I had a rear oxygen sensor replaced on my 2003 Avalon about two weeks ago. The mechanic said he had a devil of a time removing it. Is it possible that when breaking it loose he might have jarred some waterproofing material around one of the hoses, wiring, or cables entering the body of the car at that point to cause water to enter into the car and accumulate on the floorboards of the driver and passenger sides of the car? We never had this water problem until the oxygen sensor was replaced. Any advice would help just trying to locate and remedy the problem.
I answer to the last post:
No its not antifreeze I raised the carpet on all four areas and used a rug doctor and removed aboiut 2 gallons of water. I have fans in position on each side of the car for the last 20 hours or so and its almost dry. I would like to see a web site on if there is a blocked drip pan for the airconditioner or sunroof drain blockage. I think the water has accumulated over a period of possibly week or more before noticing it. Any answer or suggestion would be appreciated. Mike
2 gallons (wow!) pretty much eliminates a cooling system leak; you would have needed to add more coolant by now.
That leaves a body leak, blocked sunroof drain. or blocked A/C evaporator drain.
Suggestions:
Place a large piece (or several smaller pieces of cardboard under the car.
Open the sunroof, pour a glass of water into the drain channel, and then see where (and if) it drips out on the cardboard.
On a hot and humid day, run the A/C at idle for 10-15 minutes in fresh air (not "max") mode and see if and where the condensate drips out.
If both of these tests yield water on the cardboard and none on the interior floor, then the possibility exists of an opening in the firewall area that allows water draining through the cowl (at the base of the windshield) to enter the car. Perhaps a rubber plug was accendentally dislodged, or a tool created a hole in the body. You could pour a bucketfull of water into the cowl grille and see if any ends up on the floorboards.
I once had a seam in the cowl area open up after jacking up just one front wheel to replace a wheel stud, thereby twisting the body. It would only leak when the car was moving, with the heater fan on low, in the rain; the cabin vents created a small vacuum that drew in water where the body sealant had cracked.
Thanks for the information I will perform the steps you indicated that might be the problems. I want to thank you for your input.
We had a problem with the side airbag indicator light being on and it was under the 100,000 warranty. They replaced the side airbag assembly and the issue was it was hard wired and it wasn't covered under the warranty but the electrical was and the seat rubbed through the harness and caused the problem. They had the car in twice for about a week each time. I don't know how much they removed to get to the problem but I noticed two taps coming through the undercoat about half way back under the car which was broken through the undercoat from above. I think it was the seat being removed and then being repositioned. This is one possibility and the other is when the rear oxygen sensor was replaced. The mechanic had a hard time removing it and if he hit one of the lines going through the firewall and moved the sealant would this cause the problem. I'm going to try the cardboard on the floor tonight along with the air conditioner just to rule them out but I may get lucky. If the air conditioner does leak, how does one find and unclog the drain line, and also for the sun roof. I want to thank you for all the information you have given me so far and I will let you know what I hope I can find to eliminate this problem. Thank you sincerely Mike
Well I found the problem! You here stories all the time so here is one for ya. I poured water in the sun roof and the drains worked fine. I poured water in the wiper Cowl and it drained fine. We turned on the air-conditioner and let set for about five minutes and looked under the car and no condensation dripping what so ever. I then ran my car up on some ramps and I pulled the carpeting on the passenger side back far enough to see a hose. Also I noticed water on the floor below the carpet and I could not pull the hose all the way out because there was which I thought was a copper tube type material on the end and that’s why I ran it up on the ramps. I got under the car and had my wife wiggle the drain hose and I seen it wiggling and there was a 3” x 1/2" smooth shaft bolt with about 1/2" of threading on the end and it was shoved into the tube to not let any water drip out. I pulled the bolt out and about a quart of water or more came out full blast all over the floor to the drain! Would the mechanic have inserted the bolt to keep the condensation from dripping while testing the oxygen sensor and forget to remove the plug? I'm sure it wasn't done on purpose to create more work? I was really worried about all the water and If I would have taken the vehicle in and had them diagnose the problem I wonder what type of answer I would have received and honest or a different solution to a mistake on their part. Do you have an Idea as how I should approach the dealership? Mike V PS WERE DRY
I also doubt the bolt was inserted as a practical joke. I assume you live in a humid area, and a slight but annoying drip from the drain was perhaps interfering with removal of the O2 sensor. This drip could persist for more than an hour after the engine is turned off.
He/she may have simply forgotten to remove it after finishing the job.
Another possibility is the mechanic felt the drip contributed to rusting of the O2 sensor threads, so thought he/she was doing you a favor. Not everyone understands air conditioning.
If you show up at the repair shop with what they perceive to be a confrontational
attitude, they will simply deny everything. It might be fun to bring the bolt in an envelope, and tell the mechanoc you are worried he/she might have forgotten to replace some important bracket. He/she will probably then ask you where you found the bolt.
