2006 Chevy HHR wet floorboards

Question

I noticed moisture on my windshield, then found water on the floorboards on passenger side and both sides of rear floors had puddles of water. It was clear water. I've used my heater a couple of days a little, and happened after that. I don't see it dripping from anywhere on passenger side. It seems as though it's coming up through the floor. Help! What is going on?

Answer 1

It seems this is a pretty common problem with HHR's. It has to do with the cowl piece under the wiper arms. I'm going to transcribe, with pictures, from chevyhhr.net:

1. Remove the left and right wiper arms. Pop off the cover and use a 15mm socket to loosen the nut. With the hood still up, lift the drivers side and it should remove pretty easily, the passenger side will be a little more difficult, I had to remove the blade assembly, but I got it off.

2. Remove the four 7 mm screws (be patient they are about 2.5 in. long) and the two push-in retainers from each side of the grille panel.

3. Remove the five wire harness retainers from the grille panel.
4. Lift the panel up and place it on the engine or off to the side after you unplug the washer fluid hose.
5. Then you will see the patch that was causing my problem.

6. I removed the butyl patch and cleaned the area with sticker remover. On the car and on the butyl patch.
7. Ran a bead of black rtv silicone sealant around the patch, let it sit about 3 minutes then reinstalled on the car and pressed down around the edges to make a better seal.
8. Installation is the reverse of removal, just don't forget to tuck the weatherstrip into the side weatherstrip that runs down the fenders.

It appears the butyl rubber piece may/may not be bad, so don't be surprised if you need to replace it. It's the thinish membrane you are going to be resealing (or replacing).

There are some videos on YouTube describing it as well, but when looking at them, seemed more of a rant than a real help. I'll let you search if you want to and decide for yourself. Hope this helps.