Fixed my water leak, last night!!
New Member
Joined: 07-04-2013
Posts: 20
From: Michigan
ncampbell21, don't be surprised when your blower motor begins to screech, and then stops. Looking back, my flooded blower motor may have been aggravated by me removing the fuse and drying out the car for a week. I think corrosion set in during that week, which then caused the motor to fail. Ugh!
Member
Joined: 11-04-2011
Posts: 32
I think the same thing happened to me... again! A few years back I remember having to replace a bit of rubber on the passenger side of the car due to some leaking which caused the blower resistor to short. I consequently replaced the resistor, and everything was great. When I started my car yesterday, the blower once again appears to only work on max. And I only had that resistor for a few years! Bugger.
Is this a repair you guys have to do more than once?
Is this a repair you guys have to do more than once?
Member
Joined: 11-04-2011
Posts: 32
Moderator
Joined: 01-23-2009
Posts: 26,539
From: Fredericksburg,VA
New Member
Joined: 07-04-2013
Posts: 20
From: Michigan
tgp1994, in my opinion, there are two ways for water to flood the cowl, but only one way for the flood water to enter the HVAC system.
One way to flood the cowl is by a leak at the butyl patch. The other way to flood the cowl is by the right combination of blocked cowl drains and a HEAVY rain storm. In my case, the butyl patch was fine, but two of the three cowl drains were blocked, mainly with maple tree seeds. We had a bumper crop here in 2012 of maple tree helicopters, but I didn’t foresee the problem they would cause. These seeds are small enough that they fall through the two openings in the cowl cover around the windshield washer shafts, and they can slide under the edges of the cowl cover. These seeds are big enough that they don’t drain well from the two wheel-well cowl drains. So, in 2013, I happened to drive in stop-and-go city traffic on moderately hilly roads, in the heaviest rain storm I have ever seen. The cowl drains were blocked, so they couldn’t drain the cowl quickly enough to prevent the cowl from flooding. Imagine riding in a car in stop-and-go city traffic on hilly roads, while holding a bowl full of water; it would be difficult to not spill the water. This analogy explains why the water in my flooded cowl sloshed around and dumped a good amount of it into my HVAC system.
The one way for a flood of water in the cowl to enter the HVAC system is through the fresh air intake at the back of the cowl, above the cabin air filter.
In my case, a one-time event (perfect storm?) flooded the cowl and caused water ingress to the HVAC system, which flooded the cabin air filter, the blower motor, the blower motor resistor, and the pass-side carpet.
Now, when I get an accumulation of leaves and maple seeds on my cowl cover, I suck them up with a shop vac. There is no easy way to get them out of the cowl once they get in.
Does this answer your question?
One way to flood the cowl is by a leak at the butyl patch. The other way to flood the cowl is by the right combination of blocked cowl drains and a HEAVY rain storm. In my case, the butyl patch was fine, but two of the three cowl drains were blocked, mainly with maple tree seeds. We had a bumper crop here in 2012 of maple tree helicopters, but I didn’t foresee the problem they would cause. These seeds are small enough that they fall through the two openings in the cowl cover around the windshield washer shafts, and they can slide under the edges of the cowl cover. These seeds are big enough that they don’t drain well from the two wheel-well cowl drains. So, in 2013, I happened to drive in stop-and-go city traffic on moderately hilly roads, in the heaviest rain storm I have ever seen. The cowl drains were blocked, so they couldn’t drain the cowl quickly enough to prevent the cowl from flooding. Imagine riding in a car in stop-and-go city traffic on hilly roads, while holding a bowl full of water; it would be difficult to not spill the water. This analogy explains why the water in my flooded cowl sloshed around and dumped a good amount of it into my HVAC system.
The one way for a flood of water in the cowl to enter the HVAC system is through the fresh air intake at the back of the cowl, above the cabin air filter.
In my case, a one-time event (perfect storm?) flooded the cowl and caused water ingress to the HVAC system, which flooded the cabin air filter, the blower motor, the blower motor resistor, and the pass-side carpet.
Now, when I get an accumulation of leaves and maple seeds on my cowl cover, I suck them up with a shop vac. There is no easy way to get them out of the cowl once they get in.
Does this answer your question?
