steam coming from under the hood, is there a sign of leaking under the passenger side dash or under the firewall on the ground, have you had the thermostate replaced, is the water pump leaking?
the ac drain is stopped up locate under hood on passenger side on fire wall
If you smell antifreeze in the passenger compartment of your car your heater core is probably leaking. It's under the dash somewhere ( depends on the make and model ). Another symptom of a leaking heater core is moisture build up on the inside of the windshield when you run your defroster.
The gas tank, maybe? MOST LIKELY IT IS THE HEATER CORE LEAKING OR IT COULD BE WATER CONDENSATION FROM THE A/C EVAPORATOR CORE.
The heater core is located on the passenger side under the dash. When you see fluid leaking, it's time to replace the heater core. Get ready to spend a fair amount of money.
under hood of car on fire wall under ac box is a drain tube clean it out
Leaking heater core or leaking windshield. If it taste sweet, it is coolant and the heater core is leaking. i have a 96 and i found that the fire wall has rusted out from the drain holes under the hood and the rack has pulled oof This is a very common problem with the 92-96 Berettas, I am almost positive that it is NOT a leaking windshield or leaking heater core. The water leak is because of a factory defect. There is a gap in the seam in the fresh air inlet under the hood in the cowl area(passenger side). The water usually ends up on both passenger and drivers side. I have had 3 Berettas and they all have had this problem!
The pipe that runs under the back rear of the passenger side of a 196 Pontiac Grand Am is the water pump. If there is leaking under the passenger side, the first thing to check is the water pump.
Heater core is probally leaking. Should be located under dash on passenger side.
Your heater core is leaking ( inside heater housing under passenger side dash ) it must be replaced. You can stop the leak temporarily by looping the two hoses together that enter the firewall from the engine until a repair can be made.