940 2.3 LPT Very odd oil leak...

[Alexjjmiles]

No sunroof unfortunately. I think the strangest part of this is that the floor is truly soaking (and has been for long enough that the carpet has got mildew all over it) and yet a good poke to the underside shows no signs of extensive corrosion. The misses' birthday stops play today, but the investigation shall continue tomorrow...

Alex

[volvoz2000]

I haven't checked if anybody else has suggested it, but windscreen could be to blame if it has been replaced by idiots like autoglass

[Alexjjmiles]

Haven't had a good look at that, but there was nothing glaringly obvious when I looked over the car. I will add this to the check-list - thank you!

[Steve940estate]

Mildew = water of some sort I would think.
Windscreen as suggested, rear screen wash pipe, scuttle tray drains blocked, vent panel behind ecu are a few I can think of but not in any order.

[doingitsideways]

What Steve said is bob on I think, completely forgot about the washer pipe!!

If your rear wash doesn't work very well, if at all, the pipe will DEFINATELY be leaking and believe me it pours out!!

Steve

[yoda960]

Originally Posted by Steve940estate

It could also be the heater control valve if you car doesn't have air con.
What state the coolant is in will determine whats on the carpet. There is a chance it could be brake fluid from the brake or clutch master cylinder but a leak would probably give other symptoms.

If the floor outside is oily looking it might just be where heat from the cat has warmed the underseal up a bit. Had that with my car and was a bit worried to start with so that could be the cause.

I'd also go for the heater control valve - thats what went wrong on my 940 and soaked the carpet in the drivers footwell. Its a fiddly to replace as its up behind the clutch pedal if I recall correctly, however the part is only about £30

Perhaps have a look up in the footwell (pull carpet back) and see if you can see any white residue, this will tell you the path of any coolant (the white residue is where it dries)

Good luck

[Alexjjmiles]

Time to drag this up from the depths. Right.

I've had all of the trim, carpet and drivers seat out of the car, and there is absolutely no evidence of water damage at all around the heater matrix or up by the ECU. In fact, there is no evidence of water entry anywhere other than the footwell. The foam and sound deadening is absolutely soaking - literally, a puddle of the stuff, and it is obviously not oil. However, it is entirely localised to the middle of the drivers footwell - all other areas of the carpet are bone dry. The rear washer appears to work fine, but the liquid does appear to be quite soapy. However, the soapiness could be just the chemicals in the carpet. Scuttle drains next thing to be checked. Currently as mystified as ever - however, thank you for all the helpful comments!

[Laney760]

Does the 940 have grommets in the firewall, could one be missing, could the water be being splashed up from underneath the car? This was one of the causes of water in the footwell of my dad's 850

[Steve940estate]

It does sound odd. I can only suggest leaving the carpets etc out and see if you can spot where it's coming in. Water can run across the floor in any pressings or channels and collect at the lowest point. With all the rain we are having it might not be nesessary to use a hose try putting a few sheets of newspaper in the footwell, it might give some clues.

Anywhere something comes into the car could be the cause of a leak. There is various wiring grommets, and seals round the brake and clutch that can leak.

Hope you find it as water and cars don't mix.

[Alexjjmiles]

It's going in for an MOT today - I know the mechanic so I'm going to ask him to check for any obvious signs of water entry from underneath when he's doing his checks. I'll update when I have any news...