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W211 Water intrusion on right side passenger floor
Noticed after a heavy rain last night that the carpet was wet on the right passenger side floor. Removed the floor carpet panel and confirmed it was wet beneath also. Not really enough to puddle on the steel floor but enough to saturate the foam noise reduction panel behind the galvanized steel plate that protects the electronic control boxes. The control boxes seemed dry. I have a blower fan drying things out so as to prevent mold from forming.
Not 100% sure on how to go about finding the leak yet as there wasn't much on the W211s out there, but I assume it shouldn't be much different from the other MB models. So with that in mind I'll look under the dash and see if an AC condensate drain hose is blocked or pinched. Also I'll look under the windscreen wiper plastic panel and/or the sunroof drain for a clogged drain of some sort. Probably something to do with the later as we haven't used the AC lately. I'll let you know what I find.
Just in case anyone needs to know how to remove the W211 right side passenger floor carpet panel (left-hand drive) pull the front top area of the carpet downward from under the glove box at the fire wall. Then it basically just pulls out side ways from under the tunnel console plastic & front seat (be careful as there are decorative plastic tabs over the front seat mounting bolts that are easily broken, haha...funny-not funny) The side kick panel with speaker (if equipped) stays in place as the carpet panel slides out from underneath it. Then pull up on the plastic door sill trim piece a bit to make it easier to get the carpet out from underneath that. The sill trim just snaps back down when completed.
Saw these photos and will check these drain nozzles behind the front wheel wells for clogs. looks like I see another clear drain hose just behind these drains also. Hmm.
Got a chance to take a peak under the hood and found the drain hose from the wiper area was pinched off a bit. It's the larger hose in the photo. This hose is located below the fresh air (cabin) filter and runs into the fender area. I put a ty-wrap around the hose to spread it out a bit. I still need to look behind the wheel well to make sure it's not pinched in there. Haven't found the sunroof drains yet.
Even though the wiper area drain hose was pinched off a bit, I think the water is intruding around the cabin air filter box. I was told there was supposed to be a rubber cover over that area and a similar cover over the fuse panel lid on the other side. Without these covers, rain water passes thru the hood vents right on top of the cabin filter box and fuse panel lid. i don't have these. Maybe they were removed and never re-installed?
Does anyone have a photo of what these W211 MB factory under hood "rain covers/ deflectors" should look like? Either I'll buy some or make them. Thanks for the replies.
Just a follow-up. I fixed the water intrusion by making sure the cabin air filter cover was firmly and properly snapped in place against the fire wall and made a rain water deflector that I mounted directly above the filter housing. Months later...no more water intrusion into the right passenger foot well.
I used a thin plastic cutting/ placemat sheet that you can get in just about any department store's kitchen or cooking section. I believe some E series came with a similar rain guard over the cabin air filter and fuse box as well. Mine were long gone.
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