Wet front drivers footwell carpet

themeanmachine · 3rd February 2021, 17:50

Hi all,

I had been looking at why my boot release button wasn't working. Found it full of water. Duly dried out and re-soldered and all working again.

On to the next problem... The water leak. I only got the car a couple of weeks ago and did the usual plenum drain rodding and chopped the tapered end off so it doesn't clog again. At least 3-4in of standing water drained out. So that all seems fine.

Is there anywhere else that water commonly leaks into the drivers front footwell area? I read about scuttle clips so took the whole scuttle panel off and smeared the top edges of them with silicone, didn't remove them however as they seemed well in there...

The carpet was saturated so seems like it may still be coming in but I know the foam can hold water for ages so it may have just been the plenum? No sunroof to worry about.

Advice appreciated.

Cheers

MacRob · 3rd February 2021, 22:10

Have you checked the rear carpet under the passenger seat and rear seat?
I had a leak from the rear lights as rear screen and with not using the car during lockdown last year it wasn’t noticed.
What had happened was the water had run down the passenger side of the boot, down the side of the sound proofing and then started running under the rear seat and down into the rear footwell. Over the course of 3 months, it had soaked down to the front footwell and was only noticed when mould was seen.
I managed to fix the leaks and dry the carpet out but a few days later they were damp again so I lifted up the carpet at the side and was shocked to see the footwells under the carpet backing was under a good half inch of water front and rear. I ended up removing the carpets fully to dry them out and to get all the water out. In total from the floor of the car I took out 2.5 ltrs of water not including what was in the carpets.
Everything is bone dry now and has remained so for 6 weeks. No idea how long the leak had been going on for but wasn’t noticed as it didn’t run into the spare tyre well so could have been happening for months if not longer.

Simondi · 4th February 2021, 06:18

Do you have a sunroof? If so it could be the drain tube

themeanmachine · 4th February 2021, 07:42

No sunroof. Checked the passenger side and rears but all seems dry as does the boot. The foam panel that goes up the bulkhead behind the pedals is also saturated so certainly seems to be coming down from up there.

MacRob · 4th February 2021, 08:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by themeanmachine

No sunroof. Checked the passenger side and rears but all seems dry as does the boot. The foam panel that goes up the bulkhead behind the pedals is also saturated so certainly seems to be coming down from up there.

Then it could be 1 of 3 things.
1. The windscreen seal has blown letting the water in. Only needs to be slightly bigger than a pin hole to let enough water out over time to soak the carpets.
2. The heater has holed out and leaking into the carpet.
3. When the Plenum has been blocked the water level was higher than 1st seen and has entered the car via a rubber grommet or by soaking through the pollen filter and leaking out into the car that way.

max1 · 4th February 2021, 09:15

Take a look at the rubber grommet where the master cylinder pipe passes through the bulkhead. It could be missing or not located correctly, if so when the plenum is blocked, it acts as an overflow. Sometimes saves the ECU from having a swim, but you end up with very wet feet and carpets.
I know this, as it happened to me.

3rd February 2021, 17:50	#1
themeanmachine Newbie MG ZT 1.8 Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: West Sussex Posts: 5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Wet front drivers footwell carpet Hi all, I had been looking at why my boot release button wasn't working. Found it full of water. Duly dried out and re-soldered and all working again. On to the next problem... The water leak. I only got the car a couple of weeks ago and did the usual plenum drain rodding and chopped the tapered end off so it doesn't clog again. At least 3-4in of standing water drained out. So that all seems fine. Is there anywhere else that water commonly leaks into the drivers front footwell area? I read about scuttle clips so took the whole scuttle panel off and smeared the top edges of them with silicone, didn't remove them however as they seemed well in there... The carpet was saturated so seems like it may still be coming in but I know the foam can hold water for ages so it may have just been the plenum? No sunroof to worry about. Advice appreciated. Cheers Last edited by themeanmachine; 3rd February 2021 at 17:59..

3rd February 2021, 22:10	#2
MacRob Loves to post Rover 75 Saloon Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: Deal, Kent Posts: 264 Thanks: 44 Thanked 81 Times in 58 Posts	Have you checked the rear carpet under the passenger seat and rear seat? I had a leak from the rear lights as rear screen and with not using the car during lockdown last year it wasn’t noticed. What had happened was the water had run down the passenger side of the boot, down the side of the sound proofing and then started running under the rear seat and down into the rear footwell. Over the course of 3 months, it had soaked down to the front footwell and was only noticed when mould was seen. I managed to fix the leaks and dry the carpet out but a few days later they were damp again so I lifted up the carpet at the side and was shocked to see the footwells under the carpet backing was under a good half inch of water front and rear. I ended up removing the carpets fully to dry them out and to get all the water out. In total from the floor of the car I took out 2.5 ltrs of water not including what was in the carpets. Everything is bone dry now and has remained so for 6 weeks. No idea how long the leak had been going on for but wasn’t noticed as it didn’t run into the spare tyre well so could have been happening for months if not longer. __________________ MG Rover South East admin

4th February 2021, 06:18	#3
Simondi Regional Secretary MGTF, MG ZS EV Exclusive Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Kilwinning Posts: 14,046 Thanks: 1,460 Thanked 3,563 Times in 1,857 Posts	Do you have a sunroof? If so it could be the drain tube __________________ Simondi FAQ How do you do that? Club Flyers Looking for a car seen in a film or on TV? Fancy a change in colour or wheels - paint configurator OBD - Trip Meter Ultimate Buyers Guide Post YouTube videos

4th February 2021, 07:42	#4
themeanmachine Newbie MG ZT 1.8 Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: West Sussex Posts: 5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	No sunroof. Checked the passenger side and rears but all seems dry as does the boot. The foam panel that goes up the bulkhead behind the pedals is also saturated so certainly seems to be coming down from up there.

4th February 2021, 09:15	#6
max1 Avid contributor Rover 75 Tourer cdt Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Wolverhampton Posts: 176 Thanks: 51 Thanked 57 Times in 39 Posts	Take a look at the rubber grommet where the master cylinder pipe passes through the bulkhead. It could be missing or not located correctly, if so when the plenum is blocked, it acts as an overflow. Sometimes saves the ECU from having a swim, but you end up with very wet feet and carpets. I know this, as it happened to me.