Not so obvious, captain!

[my99vdub]

This has happened a few times, not sure why . . .

Car sits in the parking lot at work - windows up, all locked up, so when I leave for the day and get to the buggy, the interior of the windshield is filled with condensation - no other windows have any moisture - any ideas?

[D2Beetle]

Off the top of my head, leaky heater core.

[VDubYah]

Or moisture or water in the tray under the dash where the the gunk builds up ( leaves etc.)

[MyOtherRidesAVette]

You definately have moisture in your car, a one time event, or something on going. The condensation, and it is typically on the windshield, is becasue of interior moisture trying to be drawn to torward the sun, just as it is done to create clouds. The windshield just blocks the flow. The windshield is also typically the glass with the least tint. Orientation of your vehicle, windshield facing south, southwest, or west would also be a contributingfactor to where the condensation occurs.

A leaky heater core and you would smell coolant, and from experience, many times the defrosters would be responsible for depositing a film on the windshield, as the air that is blown by the defrosters passes over the leaking core. The tray under the windshield with leaves, etc, is outside the firewall, but when the drains get plugged, they have been known to spill over through the fire wall onto the passenger and/or driver's floor boards.

Problematic to the NB is the sunroof drains, there are four, two which are through tubes in the "A" pillars and two to the rear. The resolve was discussed in a recent thread. The sunroof drain leaks were subject of either a recall or a TSB, don't remember of the top of my head.

I recall a thread some time back where a posters doors were accumulating water and it was spilling over into the interior. A simple drenching from a window being down partially during a storm could create your situation for weeks and weeks after the occurance.

Another uncommon problem, but one that can happen, is the drain for your a/c evaporator coils becomes plugged, and the moisture that is taken out of the air during the cooling process is not draining out of the car, but rather into it.

Feel around the carpet in the cabin, front floor boards, under the seats, rear wells, I'm sure your going to find dampness. Come back and tell us what you find and perhaps we can give you better direction.

MORAV

[my99vdub]

Thanks all, no sunroof so no drains to check but I'll do some more checking on your ideas & suggestions over the weekend during daylight and share any findings.

Beth

[dnyed]

Third brakelight, leaking?

[my99vdub]

So, not sure if I did ALL my homework, but here's what I did determine: No coolant smell, dry carpet all around, it was getting dark and I only looked inward thru the black tray toward the dash and saw a small clump of pine needles and such on the passenger side.

I think that the black tray just kind of pries off, doesn't it? Probably need to pay attention to cold temps before doing that, right?

I just remembered today that the day before the condensation on the windshield interior, it had rained, and rained, and rained.

If nothing else, I'll start keeping notes of how often (and hopefully if) this happens again.

(so relieved no coolant smell or wet floors, am hoping it's the junk under the tray)

[VDubYah]

take the wiper arms off ( 10mm nut under the rounded cap) and the black plastic cover will come off by pulling on it. Be careful of running your fingers down the little holes there sharp on the bottom side.
I had to get a cheap wiper arm puller to get mine loose from the assembly.

[Smileybug]

Yeah get under there and clean really good. When I had my windshield replaced, the guy at Safelite called me back to show me all the pine needles and such that were under my rain tray. Pretty full! He was actually quite surprised that I didn't have a leak.