The carpet in the front left footwell on my '55 Croma gets constantly wet and is beginning to cause a mouldy smell. The water is not coming in via the window/sunroof so I'm suspecting the heater matrix. Before I strip the panel off the centre console has anyone else had this problem? The car has done 62k miles and doesn't appear to use any water(!?).

Thanks

I would check to make sure that you do not have an Air Con drain blockage to begin with, before heading for the heater matrix.

Easy way to initially check this is on a hot humid day, leave engine and aircon running a max cooling and see if a puddle appears on the ground beneath the car.

In the current winter climate wait till maximum daily air temperature and do same test / run. NOTE. Outside air temp must be ABOVE 5 degress C, possibly 10 degrees C as the aircon system, if functioning properly will not chill at low external temperatures to aviod icing itself up.

Nick /////

Thanks Nick, sounds like a sensible idea especially as it doesn't seem to use any water. Now all I have to do is wait until I get a warmish day........

Dave

i you are not losing cooling fluid the the aircon is a possible cause, apart from a winscreen or bulkhead water leak the you have not yet located.

Best of luck and please report back what you find.

Nick /////

Finally sorted it. There is a rubber drain in the engine bulkhead (passenger side) which is about three inches long and is located down about 9 inches from the windscreen lip. This had silted up (no leaves just fine dirt). The rain water then filled the bulkhead area to about two inches deep and got into the passenger compartment thru' a mesh filter (pollen?) and then ran down inside under the carpet.

Took me about 30 mins to work out how to get the windscreen grill 'screws' out! Note, they aren't screws.

So the lesson is - make sure it is clear! Do this by pushing a finger up inside from the engine bay - no need to remove any panels! Hopefully the pics make sense, rubber drain is removed.

Glad you found it. Looking at the drain tube those slits are very narrow and I would be tempted to open them up a bit
Nick /////

Time to change my pollen filter, found this thread. I guess it was never done by the previous owner, and the dash display has today said it needs changing (wondered what the musty smell was).

What is the best way to get those funny expanding screw things out? And put them back? Can they be re-used or are they a chuck-away thing?

Thanks muchly.

Well I'm confused - as far as I'm aware there is no dash warning for any filters being blocked apart from the DPF, which is a bit more serious than the pollen filter...

As for getting the fasteners off, put a small (electricians-type) screwdriver in the join between the head and the body, then turn the head. once it starts to lift, pull the head all the way up and twist as required.

HTH.

If you look at my top LH pic you will see I haven't removed all the 'screws' but left the innermost one in. This acts as a swivel. The panel then clips back and doesn't require the screws putting back. It allows quick access for the next time.

DoIDon'tI said:

Well I'm confused - as far as I'm aware there is no dash warning for any filters being blocked apart from the DPF, which is a bit more serious than the pollen filter...
HTH.

Click to expand...

Ta for the advice you two. I'll refit if possible, if not then see if I can get some or make do with something else (a proper screw?)

I haven't seen the display message myself, only the girlfriend. I had previously mentioned the pollen filter recently, so it's not entirely impossible that it said xyz filter, and she did 1+1=3. It hasn't displayed anything the few times I've driven it since. I'll stick a plastic bag over the filter, refit and see if it displays anything!

New pollen filter installed. The old one was filthy, so well worth doing. Also had a wipe around the area with disinfectant, so all nice and fresh now.

I found a wood chisel was perfect for levering the screw things out. Gently persuade sharp end between head and washer, then twist to lift it out. They both came out whole, and clipped back in. A bit of a sloppy fit, but not going to fall out.

The alleged pollen filter dashboard message was obviously misinformation from the other half. The new filter was in a sealed bag, so I tried fitting it first with the bag still on. Started engine, fan to full. No air out, no messages on display.

So the message was probably concerning the DPF. That makes sense, as I don't think we're driving long enough distances (or yobbo-like enough) to get it hot enough to clear it. Had a charge about in 4th gear yesterday to try and burn it up.