Water leak into front footwell!

[Simon]

Hi there, not often I post a thread on here but I wonder if any of you have any ideas where my water leak may be coming from in my 1988 Maestro 1.6. When last it rained (last weekend) the drivers side front floor footwell carpet became wet, well actually sopping wet! No sooner had it dried out then down came the rain overnight and now it's the turn of the passenger's side to do swimming pool impressions.Previously the car has been watertight. On investigation, the water is clean, not antifreeze mixture, so that rules out a coolant leak from the heater or dirty water drawn up from the road and after a run the water is still cold. I have removed the bulkhead plastic trim inside the engine bay and there are no nasty surprises in terms of corrosion or holes. There is, however, water *appearing, I suspect* (but I can't be sure yet) on the forward face of the heater inside the passenger compartment and there was a couple of drips coming from where the two halves of the heater casing join in the centre. The heater rubber drain tube appears to be soundly connected to the floor end and is dry there. I have also noticed a slight drip under the bonnet release handle in addition. The windscreen was replaced 2 years ago following pillar/screen flange corrosion repairs and I know the bodyshop did a perfect job and it has never leaked yet. The headlining is dry too, and there are no leaks onto seats. The windows are wound up tight.

Can anybody give me any clues before I order some goldfish and break out the wellies?

[Dave]

Hi Simon,
Theres a large rubber gromet that comes through behind the wash bottle - top nearside of the passenger footwell. May well be worth a check - it is easily disturbed during dash removal etc.

Dave.

[Rich]

Simon, check the speedo cable entry thoroughly, H902 has a water leak there which I have never been able to cure.

Try taking the pipe of the heater drain, and checking its clear, so many of these I have seen get bunged up with leaves, and on one the end had never been opened up and was sealed, so water would never have drained out.

If this does not help, try putting a hose in the area with the wiper linkage and see where its coming in.

Rich

[Simon]

Thanks chaps for your suggestions, both of which I hadn't considered. Rich, do you know Diver Dan's phone number!!

[Rich]

Erm, I do believe its in the phonebook. :laugh:

[MaestroMatt]

You haven't fitted that new brake servo unit yet, have you Simon? If you have, you could have forgotten to make a new gasket for it. I am sure you would never be so lax, though!

[Simon]

Not fitted yet Matt, just too busy marking A level coursework. Finished tonight thank goodness! Can't wait to get back working on the car for a change.

Update: both footwells now awash! Grommet by headlamp wash bottle is sound. I wonder if it is sealant failure on the screen? Doorseals are sound by the way.

[MaestroMatt]

Hmph, I have to wait until after I have taken my next set of ACCA exams in June before I'll get any free time for Maestroing! Better hope it stays running soundly until then.

I had a 1.3L that let water in around the windscreen seal. A surprising amount can find its way in! You could try one of those Halfrauds bottles of silicone sealant that is designed to be squirted in under the rubber seal or do what my dad did a few years back and take it to an autoglass place that squidged a load of sealant in there for him and didn't think it was worth charging him for the 5 mins work!

[malcsmaesty]

Simon, have you thought of your sunroof letting in water,i have had this problem over the last few days with the heavy rain.The only thing i can put it down to are the 2 holes at the front corners in the sunroof housing.If they are designated drain holes maybe something has come loose below.I have yet too investigate this myself due too lack of time,fortunately mines on the passenger side so i dont need my wellies yet,but the kids are chuffed that they have possibly the 1st indoor turbo diesel paddling pool :horror:

[E_T_V]

Sunroof drain tubes? I think these end up near there. Also check the water drain from the grill behind the bonnet. If it is full of leaves it might overflow and backup through the heater making it all wet inside. Otherwise check all the grommets as this was the cause in mine.

[Simon]

Hi Malc, nice to see you back! I've got lots of clues now so tomorrow I'll have the dash off and the carpets out and have a good look round. I can feel the carpet on the front wheel arch by the bonnet release is clearly wet so we'll see.

Interesting to learn that I'm not the only one with a leaky car, so my sympathies go out to fellow leakies out there! Let's hope for a dry spell, although with a bank holiday looming that's too much to ask for!

[DavidLeatherdale]

Hi Simon,

I have a 1992 Montego which has always been dry until the heavy rain we had a month or two ago when the drivers footwell was flooded. I thought perhaps it was a one off due to the exceptional rain but it it is now clear that it is not and I have had to investigate. There was no corrosion in the scuttle below the screen which I could run water along with no leaking. I found that when playing the hose down the back of the servo some water would get in but not enough to be causing the problem and it doesn't look as though rain could get to the servo normally anyway. Like you I had the screen out last year to repair corrosion in the pillars and a new one was fitted professionally. It looked perfectly good and I didn't think it was the source of the leak but I was wrong. Playing the hose on it today near the top of the screen, ( Iwas checking out the radio aerial), resulted in a considerable amount of water running out onto the floor. I tried pushing outwards on the top corner of the screen and it was clear there was some movement there. I took it to the company who had fitted it and they confirmed it was loose and removed the screen. It was clear that the sealant had not bonded properly to paint. When I'd repaired the pillars I resprayed the whole windscreen surround with cellulose paint except for the panel across the bottom of the screen which I brush painted with plain Hammerite. It was easy to pull the sealant off the cellulose painted areas which had aquired a wrinkly finish which was not there before the screen was fitted. It was firmly fixed to the Hammerite. It looked as though the laquer topcoat over the metallic cellulose had reacted with the sealant and eventually caused it to come away. It hadn't had long to dry before I had the screen refitted as I needed the car on the road and maybe the solvents hadn't completely evaporated when the screen was fitted. Anyway it is definitely the cause of my leak so I suggest you check your screen really carefully.

[Quality]

My Montego is also giving me scuba diving lessons. Always the driver's side, the water appears to be coming on the interior side of the tar style soundproffing, I know it isn't the sunroof because I only put water from half-way up the windscreen to check the leak.


Any ideas?

[E_T_V]

Check the speedo cable grommit where it passes through the bulkhead. Also check the wirting grommit too. both mine were leaking :(