Member
Joined: 11-04-2011
Posts: 32
tgp1994, in my opinion, there are two ways for water to flood the cowl, but only one way for the flood water to enter the HVAC system.
One way to flood the cowl is by a leak at the butyl patch. The other way to flood the cowl is by the right combination of blocked cowl drains and a HEAVY rain storm. In my case, the butyl patch was fine, but two of the three cowl drains were blocked, mainly with maple tree seeds. We had a bumper crop here in 2012 of maple tree helicopters, but I didn’t foresee the problem they would cause. These seeds are small enough that they fall through the two openings in the cowl cover around the windshield washer shafts, and they can slide under the edges of the cowl cover. These seeds are big enough that they don’t drain well from the two wheel-well cowl drains. So, in 2013, I happened to drive in stop-and-go city traffic on moderately hilly roads, in the heaviest rain storm I have ever seen. The cowl drains were blocked, so they couldn’t drain the cowl quickly enough to prevent the cowl from flooding. Imagine riding in a car in stop-and-go city traffic on hilly roads, while holding a bowl full of water; it would be difficult to not spill the water. This analogy explains why the water in my flooded cowl sloshed around and dumped a good amount of it into my HVAC system.
The one way for a flood of water in the cowl to enter the HVAC system is through the fresh air intake at the back of the cowl, above the cabin air filter.
In my case, a one-time event (perfect storm?) flooded the cowl and caused water ingress to the HVAC system, which flooded the cabin air filter, the blower motor, the blower motor resistor, and the pass-side carpet.
Now, when I get an accumulation of leaves and maple seeds on my cowl cover, I suck them up with a shop vac. There is no easy way to get them out of the cowl once they get in.
Does this answer your question?
One way to flood the cowl is by a leak at the butyl patch. The other way to flood the cowl is by the right combination of blocked cowl drains and a HEAVY rain storm. In my case, the butyl patch was fine, but two of the three cowl drains were blocked, mainly with maple tree seeds. We had a bumper crop here in 2012 of maple tree helicopters, but I didn’t foresee the problem they would cause. These seeds are small enough that they fall through the two openings in the cowl cover around the windshield washer shafts, and they can slide under the edges of the cowl cover. These seeds are big enough that they don’t drain well from the two wheel-well cowl drains. So, in 2013, I happened to drive in stop-and-go city traffic on moderately hilly roads, in the heaviest rain storm I have ever seen. The cowl drains were blocked, so they couldn’t drain the cowl quickly enough to prevent the cowl from flooding. Imagine riding in a car in stop-and-go city traffic on hilly roads, while holding a bowl full of water; it would be difficult to not spill the water. This analogy explains why the water in my flooded cowl sloshed around and dumped a good amount of it into my HVAC system.
The one way for a flood of water in the cowl to enter the HVAC system is through the fresh air intake at the back of the cowl, above the cabin air filter.
In my case, a one-time event (perfect storm?) flooded the cowl and caused water ingress to the HVAC system, which flooded the cabin air filter, the blower motor, the blower motor resistor, and the pass-side carpet.
Now, when I get an accumulation of leaves and maple seeds on my cowl cover, I suck them up with a shop vac. There is no easy way to get them out of the cowl once they get in.
Does this answer your question?
Joined: 01-26-2013
Posts: 2
From: Birmingham, Alabama
My 2007 LT1 just developed this nagging issue. Just my luck it started 7 years into owning it. It was built in August of 2006 and with the glove box and passenger carpet it definitely appears to be the supposed "cowl" failing under the wipers. Just my luck too as I am trying to sell this car.
Member
Joined: 11-04-2011
Posts: 32
My 2007 LT1 just developed this nagging issue. Just my luck it started 7 years into owning it. It was built in August of 2006 and with the glove box and passenger carpet it definitely appears to be the supposed "cowl" failing under the wipers. Just my luck too as I am trying to sell this car.
Moderator
Joined: 01-23-2009
Posts: 26,539
From: Fredericksburg,VA
My 2007 LT1 just developed this nagging issue. Just my luck it started 7 years into owning it. It was built in August of 2006 and with the glove box and passenger carpet it definitely appears to be the supposed "cowl" failing under the wipers. Just my luck too as I am trying to sell this car.
