water in rear passenger footwell

[Mr.FixitNorm]

Evening All,

I've had an on /off problem with water getting into the rear passenger footwell. I've checked the usual suspects -sunroof drain plugs / pipes - all ok, although I'd like to replace the sunroof seals, there's not enough in the kitty at the moment and I'm not sure thats where it's coming from anyway.

Whilst cleaning the hatchback area of the car out today, I found the shaped foam under the drivers side hatch pin lock was soaking wet. The question is... could water getting in here find it's way to the rear passengers footwell??

When the car is parked on the drive it does slope backwards and slightly to the nearside, just not sure if there is a path for the water from the hatch lock to the rear footwell ! ( I've now disassembled the hatch lock and cleaned and sealed it )

Any thoughts .........?

Thanks,

Norm

 

[robwright]

Worth checking the rear lights and resealing them. Water often gets in through there. It will make it's way to the spare wheel well though.

 

[jmelhuish]

Hi,
Yes water could get to the rear footwell but from experience, unlikely (Never say never though!!!) I found that I was getting water travelliong in to the rearfoot well from the top of the seal of the 1/4 light window by capilary action. As a temporary measure I smeared silcone grease in to it and, touch wood here, it has worked so far.
Good luck with your searching.

 

[Mr.FixitNorm]

Rob, good thought, I checked and resealed the rear lights during the summer, no signs of water coming in there at the moment.

Jason, I'll try that, we've got some silicon grease at work, []

I seem to remember when I first joined the site that the rear passenger footwell is a popular water collection point[]

Cheers,

Norm

 

[spyro_x]

Have you checked the drain for the petrol cap? There should be a little 'J' shaped metal attachment under the gromit that drains the area by the fuel cap, on mine this was disconnected - however it was my boot that was soaking wet but i think that was due to the water running down over the wheel arch. You can get to it behind the carpet on the offside in the boot. Worth a check anyway - good luck

EDIT: Apologies - just read that its on the passenger side that gets wet but the fuel filler is on the drivers so unlikely to be the culprit.

 

[JamesO]

Had water in the same place, changed all the seals, checked all the drains, it had me stumped. The leak stopped when I had a new windscreen fitted.

 

[George Elliott]

Norm,
I had this too. Exactly as you describe.

To find it I removed the front passenger seat for 3 weeks.
Removed the sound deadening / green matting to dry.
Dried out floor with towel and heat gun.

Dusted with Talcum Powder from the front of the sill, right back to the rear footwell, including floor.

I had 2 leaks, one was due to an alarm system, where a self tapper had gone into the A Post inner structure above the bonnet release lever. Don't cut yourself on the sharp edge buried in the sound deadening. But ultimately, an easy fix. The water accumulated on top of the inner sill where the wiring loom runs forward below the bonnet release lever. Then eventually it ran back on the floor.

The second was due to water coming thru the front seat support rail (part of the body shell). It originated in the inner side of the sill cavity, perhaps from the sunroof drain tubes coming down the A Post? or from front scuttle water being directed the same way, but rather than exit the sill drain outlets, it would seep into the seat support rail, and migrate out into the floor, very slowly, capillary action taking it around the spot welds and between the faces of the sheet fabrication.

It required a couple of days of rain to accumulate 5ml (a teaspoon) of water in the rear footwell.

No question, this was there from the factory.

I'm only 95% sure I have this fixed. Its a really difficult one to understand.

There are sill cavity grommets (about 40mm Dia) in the sill, and you can have a gander thru these to study wants happening if you are super fit and flexible while some one less fit operates the Rain simulator outside the car.

The strip out and powder proved to me it was not window or door seals, as there was no water track (like a snail leaves) in the powder, in those areas. If anything made me look at a 370Z its this sort of grief.

Good luck
George

 

[david924s]

Leak could also be from behind the front bulkhead in the engine bay if there are leaves etc near the fuse box or wiper mechanism the area between the windscreen and engine bay bulkhead can fill up as the drain holes get blocked then it can leak in throught he heater motor unit and behind the glove box which could then run to the rear.

 

[Mr.FixitNorm]

Thanks for all the useful suggestion guys, I'd forgotten about the talcom powder trick -used it years ago on my first mini ( which leaked like a sieve !! )

During the summer when I first discovered this, I took the passenger seat out and the carpet etc, there didn't seem to be any water in the front footwell or evidence that it had run through this area. I will have to take this all out again I think. Does anyone know the procedure for taking out the rear seat base? i.e. where the fittings are? this might help with finding the leak, and I also need to take it to a car trimmer to have a split repaired.

Once again, many thanks,

Norm

 

[peanut]

my hatch pins have plastic drain tubes fixed to them to drain water from the hatch pin locks through the floor. I haven't seen you mention them ? Are yours missing ?

The other place I found a surprising amount of water entering my rear hatch area was from the number plate lights . They are tucked up under the rear valance behind the carpet and difficult to see. Mine were really rusty from long term leaking. The lights are fitted with a foam gasket which deteriorates over the years.

 

[Mr.FixitNorm]

Hi Nick,

yes, my drain tubes on the hatch pin locks are ok, and both the rear lights and the number plates have been sealed. I did sort a leak from the offside hatch pin lock rubber, but that was only a small one and it just found it's way into the spare wheel well.

I think I might get a better idea if I can get the rear seat base out, as the vertical bit of carpet up to the seat base is damp, but not the carpet under the front passenger seat? The rear window or hatch seal are other possibilities as well.

Norm

 

[George Elliott]

Norm,
you can remove the rear side panels etc and the seat is a carpet forming with upholstered cushions. All one unit. I have had all that out, but my guess is your vertical carpet is drawing moisture from below. The sound deadening also seems to help this. I am guessing the cushions and carpet surround at cushion level is dry?

(you still have a 2 seater if you only take out the front seat at this stage)[8|]

Good luck
George