Fish tank under the dashboard?

[Awsum97]

Hi All - so when it rains really hard out or I wash the car and rinse it heavily..when I go to drive it - it sounds like there is a fish tank with water squashing around, somewhere behind the glove box? usually nothing happens but a couple times water came gushing out on the passenger side floor mat. can anyone help? Thanks!

 

[BradR]

Uh-oh!
You're sure it's not coolant right?

You could check to see if there is anywhere for water to get in on the passenger side... door, windshield top and bottom, antenna base...

Hmm... Really quite an odd one here I think...

 

[Awsum97]

yeah its crazy right? its is definately water. i think the water has to be coming through the vent area near the windshield. wheather stripping etc is all in to shape. it eventually drains out. and doesnt just dissapate (i reckon because then the widows/interior might be steamy/foggy). when u first get into the car and turn you can hear the water move to the other side of wherever its being held (this the fishtank reference!)

 

[BradR]

Or quite possible you have one of the rarest Explorers in existence that came from Factory with an actual Fishtank but some silly previous owner moved it to behind the glovebox!

 

[Awsum97]

ha! yeah im not a mechanic but i know some stuff (my brother is). If i had to guess - some drain is stuck shut etc. and water collects and maybe gets its way throught the airconditioning unit or heating aparatus (because it drains out onto the floor sometimes).

 

[Hoof Hearted]

You could check the heater core drip tray. It could be blocked. It sits under the heater core and is used in case it springs a leak preventing the interior getting wet.

 

[Awsum97]

sounds about right. how do i do that? is it hard to get to? do i access it from the inside of the car or from the engine compartment? What do i have to take out of the way to get there? thanks

 

[Hoof Hearted]

Easy job, worth checking. Under glove box area look for for a section of removable panel. Press studs hold it in. Remove this you should see a plastic box shape held in by two or three screws this is the tray. It is push fitted to the bulkhead where the excess water is suposed to drain out behind the fender onto the street. But not if its blocked

 

[wood1]

There are drains under the cowl that sometimes get plugged up with leaves and other material (ever park under a tree?) when the drains get plugged and it rains or you wash your truck the water gets deep enough under there that it pours into the air intake for the heater system. Find the drains and remove the junk from them. Pretty common problem.

 

[Awsum97]

wow thanks that sounds easy. so when i get there and drain whatever water maybe be left in there any idea on how i can fix the issue from happening again? maybe lubricant or something might be rusty/stuck shut?

 

[Hoof Hearted]

Just a clean up should be fine.

 

[Awsum97]

OK great Ill try it and let you know how it went. thanks for the help!

 

[Awsum97]

I have to admit I tried getting under the glove box to remove some sort of panel that one of the above responses mentioned but I could find no screws etc. that are referenced. Does anyone have experience with the removal of the tray that they are talking about? Very much appreciated.

 

[drdoom]

Have you checked the condensate drain on the engine side of the firewall?

 

[ponkotsu]

Maybe the water is in the vent cowl? Check that it's not all plugged up with leaves. I think on the left side there is a drain that goes behind the fender.

 

[Awsum97]

Thx for the promote response. This cowl. Do I access it from inside the car or the engine compartment? When I have this problem the water gushes out on the passenger side. If u were sitting there the water would come out on your right foot

 

[my98nnj]

The cowl is where your wipers are, outside. Two screws and it will pop out. If its faded, a quick coat of black spray paint makes a huge difference.

 

[AlexSport'00]

To be honest, I am really disappointed that this thread is not about some guy trying to put a fish tank where his glove box or something it, cause that'd be awesome!