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Car Question - 2009 Toyota Matrix - Clear, Odorless, Tasteless Liquid Leaking!

MegaMan001MegaMan001 CRNARochester, MNRegistered User regular
in Help / Advice Forum
As with my last car problem, this one occurred while my girlfriend was driving my car. Seriously, any time she takes the car somewhere something terrible happens and needs to be fixed. So far it's been a flat tire, she ran into a tree, and now the rear heat exhaust shield rusted off.

Now, while driving home she noticed a clear, odorless, and tasteless (I checked) liquid from underneath the driver's side dashboard right above where the pedals are. The liquid pretty well saturated the driver's side floor mat.

I'm pretty sure it's water and doing a little bit of research it appears that it could be related to the air conditioning system via condensation. My only concern was that it looked like a lot of water, like the whole floor mat is pretty wet. She told me it stopped when she turned off the air conditioning, but I couldn't get it to replicate by turning the air conditioner back on for 10 minutes or so.

Thoughts?

I am in the business of saving lives.

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    PantshandshakePantshandshake Registered User regular
    Sounds like water being pushed through the firewall. No idea how that would usually drain on your car, maybe you hit the google machine and see if there's an easy way to get at that and check for a blockage.

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    JebusUDJebusUD Adventure! Candy IslandRegistered User regular
    HVAC Drain tube, sunroof drain tube. Or possibly a seal out in the windshield. I'd bet a drain tube needs replaced though, it would have to be humid and creating a bit of condensation for a while to recreate the situation for the AC or raining for the sunroof.

    and I wonder about my neighbors even though I don't have them
    but they're listening to every word I say
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    MegaMan001MegaMan001 CRNA Rochester, MNRegistered User regular
    I decided to get in there and pulled out some of the panels underneath the dashboard and pull up the interior upholstery and holy shit there was a TON of water down there. Absolutely saturated the insulation underneath the interior fabric. I pulled out a few drain plugs to let the water out. Called my car guy, he thinks it's a combination of the air conditioner backing up because the drain is clogged (which he said happens frequently) and the water underneath already was when I left my car's windows open in a thunder storm that just sat there not draining.

    So, bringing it in Thursday! Thanks guys.

    I am in the business of saving lives.
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    knitdanknitdan In ur base Killin ur guysRegistered User regular
    Don't ingest strange liquids that come out of a car. Smell yes, taste no.

    “I was quick when I came in here, I’m twice as quick now”
    -Indiana Solo, runner of blades
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    MegaMan001MegaMan001 CRNA Rochester, MNRegistered User regular
    I didn't like, drink the shit man, just a little dab on the tongue.

    I am in the business of saving lives.
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    PedroAsaniPedroAsani Brotherhood of the Squirrel [Prime]Registered User regular
    MegaMan001 wrote: »
    I didn't like, drink the shit man, just a little dab on the tongue.

    I now have visions of you pulling off random hoses and chugging without looking. :)

    Anyway: One thing it might be is that if you have been running the AC full blast lately, you may have created a ball of ice in the system. It grows, cracks the housing somewhere and then when you stop the car (and therefore the AC) it slowly melts. Finding just where the crack is can be tricky, since the ball melting allows the housing to return to an almost normal shape, and so a hairline crack can be imperceptible.

    It likely won't be diagnosed on the first try, so if you take it in and they can't find anything, keep it in mind for the next heatwave. The only way to find it is when the ice ball exists, as it will grow in the same place now the water has a place to collect.

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    tinwhiskerstinwhiskers Registered User regular
    Just remember if you ever taste something sweet, you probably just ingested a small amount of anti-freeze. The correct antidote is a day long drinking bender(for reals).

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    Al_watAl_wat Registered User regular
    ...yeah dont taste random machine fluids

    That is not a good idea

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    MegaMan001MegaMan001 CRNA Rochester, MNRegistered User regular
    Got it fixed today actually. The guy told me that the hose responsible for draining the condensation from the AC had been clogged by leaves and debris. He flushed the whole system, drained out the excess water for only $50 - so that was an easy solution.

    Thanks for the help, everyone, this can be locked now.

    I am in the business of saving lives.
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    JebusUDJebusUD Adventure! Candy IslandRegistered User regular
    Swish, nailed it!

    and I wonder about my neighbors even though I don't have them
    but they're listening to every word I say
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