2006 Buick Lacrosse Kick Panel Tubing Leak

[Digital2k2]

Anyone here have an idea of what the tube in the passenger kick panel is for on a 06 Lacrosse? I tracked a wet floorboard to that tube leaking water inside the kick panel by pulling it out and putting it in a bottle while it rained. It couldn't have been designed to pour water in there because there's no drain in the kick panel. When moving it back and forth I can't tell for sure if I can hear it in the a pillar, but definitely hear it in the top part of the dash close to the a pillar. If it's connected to the sunroof that wouldn't make any sense either.

 

[Boomer]

Probably the sunroof drain. Exits somewhere under the car and it apparently is clogged up at the drainage end. Very common on sunroof drains. It could also be for a washer on the back window drawing fluid from a reservoir under the hood. I may have become disconnected from the washer jets.

 

[Digital2k2]

Wish I could find a diagram of where the tubing for the sunroof drain is supposed to exit. I can't get my hand in the kick panel area very far or really see in there too well, but so far I haven't found a hole for the end of the tube to go through.

 

[Digital2k2]

Just opened the sunroof and poured water in the front right corner. It all ran into my bottle on the floorboard... I half feel like drilling a hole through the outer metal around where the door hinge is attached and feeding it through there.

 

[MrCritical]

Is the car garaged? Biggest cause of sunroof drain clog=parked under trees. There are some bulletins about the sunroof drain at the Buick dealer but unfortunately they don't extend the warranty period.

 

[Digital2k2]

Nope, not anymore. It doesn't normally sit directly under trees, but lots of leaves and stuff blow on it. I always thought that when the sunroof was closed that the seal around the glass would keep water out. I put a good amount of grease on the seal and the metal it contacts. The owners manual says to do this on all the rubber seals periodically. It probably wont make much of a difference though. I just don't understand why that tube is in the kick panel in the first place. If it was designed to drain water it needed to be directed outside the vehicle.

 

[Trav]

Quote:

just don't understand why that tube is in the kick panel in the first place. If it was designed to drain water it needed to be directed outside the vehicle.

GM has been doing this nonsense for years. On W bodies they routed the rear drains right down inside the rocker panel. It takes about 10 yrs but if the rears are not re routed out the rear of the car the inner and outer rocker panels get severe rot. They get over on the rust warranty because it takes so long to actually break through but when it does its one crispy critter and a huge repair. My advise would be to re route them.

 

[Digital2k2]

Well in the last rain we had water still leaked in somewhere around where this rubber sealant is on the passenger floor. Since I put grease on the sunroof gasket it only leaked a couple ounces in the bottle. Anybody know where the weep hole is on the passenger side bottom door panel? Not the door itself but the body where the door seals to. There's a plastic piece of the body kit that needs to come off but it's going to be a real pain as it's attached in a lot of places.

 

[Digital2k2]

Just an update for anyone wondering: Took it to the dealer body shop and they told us that the drain in the kick panel/door jamb area was clogged and they cleared it. I looked under there to see if there was any debris left that might indicate where the drain was that I missed before, and it turns out they just drilled a hole from the bottom of the car into the door jamb area that was holding water. If I'd known that's all they were going to do I would have just done it myself hah... Figured they had a diagram of the drains and would actually get in there and clean it. In the last rain we had I didn't notice the carpet getting wet, so hopefully *knock on wood* the hole they drilled took care of the issue.