graham009

Hi Forum -)

Car : Audi 100 2.6 12v 1993 - 5 door Combi - white - slightly scruffy - NO Airconditioning

It started as a drip on my right foot. When it rained. Then it got worse, more than a drip. Then one day I took the car in a car wash. The result was, to say the least, catastrophic. Water gushed inside the car from the air system floor vents, behind the dashboard and filled the car with about 4" water, while I was trapped in some cartoon-like situation with huge brushes whizzing past the windows, water filling the car and my face pressed to the glass in a silent scream.

I got the car dry again, and a local garage friend opened the hood, reached down, inside the wheel arches, by the end of the black plastic air vent cover assembly on the bulkhead, and pulled out handfuls of leaves. He said the drain holes were blocked.

Well, this alleviated the problem, but did not fix it. I lived through the dry summer in Zurich, and now it's winter again - it's back - drip drip on my right foot just where the accelerator is. With winter on the way and the mountains calling me to snowboarding it's gonna drive me nuts. All the melting snow on the car ...

The question is this : Specifically, where do I start to look for leaks that allow water ingress into the air system that would allow water to get into the car and drip on my foot. It's gettin in via the black plastic section after the hood at the bottom of the windscreen. After 1 hour in strong rain, the carpet is soggy and wet - about a pint can get through in 2 hours ..

Audi will no doubt want to remove the engine and replace the whole black plastic affair on the bulkhead for $20,000,000 + manpower.

audiblackwagon

Same thing happens here not sure how to fix it my self I have a 1993 audi 100 cs wagon and it isnt fun

SMOKIESMAN

Boy I wish I could help you but I am still laughing to hard !!Sorry I know you did not mean to be funny! If I remember right though there was a pretty good size drain hole at the bottom area of the heater fan! Look around in that area ! could also be clogged with junk!!

Smokie

graham009

Hey thanks for the pointer ! I must admit I was furious at the time but it was comic. It was a huge car wash like the one in the film "Car Wash". It just went on and on dragging me through. In the end I just sat there with the inside of the car totally steamed up.

Please can you point me to the drain hole you are talking about - I don't know where to start looking for it ? On top under the hood ? Underneath the car ?? Down the exhaust pipe ?

Cheers
Soggy Graham

wmbear2019

mine was under that black plastic piece that comes up right under the windshield. Unclip it and theres a reservoir in the middle. I had it happen while i was on vacation. When i got back there was 5 inches of water in the back and had been for a week. electronics in the car still arent the same.

RangeR BoB

If you put the car under a lift and look up next to the transmission on the passenger side, you will see a water hose poking down along the frame. At its end is a bellows to keep the hose closed unless water is trying to drip out. Stuttgart is really dusty, so the thing filled with dust, then that turned to mud when it got wet and plugged the bellows. The A/C used to fill the fan housing with water. Once I squeezed the bellows, the hose cleared up fine and all has been well since.

I don't have a picture, but next time i have it up on a lift, I'll try to remember to snap a pic of where it is.

csblack

I have tons of experience with the same issue. I just sold the car making the buyer aware that there are still issues because of the water.

My car took in gallons of water that found its way into the car via the heating system and this includes the front and rear floor vents. Water came in through the vents and onto the floor. This will eventually affect the electronics as I beleive many are in the floor boards.

I took my car to the Pusher, oops I mean the dealer. They had to place the car on a lift and remove the plenum drain plug. Upon doing so about 5 gallons or more can pouring out. SCARY!!. The drian holes were clogged as well from leaves etc. Unfortunately the water never seemed to dry out from the heating system or on the floor. This problem is so frequent that I am not sure why Audi has never been made responsible to answer to this obvious design flaw or notice regarding the possibility of it. This water began to cause problems with the heating/cooling system as it began to malfunction. The dash lights began to malfunction, the lighter stopped working, and the tranny began to go into safe mode and change the shifting points, I think this was because the ECU or one of the computers began to malfunction.

So keeping the engine plenum clean has become a weekly routine since my car is parked in the backyard with tons of leaves. A sceen or cover would be a great invention for someone to create for this. There also are drains in the door wells that drive water to the ground during driving, these also can easily get clogged.

I would suggest having your car inspected for water throughout regardless of cost, reasonably of course. The water can cause problems throughout the life of your vehicle if it allowed to sit, as well as cause mold and mildew which can carry disease and car BO. BTW, it will also stop your defroster from working properly. It may cause steam to come from te vents, that can be dangerous causing much condensation.

It is a HUGE issue.

Barry