My last question is I ran fans and used my rug doctor and removed as much water and moisture as possible. I raised the carpet and the rubber pads under the carpet on the slants in the front seat angled floor board area and ran fans for 36 hours. Everything seams dry but there are a lot of areas that I could not get to like under the power seats and such. I told my wife to keep the windows opened slightly at work when the weather permits to let the humid air escape. I worry about a mold problem and is there any type of spray solution that can be applied to help eliminate this problem if it may occur. Thanks for the last post. The Dealer ship has been good to us and I don't want to cause a problem but I like your answer to the bolt I my self am self employed and know that when everything is going good is great but one mistake you here it ten fold so you have to be careful and I wouldn't want to jeopardize the mechanics job that put the oxygen sensor in but I will approach him personally and him alone. Just so he can learn from this one mistake and make him a better mechanic and employee. If you can answer me on the moisture if there is any left I would follow your advice thanks again Mike V in Central Illinois
I don't claim to be an expert on mold and mildew (or anything else, for that matter), but my experience has been the only way to prevent it, once the carpet and insulator pad have been immersed in water, is to completely remove the carpet and have it dry cleaned. You may be able to remove just the front section of carpet if it is a 2-piece (front & rear) overlapping design. At a minimum, you will have to remove the front door sill trim, and 2 seat bolts at a time (in order to slip the carpet past them). You might also have to remove the plastic foot-well trim pieces located just forward of the front doors.
While the carpet is out, a spray can of Lysol disinfectant or equivalent can be applied liberally into the nooks and crannies to kill any mold already beginning to culture.
I looked at our 2003 Avalon and the carpeting looks to be one piece and it seams to go pretty far under the rear seat. It looks as though the front seat would have to be removed completely along with the rear seat and it’s tucked up under the center consol. WhenI dried the carpeting and removed the excess moisture I had the door trims off all the way around and the pads in the front under the carpet and pads raised and using the rug doctor removed as much moisture as possible. Then I ran fans for 36 hours until everything that I touched seamed dry. I was worried about the electrical motor and components under the front seat if the moisture that I haven't removed if any will cause future problems. Is there a way to check any type of electrical connection for corrosion and where would it be located under the seat? If there are any under the door trims they would be high enough that moisture wouldn't have inundated at that point. They would have had to be directly on the floor. If there is no padding under the carpet under the seat the moisture wouldn't be retained as readily as in the foot areas where the pad under the carpeting would retain more moisture and these areas I vacuumed with the rug doctor from the bottom underneath the pad with gravity in my favor. Then I ran the fans for 36 hours. I don’t think that I would attempt to remove the front seat and rear seat to remove the carpeting, I’ve never attempted that before. I’m a contractor and I’ll rip a whole kitchen apart and put it back together. What do you think I should do or check not to have this come back on me. Thanks Mike
Given the amount of work to remove the carpet, it's probably worth the risk to just dry it out as best you can and spray a liberal coat of disinfectant before refastening the interior trim pieces. Once the Illinois winter arrives, you won't have to worry about mold growth for awhile. Come next Spring, if you detect a musty odor, you can try repeating the process.
If you are concerned about electical connections, unplug each connector, apply a coat of dielectric grease, and then reconnect. There should be a connector for each power seat, and possibly for an audio amplifier (these are sometimes located under the passenger seat). Power seat motors are open to heater/ventilation/AC air flow so should dry out over time.
I believe this is my avenue. We have been leaving the window down about 1-1/2 " during the day and everything seems dry. No odor as of yet and everything is working fine I think I will lift the edge of the carpet and spray some disinfectant under all four sides I suppose Lysol. Ill check a couple of the wiring connections and go from there. Were looking at trading with in the year.
I noticed about the donation at the beginning. What is the typical contribution for my situation which is a thanks for all the info I have received and I want to thank you for all the suggestions. How about one more. 91,000 miles good maintenance record through the dealer what can I expect for a trade in? 2003 Avalon XL/S in general? can't hold you to it just an idea from a Toyota person. Thanks Mike
Let me first disclose I have no affiliation with Tundra Solutions, nor do I consider myself a "Toyota Person" (I own Ford and Nissan vehicles as well).
The information/knowledge I have obtained via participation in the TS forums has saved me real $$ on more than one occaision. So these formums offer measurable value to me, and I realize the administrators cannot make a living on advertising revenue alone. I am therefore motivated to contribute $10 - $15 from time-to-time. I'm sure any donation would be appreciated.
Trade-in values are dependent on several factors you cannot control. The individual or dealer purchasing your 2003 needs to sell it at a profit to remain in business. His perceived value depends, among other things, on the desirability of your model in his market, how much time & effort will be required to make it appealing to customers, and how many similar vehicles he/she already has on the lot. You can get some idea of typical retail selling prices by researching the current used car listings in your area, then work back from there.
Wet Floor Boards on 2003 Avalon
Re: Wet Floor Boards on 2003 Avalon
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