HELP - WET 480 (not the usual place).

I have just discovered that the carpet in the driver's footwell of my M reg 480 S is WET!!! Well VERY damp anyway. I had the usual leak at the rear of the car fixed and now this. Can other 480 owners give me any idea where the water might be coming in? Windscreen? Heater? Is this a common problem?
Any advice would be very welcome.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL FELLOW VOLVOISTS

Leigh

Probably the heater matrix. Try tasting it(seriously)! If it tastes sweet, that's coolant & points to the heater matrix. Not too bad a job to replace. Luck, Chris.

More than likely your heater (as chris said ) or the bulk head drains are blocked. (open the bonnet, look where your relay box is. There is a rubber grommet that blocks up with crud), ive just ripped the grommets out both my 480's to stop them blocking.

enjoy

ste

Thanks guys - I am looking into both suggestions.

[Peter Milnes]

You should check the windscreen and scuttle for leaks where the sealing has given way. When they replaced my windscreen I was amazed at the amount of corrosion present underneath the old sealant. The surrounds of the relay/fuse panel and the heater air inlet are also major points to watch for.

All the best, Peter.

Hi, one other thought as I suffered the same! After stripping out the centre console I asked my wife to spray a hose onto the car whilst I sat inside waiting....... the water came in through the drivers door seal! So put the console back together & bought a new seal. Problem solved. Found you can only get them from main dealer. Cost about £45.
Good Luck
Paul.C

Yet another possibility; is your seatbelt wet? if so, its the roof panel seal,( you know, the rubber strip that runs front to back). Happened on mine, easily cured by peeling it back & running a bead of silicone in.

Thanks to you all for your kind advice. Oddly no more water seems to have gotten in - the footwell is dry even after rain. Perhaps Chriskay is right and it is the heater that is leaking. I didn't get the chance to taste the damp carpet as he suggested to see if it was coolant. My car's heater does not live up to the usual Volvo standards. I thought all Volvos had really good heating but my car's heating is warm at best and takes a while to put out much warmth with the blower on. Without running the blower no heat seems to come into the car. Perhaps the matrix is pooped. When I do put the blower on I can hear a rustling sound - I think I had better try to get at the pipe and check for leaves but that wouldn't cause the heater to leak. Would it?
Cheers
Leigh

The rustling sound is almost certainly leaves or something in the blower; easy to check under the bonnet. No, it wouldn't cause a leak. The lack of heat points to either the thermostat stuck open or an air lock in the system (try bleeding it) or a blocked heater matrix.
Luck, Chris.