Im a pretty driven GM tech but since this can be helpful (and im not full of myself!)...i thought id ask. ok. so today started with a little vacuumin of the carpets when i noticed an odor and some mildew, to my surprise i found water under my passenger carpet. now im led to believe that my power antenna is leaking (from searching around here earlier and looking myself!) down the harness into the floor pans. So this finding enraged me and so now the entire interior has been ripped out (yeah, im pretty ambitious, bein a mechanic anyway haha) and i happened to notice under my center console a harness with orange and black wires with nothing attached to it. is this possibly an un-used option such as power drivers seat? i could find out but since im curious about that and the possible water leak from the antenna harness, heres my questions i have for someone willing to help me out.
1.) is the harness for a power seat option that will plug right into another 3rd gen power seat? and...
2.) has anyone else had the water seepage on the passenger side front floor?...this is a HARD top formula, the window seal is Not bad and this only occurs when the car has been sittin in a rain storm that lasts at least 45 min- 1 hour.

and before anyone thinks im out of control, i just bought some leather gta seats for the rear anyway so this was just the start of a good clean and install, until this ..."mishap".... thanks in advance for any input

 

yes most likley power seats.. i have a orange and black lead to my seats. as far as the leak. could it be leaking around the door trim seals. or possibly the channel filler?

 

my car had a soggy carpet when i pulled it ( never stank but the padding/ heat/sound deadening layer was soggy ) the t-tops on my car leak a lil but mostly on to the seats ( super convenient) I find that alot of my carpet leaks are from the fender/ kick panel area where the harnesses go thru.


As for the extra wires... if found more than a few un used harnesses in my expeditions into my interior. One of which is like a a 4 or 5 wire harness that if you jump two of the wires the car will crank LOL.

ive had two running thirdgens and both of em had the harness just sitting there

 

well ive read a few threads about the water running down the harness off the power antenna which seems logical, not sure if its the case but ill keep searching since removing the carpet has led me to another problem...rot! both corners lh and rh floor boards have extensive rot. i hated tellin people at the dealerships i couldnt find the water leak in their cars.... look at the damn irony in that one. thanks for the info. ill keep postin any info for future reference to others, as to keep them from torching their own cars from the effects of water leaks. haha.

 

I bet if you pull the passenger side kick panel you will find that the seal for the harness is bad or just loose.... I'm an auto electrician (Among other things) and have found this a lot! The harness that Saigon_Bob is talking about is the un-used factory alarm harness (A truly rare option in the thirdgen's) Its a great location for a starter kill relay or remote start!
Good luck!

 

You know how long i've been asking about that! It's in the center console under the radio, has a purple thick wire and some others IIRC.

On both the running camaro's I've had ( amongst many parts cars ) both I've bypassed the VATS system using this harness

 

i pulled it all! i found on the drivers side the floor pan is really rotted out around the factory body seal to the plastic wire strip retainer. it goes to the side of the (inside?) rocker panel? if you know what i mean? so it needs some extensive weld/fab patch work which sucks cuz this car isnt that bad concerning the body. the same is with the passenger side except its only two dime size holes... as for the harness, im not sure what to do yet, seems this rot problem will need immediate attention. im thinkin, cut it all out, weld a 90 degree patch in and por-15 the **** out of it. wont be pretty, but should hold fine and wont be noticeable with new carpets over it. sound good? or hackish? haha. thanks for the insight on the harness, its nice to find out new things about a car ya drive everyday. ill post pics of before and after of the patch work and the new interior when completed. thanks again!

 

some pics of the horror...
1st one is pass. side second one is drivers...
shoulda seen my face...

 

OOOOUUUUCCCCHHHH!!!!! That hurts just to look at. Any structural damage or just floor pan rust?

 

Seeing those pics makes me thankful it doesn't snow where I live.

 

no real frame integrity problems with the cancer from what ive examined so far, my buddy is gonna weld it up, still ticks me off since im already frustrated with the water problem and not bein able to find my perfect complete interior to put back in after the repair (lookin for front manual black leather seats..grr)

 

i believe the two wires in console r for ta power trunk release

 

been a while but i found the time to weld and prime, got done so quick i used the extra time to add some white faces to the scene, the leak was coming in from behind the wheel well splash guard, it was being slung up and over the opening seam and resting on the metal when driving and was running down the firewall when sitting into the same spot, welded that as well.

 

Something else to check out before wrapping it up is the ECM harness that runs thru the body behind the passenger side kick panel. I have seen water leaking in from this spot on more Third Gen cars than I can count.

It not "normal" for this area to get wet due to the fender protecting it from the rain - but if water does manage to get behind the fender / plastic Wheel well and onto that plug - it will seep in if it's not sealed.

My IROC has no fender on it right now and when the rain hits that side of the car - I get a puddle on the passenger side floor that is easily traced back to that plug.

 

Damn, good to see you got it taken care of though

 

Hey guys, how did you fix the ECM harness leak? I have the same problem. I removed the splash guard due to tire interference, so when I drive in the rain I end up with a puddle. I'm going to try to put the guard back, but I need to get it fixed 1st.

I'm having trouble visualizing this, do you have a pic? My car has the same problem, just not nearly as bad.

 

mine wasnt coming from the harness, if you look at the FR wheel well for example, in the rear half is an area that has a seam, mine was getting thrown around the wheel, hitting the back of the splash guard and running down the plastic in between the seam which caused the metal to rust behind it and leak into the car. if you still dont know what i mean ill take a pic after you reply.