Why is there no drain in the windshield well?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by PriusRos, Aug 6, 2006.

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  1. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    Another annoying thing that I am reminded of each time I wash the car. Why is there no drain hole in the front windshield wiper well? The water puddles up there and you have to manually scoop it out. I've never seen this on any other car.
     
    #1 PriusRos, Aug 6, 2006
  2. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    #2 efusco, Aug 6, 2006
  3. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Aug 6 2006, 01:17 PM) [snapback]298641[/snapback]</div>
    Are you saying there IS a drainhole, but it might be blocked? I couldn't find a drainhole, but I'll look again, with the hood open. I also get a musty smell when I first turn on the air, but it goes away really quickly.

    I've only had the car 7 weeks, and I saw the water puddling up the first time I washed it, about 3 weeks after I bought it. I can't imagine why there would be any sludge buildup after only 3 weeks.
     
    #3 PriusRos, Aug 6, 2006
  4. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriusRos @ Aug 6 2006, 12:27 PM) [snapback]298645[/snapback]</div>
    Yup, there is one and who knows...if you've got a lot of pollen or tree gunk that could clog it I guess.

    I've never noticed water pooling in my almost 3 years with my Prius...but that may be more b/c I haven't looked for it than b/c it isn't there. Now that I know about it I'm gonna have to check it... ;)
     
    #4 efusco, Aug 6, 2006
  5. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    you know evan... if you're truly dedicated to your prius you would be washing it by hand every week and checking for these things...

    :lol:

    (even i don't wash the car every week lately... you know i'm kidding)



    the water drains right out every time i wash the car, so there's definitely got to be something clogging up that drain in your car, priusros. i don't park under trees that shed lots of leaves or anything like that, i'd guess that would be the main culprit of such an issue. do you? i see lots of trees in your avatar. :)
     
    #5 galaxee, Aug 6, 2006
  6. jbarnhart

    jbarnhart New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Aug 6 2006, 10:48 AM) [snapback]298652[/snapback]</div>
    Yep, if I had a BLACK Prius I would have to wash it every day to keep it looking nice!
    :p
     
    #6 jbarnhart, Aug 6, 2006
  7. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    if your talking about the slight dip under the RH wiper there is no drain there and don't drill one as the water will eventually pool on the top of the ICE and fill the spark plug tubes There have been two SSC's on stopping water from getting down on the top of the engine. One for an additional seal and one to seal the crack between the LH and RH sections of the cowl cover. These were on the 2k4 and early 2k5 model years and should be done on your car from the factory. You'll just have to wash and dry it like the rest of us Prions.
     
    #7 Frank Hudon, Aug 6, 2006
  8. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Aug 6 2006, 12:48 PM) [snapback]298652[/snapback]</div>
    You know Gal, I pretty much did do that for the first year or so I had her...and I still try to get her to the car wah once a month and bathe her myself once or twice a year. But even with the Prius the glamor of standing in the sun for 2 hours every couple weeks gets a bit tiresome!

    I'm still about as fanatical as anyone, but with a small does of reality (like a suprise 3rd kid) sure takes away some of the time and energy that would have otherwise been spent coddling my car! :D
     
    #8 efusco, Aug 6, 2006
  9. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Aug 6 2006, 01:48 PM) [snapback]298652[/snapback]</div>
    I am confused (okay, okay...maybe it's just my normal self) but WHERE is the drain hole? The problem occurs on the passenger side. I went out and looked at the windshield well from the outside of the car (and under the hood). I took pictures, but unfortunately my software isn't cooperating and suddenly won't recognize my camera so I can't upload the pictures (although it was fine an hour ago when I uploaded pictures for another post).

    All I see is a solid piece of black plastic (the well) that curves slightly. No holes or openings except for slats on the front vertical facing (not on top) until it ends towards the middle of the car. The plastic is raised up on the outside edge of the passenger window so there is nowhere for the water to go. It could be that my driveway is slightly sloped towards the passenger side, so the water flows towards the outside edge and gets trapped where it meets the raised part of the plastic. Otherwise I suppose the water would flow towards the middle and drain there. I was expecting to see a drain hole on the side, but there definitely isn't one, and there is nothing to get clogged.

    Okay - *Newsflash*. I just tested this theory. After I had finished washing the car and polished one side, I had reparked the car in opposite direction so I could polish the other side of the car in the shade. So, the car is now sloping towards the driver side rather than the passenger side. I went out and poured some water on the passenger side well and it indeed flowed towards the middle and drained. (Shoot, I didn't think of testing the driver side).

