Water in car.

[three sisters]

Hi Folks, For the second time in as many weeks I have found water in the rear passenger foot well and mystified as to how it got in....any ideas?

Murdoch.

[stocktake]

Have you checked the front footwell? the rear only usually shows when the front is full.

Checked your plenum recently?

Do you have a sunroof

Any sign of water in boot?

[Kandyman]

Have a read.

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=139&highlight=water

Occasions of rear footwells becoming wet are rare on the R40 - but it can happen. A few pointers for you to check on:

Rear fixings
There have been a few occasions where the rear bumper fixings or the light clusters are not sealing correctly, thus allowing water ingress into the boot and travelling forwards. Check the fixings and use silicon sealant, inspecting periodically to check it has cured the problem.

Wheel well
This can fill up with water where the light clusters or bumper fixings are not watertight. When you brake, the water can travel over the lip and across the underside of the seat squab, down the sides and into the footwell. Now this does mean that rather a lot of water has got to get in, and you may well smell stale water when you open the boot some time before it begins to happen. Remove the boot mat and check for any signs of dampness, and remove the spare wheel (where fitted) and ensure it is clean and dry. Wipe the surface with a wax fluid to prevent any rust taking hold too - unless you're unlucky you will rarely venture into this place, and the continual motion of the car will cause the spare to rub on the paintwork, making it thin over time.

Rear Screen
Very occasionally the rear screen can leak around it's seal. The easy way to solve this is to reseal it around the rubber, or alternatively you can visit a specialist to remove and refit it.

Door seals
The door seals are pretty robust but it's always a good idea to check that they are correctly sitting in their channel and not allowing ingress over the lip.

Chrome Strips
The strips are held in place by small fixings which are mounted in holes punched into the sides - these can at times be slightly loose and allow water in. A small amount of silicon sealant applied from inside the vehicle will halt further leaks

Door Trim
Next, the door cards. Check and make sure they have a plastic protection sheet between them and the door frame. If not, water may be seeping through and into the floor.

While the door card is off, check all drainage holes and ensure theay are clear

At the rear of the rear doors is a black traingular trim. This has been reported previously as not always watertight. Remove the two screws holding it in place and use sealant when refixing.

Wheel Arches

Check the liners in each arch and make sure they are not loose. If so, they may be allowing water past and the grommets behind may be allowing water in via the sealt belt anchorage points.

See also this How To post on curing boot leaks with pics for further guidance on sealing up possible ingress points:
http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=188

Disclaimer:
You are responsible for any work or modifications carried out on your car and you undertake any such work at your own risk. The 75 and ZT Owners Club nor the original author of this How-To can be held liable for anything that may happen as a result of you following this How-To.

[Greeners]

I'd plump for sunroof :D

[Kandyman]

thought a sunroof affected the front foot well ?

[Greeners]

thought a sunroof affected the front foot well ?

Four drains, two front, and two rear

[Kandyman]

Four drains, two front, and two rear

Arr cheers Mr Greeners,

[three sisters]

Hi Folks, and thanks to all who have replied and once this torrential rain stops I'll check as many possiblities as I can, but here is the latest.

After a night of heavy rain and my car parked facing slightly uphill there was no new water in the car this morning. I do have a sun roof.

However after a 5 mile run in the rain there was new water in the rear passenger footwell.

There is no water in the boot or wheel well or any sign of dampness,and nowhere in the car any sign of where the water may be coming in.

There is no sign of water in any of the lights but I'll check again when weather improves.

Thanks again.

Murdoch.

[Greeners]

Remove the passenger side trim in the boot, and you should find a black shiny tube which is the sun roof drain. I think it's a two piece affair and I suspect it's gone on the join.

If you open the roof fully, you can poor water down each drain, and you should get a puddle by each wheel...

HTH

[stocktake]

If you open the roof fully, you can poor water down each drain, and you should get a puddle by each wheel...

HTH

Stop when if water goes above the window level, the drains arn't working :D:D:D

So sorry gents couldn't resist.
Sorry ,sorry, sorry.


Seriously, what greeners describes is typical of a disconnected roof drain, failing that dont forget to check the plenum :)

[Tam]

Hi Folks, and thanks to all who have replied and once this torrential rain stops I'll check as many possiblities as I can, but here is the latest.

After a night of heavy rain and my car parked facing slightly uphill there was no new water in the car this morning. I do have a sun roof.

However after a 5 mile run in the rain there was new water in the rear passenger footwell.

There is no water in the boot or wheel well or any sign of dampness,and nowhere in the car any sign of where the water may be coming in.

There is no sign of water in any of the lights but I'll check again when weather improves.

Thanks again.

