Frost on the inside?

[Corinthone13]

I have had a lot of frost on the inside of my windows this winter. Can anyone tell me if this is indicative of the windows leaking or another issue? There is a lot on the front windshield and some on the side windows. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Kurtis

[Corinthone13]

It is a 2003 bonneville SSEI. Sorry that I neglected to input that information.

[Ken_W]

Need more info...

Do you find it this way after being parked overnight, or does this happen while you're driving? If the former, does it sit outside overnight?

What part of the country do you live in?

When you say "this winter" does this mean that you did NOT see this issue last winter? In other words, is this a new problem that did not exist previously?

Ken_W

[J Wikoff]

A lot of times, this is caused by water getting into the cabin. Feel your carpets under the floor mats. They might not even feel wet, but if you press a paper towel down hard enough, it might show signs of wetness.

[Liability]

happens to me, all door seals and window seals are fine, but my back passenger side floor is puddle-like wet, my battery is sitting in water and its starting to wick through the whole carpet...
id love to figure out what it is too.. the only upside is while other idiots are scraping the outsides of thier windows in the cold, this idiot sits in his drivers seat and does them, kinda sad really :( (i was reffering to me btw, OP is not an idiot )

it happens when the car is parked overnight and its below 0 out. its also starting to smell musky from stail water (been there for about 3 months)

my trunk is getting wet too... possible back window leak? or my other thought was trunk seal leak and the "runoff" water is draining behind the seats and sitting where my battery is, soaking the carpet, i havent hunted it down (yet) but im working on it too.

check your trunk too, water there also? under the mat, can you see condensation on the spare tire cover?

[FIND]

Most of the time, it's like J Wikofff said. Water or snow inside the car evaporated, condensed, then froze.

If it was quite a lot of frost, you may want to investigate the condition of your door, window, trunk and sunroof seals, unless you have carpets that are really soaked like Liability's. In that case, roll out the carpet cleaner and some towels before you rust through your floor pan, then find how the water got in.

[imidazol97]

Here is a link to the techinfo section on interior. There are two about fixing leaks. One is for sunroof leaks. Second is for door leaks.

http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... m.php?f=43

You also need to check into leaks into the trunk around the seal or through a rusted out wheel housing.

Also check for a leak through the floor pan letting water come up underneath. I've seen rare reports that something there allowed water to splash up from underneath.

[Corinthone13]

@ken_w This is the first winter it has done this. I live in the North Cental part of Indiana. What doesn't make sense to me is that I have noticed water on the drivers side in the front and back for a while but never had frost on the inside like this. Do you believe that this means it is getting worse? The car does sit outside since I do not have a garage.

I have reviewed the tech info for how to fix the water leak and it looks beyond my level of mechanical expertise. If you believe the water leak is also causing the frost I will probably have to take it to get it fixed.

I appreciate all of the responses and info!!

[Liability]

mine is on passenger side rear, and it is starting to slosh up to the front, i am starting to think my wheel well or floorpan has a hole, my doors are dry when i check and my seals are all nice and tight,

i just got off work, worked 5-11 and this is what my car looks like, thick frost inside the glass, if this was left overnight the whole window would be like this...


is anyone here a frost-whisperer? or examiner? judging by the "pattern" of frost, can you guys pinpoint what door is leaking?

hope you dont mind the pic... this is my first winter for this to happen also, very strange... lemme know what you find, im going to check mine tomorrow when i get it in the garage,

[00Beast]

Do you have a sunroof?

[Mad Myche]

How well does it defrost? On the side windows, is it concentrated towards the front?

I've seen these symptoms in the past when I blew heater cores

[00Beast]

Heater core would also give a sweet smell through the vents.

[Corinthone13]

It is interesting that you mention a sweet smell because I have been noticing a smell coming through the vents. I don't know if I would call it sweet though. Pardon the reference, but it smells kind of like cat pee. I have just noticed it recently concurrently with the frost issue. I do have a sunroof. Are you indicating that the frost in the inside of my windshield could be a result of my heater core going bad? I have not noticed the heater working any less efficient.

BTW - I have the exact same car as 00Beast if it helps.

[imidazol97]

It is interesting that you mention a sweet smell because I have been noticing a smell coming through the vents. I don't know if I would call it sweet though. Pardon the reference, but it smells kind of like cat pee. I have just noticed it recently concurrently with the frost issue.

When the engine is cooled down, take off the radiator cap, or get a sample of the coolant from the reservoir using a tube or turkey baster or something. SMell it and compare to the smell you're getting through the vents. The heater core may be seeping when the engine is under pressure fully warmed up. That coolant sits on the bottom of the heater core area and then the water evaporates into the car to form the frost on the windshield. Are you getting dripping under the usual air conditioner drip spot when you shut the car off even though it's below 45 and the AC isn't running these days?