    So, yes, it does drain, but only if the car is tilted towards the center, or at least on completely level ground. Which still leaves me with the question of why isn't there a place for the water to drain on the side? Again, I never had this problem with any other car.





    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Frank Hudon @ Aug 6 2006, 02:36 PM) [snapback]298675[/snapback]</div>
    Yes, that's where I'm talking about. And no, I wouldn't dream of drilling a hole!!
     
    #9 PriusRos, Aug 6, 2006
  10. Jack Straw

    Jack Straw New Member

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    zzz
     
    #10 Jack Straw, Aug 6, 2006
  11. hobbit

    hobbit Senior Member

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    Y'all have to clarify whether you're talking about the PLASTIC piece
    just under the wipers, visible from standing near the car, or the
    METAL gutter tray farther underneath that you can't see, which has
    two drain holes out the back and tends to crap up with organic
    matter and has been the subject of at least two recent posts as
    pointed out farther up the thread.
    .
    _H*
     
    #11 hobbit, Aug 6, 2006
  12. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    hmm... ok. I thought the water drains at the centre (roughly where that big piece of plastic for the pass. wiper is. If the car is tilted towards the passenger side, then the water won't flow to the centre.
     
    #12 Tideland Prius, Aug 6, 2006
  13. rufaro

    rufaro WeePoo, Gen II

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Aug 6 2006, 11:42 AM) [snapback]298678[/snapback]</div>
    A SURPRISE 3rd kid? You are WHAT kinda doc? :rolleyes:
     
    #13 rufaro, Aug 6, 2006
  14. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Aug 6 2006, 04:04 PM) [snapback]298703[/snapback]</div>
    Exactly! What Tideland says! There is NOWHERE for the water to drain from the passenger side because the black plastic "ditch" under the wiper is solid and there is no hole that can be clogged.



    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jack Straw @ Aug 6 2006, 03:23 PM) [snapback]298687[/snapback]</div>
    I did look at those pictures and maybe I'm slow but I don't understand what they are showing.
     
    #14 PriusRos, Aug 6, 2006
  15. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    [attachmentid=4389]

    Here is a picture of the area I'm talking about, looking directly at the passenger-side windshield. The water puddles in the left corner on top of the black plastic, under the wiper. As you can see, there is absolutely no place the water can go if the car leans to the left.

    [attachmentid=4392]

    It rained last night (of course it did, I had spent several hours the day before washing and waxing it :p ). Here's a picture of the water left standing in the well (taken from the passenger side).
     
    #15 PriusRos, Aug 7, 2006
  16. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    I've never had water pool up below the passenger wiper in the little well. I park at my condo in heated underground parking, so the car never sees leaves, pollen, etc. I'm not skimpy with water while washing it either, and the water disappears as fast as I spray it on.
     
    #16 jayman, Aug 7, 2006
  17. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    You mean lean to the right? If it leans to the left, the water should drain at the centre.
     
    #17 Tideland Prius, Aug 7, 2006
  18. wilco

    wilco New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriusRos @ Aug 7 2006, 02:40 AM) [snapback]298941[/snapback]</div>
    Nothing you can do about water pooling there - as Frank posted above.
     
    #18 wilco, Aug 7, 2006
  19. DaveG

    DaveG Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Aug 6 2006, 11:42 AM) [snapback]298678[/snapback]</div>
    I still handwash mine 99% of the time (I've only gone through a "touchless" wash once when I was in a rush and had to get to a special occasion in a clean car). But having an underground carwash area in the condo really helps - can wash even in the winter and because it's always above freezing downstairs, it will still dry out and not freeze solid.

    Infact, I still follow the recommendations I found on a "show car" washing site - including only washing with parallel hand movements, which is to say, side to side and front to back, never in a circular motion (the reason being that if a bit of grit gets in there and creates a microscopic scratch in the clearcoat, you have far more chance to see a circular scratch that can reflect from all angles, than a straight one that only reflects at one angle)..

    I've got a few tiny chips in the paint, but I touch those up pretty well too - I still get compliments about it looking brand new, even over 2 years later.

    Dave
     
    #19 DaveG, Aug 8, 2006
  20. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveG @ Aug 8 2006, 12:33 AM) [snapback]299501[/snapback]</div>
    Dave

    Boy have you got that right. Before I bought my condo I had a big home in the suburbs with an insulated, heated garage. There is just no comparison. You sure can't wash a car in your house garage.

    Keeping the sun, leaves, pollen, dust, snow, and ice off a car makes a huge difference in how it looks, and how long it lasts too.

    I would happily pay extra to park my car in climate controlled underground parking

    jay
     
    #20 jayman, Aug 8, 2006
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