Well, I was struck by the dreaded water leaking into the passenger side footwell while I was on vacation. When I came back after 2 weeks I found almost 1/4 inch of white mold fuzz all over the passengeer side floor mat and the carpet was soaked. I scrubbed the floor mat and carpet to remove the surface mold and used a wet/dry vac to remove as much water as possible. After letting the car sit with the top down all day, the carpet is dry, but when I pull back the front section the padding is still pretty wet.

Does anyone have instructions for removing the carpet on the roadster?

Or at least pulling up the passenger side to let more air into the padding? I don't want to assume that everything is OK, and have more mold growing between the carpet and floorboard.

I will be removing the cowl to clear the drain hole and will probably try to rig a wall that will prevent more water but still let air in the blower.

 

fix the problem, then i would take out the seat and put a house dehumidifier in the seat area. close all the windows and let it run for a couple of days. then i would invest in a good outdoor car cover.

 

The carpet should just pull away from the front area of the passenger foot well. Underneath you will find a piece of styrofoam and a metal frame that holds the transmission control unit and I believe the amp for the stereo. All of that comes up from the floor. Pull back the carpet and use the metal frame to prop up the carpet.

Like Caught said, you also need to fix the leak so this doesn't happen again.

 

I'm dealing with the same problem, although I think I was lucky enough to spot it before it got that bad (plus I keep my car covered most of the time.)

When I first noticed it I did pull up the front portion of the carpet as far back as I could (it's a single piece and I didn't remove it from the sides) and felt the metal behind it and the foam backing. Both were dry, so I proceeded to clear the drains, make a baffle to protect the AC inlet a bit more, etc. and after soaking up the water in the carpet I figured I was good. Is this still a safe assumption?

I assumed that since I didn't feel any dampness on the foam part and the metal seemed dry that the leak was new enough as to not be a problem. Plus, I had gotten the air filter replaced not one week prior, and the mechanic (to whom I've been going for well over a decade and whom I trust a great deal) didn't notice any water in that area -- which he most certainly would have, had it been leaking like it was when I caught it. A quick visual inspection of the blower assembly yielded some corrosion and debris, but it seems to work just fine and there's no electrical damage elsewhere AFAIK.

Based on the above, is it safe to assume that I dodged a bullet and caught the leak before it caused pooling in a harder-to-reach area?

 

TE=ThinkRob;738931]I'm dealing with the same problem, although I think I was lucky enough to spot it before it got that bad (plus I keep my car covered most of the time.)

When I first noticed it I did pull up the front portion of the carpet as far back as I could (it's a single piece and I didn't remove it from the sides) and felt the metal behind it and the foam backing. Both were dry, so I proceeded to clear the drains, make a baffle to protect the AC inlet a bit more, etc. and after soaking up the water in the carpet I figured I was good. Is this still a safe assumption?

I assumed that since I didn't feel any dampness on the foam part and the metal seemed dry that the leak was new enough as to not be a problem. Plus, I had gotten the air filter replaced not one week prior, and the mechanic (to whom I've been going for well over a decade and whom I trust a great deal) didn't notice any water in that area -- which he most certainly would have, had it been leaking like it was when I caught it. A quick visual inspection of the blower assembly yielded some corrosion and debris, but it seems to work just fine and there's no electrical damage elsewhere AFAIK.

Based on the above, is it safe to assume that I dodged a bullet and caught the leak before it caused pooling in a harder-to-reach area?[/QUOTE]
I took some photos yesterday of the drain area and the area where the inlet for the HVAC air inlet. The actual inlet is not shown, you can actually see the fan for heater down this hole, but the shelf area in which the opening is in can be seen. The opening is in the flat area above the drain and below the windshield, the photo shows leaves already in the drain hole. The whole was not blocked though, when I installed the fan filter I found the same type of leaf on and around the filter.

 

Right, I cleaned out that area pretty well. The passenger side drain was fully blocked and the well it sits in had about an inch of dirt and muck. I removed that, and then with a coat hanger fished out what I could from the drain. It seems to drain perfectly now. I also poured about 20 oz of alcohol, dish soap, and water down both the driver and passenger drains during the process, which I think helped loosen the gunk that was in there and allow me to fish it out a little more easily. Both drains now drain plenty fast.

I added a baffle to the AC inlet too. Not enough to completely cover it -- just the bottom half is covered now so that I still get some airflow. Still, it should provide some protection in case the drains are too slow.

I might later fab some screens for the drains to help prevent subsequent blockage. I was thinking 1/8" mesh?

Anyways, do you think I should go all-out and remove all the carpet, amp, etc. to search for water? I'd hate to burn a day doing that only to find that I was OK in the first place.

 

When I removed the windshield washer tank which is behind the passenger side front fender, I found a lot of leaves behind it. The drain hole directs water down the back of the WW tank, no hose, it just drops through the hole and runs out the gap between the fender and the body. If a lot of leaves built up in this area they could collect dirt and start rusting.