Murdoch. Hi Murdoch have exactly the same problem which started last week also spotted it when car was parked on drive with nose uphill and water had run back and was visible where the seatbelt anchors behind seat as it is lower . The same as you could not find any clue as to how water got their so hopeful on the sunroof drains , not that i could spot the rear one's when i had a look a couple of days ago with sunroof full open . Emptied a surprisingly large amount of water out of footwell buy stuffing a sponge under the floor airvent under seat and squeezing it out about 30 times . Skint knuckles and an overpumped forearm later it was fairly dry , but i suspect it will be filling up again as i type . Will have to wait till weekend to investigate again so let us know how you get on cheers tam .

[stocktake]

As mentioned before, the back only usually shows when the front is full. Lift the carpet in the front well do not be surprised to get at least a gallon out of each side.

Mine came in due to a blocked plenum when purcased and continued for weeks untill I found out the aircon drains under the car were blocked and they overflowed into the floorpan.

[Villa Villan]

Noticed a small puddle on the load cover of my Tourer a couple of times when there has been a blowing downpour, I am sure I have seen a post about rubbing something around the rubber seal to cure this but not sure what though.

Cheers
Tony

[Greeners]

Noticed a small puddle on the load cover of my Tourer a couple of times when there has been a blowing downpour, I am sure I have seen a post about rubbing something around the rubber seal to cure this but not sure what though.

Cheers
Tony


Ah ha....the seal between the glass and frame has failed....

The yellow handle is a screwdriver

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/imagehosting/109449a2bc89cb6a0.jpg

[Villa Villan]

Ah ha....the seal between the glass and frame has failed....

The yellow handle is a screwdriver

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/imagehosting/109449a2bc89cb6a0.jpg
Not wanting to hijack this thread David but what is the score regarding this then?...PS it's always on the nearside.

Cheers
Tony

[Greeners]

Tony

I got a replacement glass, which is fine, but I used some sealant (clear) which was a 99% improvement. The trouble is sealing behind the brake light.

Ideally, the frame and glass need to be separated and re-bonded, by a windscreen company

[Villa Villan]

Tony

I got a replacement glass, which is fine, but I used some sealant (clear) which was a 99% improvement. The trouble is sealing behind the brake light.

Ideally, the frame and glass need to be separated and re-bonded, by a windscreen company
We are both talking about the tourer tailgate glass are we not?. Just checking...

Cheers
Tony

[Greeners]

We are both talking about the tourer tailgate glass are we not?. Just checking...

Cheers
Tony

The lift up glass part of the tailgate....yes....

[Villa Villan]

The lift up glass part of the tailgate....yes....
Thanks fella, swat team in and hijacker taken away happy for the info :D.

Cheers
Tony

[Greeners]

Thanks fella, swat team in and hijacker taken away happy for the info :D.

Cheers
Tony

Th give away is a misted brake light, and water running onto the load blnd when you lift it up.

[Villa Villan]

Th give away is a misted brake light, and water running onto the load blnd when you lift it up.
I will check the break light tomorrow for misting and as said the load cover does have a wee puddle on it, once again thanks and I guess this thread will answer both saloons and tourers thanks to your input Dave:bigsmile:.

Cheers
Tony

[TimO]

I had the same problem a while back and found a loose socket in the front bulk head was the cause (see link)

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=411

Good luck

Cheers

Tim

[JohnDotCom]

I had problems with water marks on the load cover in my Tourer.
From new it was changed once (rear screen) no improvement.
I have found Vaseline around the (lift up window) seal cured it in my case.

[Tam]

https://picasaweb.google.com/108256095050086683973/WetCarAug09?authuser=0&feat=directlink ok sponged out about 2 gallons of water today , fairly traumatic as you can see from pics . Gold star to Stocktake front footwell was full aswell but plenums bone dry so not that but managed to trace the water to the steering rack rubber after holding hose on front windscreen for a couple of minutes and waiting another couple of minutes till water started to seep in from around steering rack . A couple of pics try to show what looks like the rubber being deformed and possibly letting water in .Anybody see anything obvious , i know pics are not the best as taken on a phone whilst upside down in footwell ? . Next stuck everything back together and put it up on ramp to have a look from other side , tried manipulating rubber cover but didn't really get anywhere . Seems like the rubber cover is in two pieces but could only get it to move at bottom top was jammed tight by steering rack . Think i will have to hand it over to my mechanic but any thoughts welcome cheers tam . PS some photos i took just for referance but the last couple show a small green connector taped up behind light switch can anyone identify just for my curiosity ? .

[three sisters]

At long last I can report how I eventally got the problem solved!

As best I could I did as many of the things suggested on by our members but to know avail. I then had to travel to my daughters in Hampshire where for two weeks there was no rain...so no problem.

However, yesterday the rain came and sure enough there was the usual water in the rear footwell, so fed up with it all I took it to a local garage because I knew the owner had a 75 Conn 2.0 CDTi and reckoned that they should know all about such things.

Less than an hour later I got a call from the garage saying that I had a leaky door membrane,they had ordered a new one and could pick up my car at the end of the day

Lat night I had the garden hose all over the car for about half an hour and its bone dry.

I will keep you posted after our first long run in the rain, in the meantime thanks again to all who replied.