wet passenger footwell - not heater matrix

Andy Marshall

Member
Messages
297
I parked the Spyder on my (quite flat) drive last night instead of in the garage where she normally lives. It rained hard in the night, and this morning the passenger footwell is a bit wet. Not sodden, but definitely wet. Here's what I've checked/done so far....

The passenger window was definitely fully closed all night

Its absolutely not the heater matrix - I've lost no coolant and the wet is just clear water.

I've checked the pollen filter and its as dry as a bone,

I checked around the blower inlet and there are no obvious signs of any blockages or anything that might send water where it should not go. No leaves or any other **** either.

I checked the drain pipe on the driver side and again it is dry.

I blew compressed air up the drain pipe just to be certain its clear all the way up and it blew through with no issues.

I cannot see any obvious signs of water ingression around the passenger door. All seals and drains appear OK.

The only wet carpet is the very bottom one, the sides appear to be dry.

I can't see any other drips or wet bits anywhere.

I have never had this issue before with the car and I have owned it for quite a few years! What am I missing? Is there a separate drain on the passenger side? if so, where is it, because I couldn't see one like there is on the drivers side.

All suggestions welcomed!
 

BL330

Member
Messages
1,121
I know you don't want to hear it, but slide the radio out and see if the triangular shaped sponge that supports the rear of radio is fresh or sodden. If sodden you have a coolant leak from the heater matrix, which happens to the best of us.
If the passenger mat is dry but the carpet underneath is wet then it's not coming in from the roof.
 

spn

Junior Member
Messages
88
I had a similar problem on the drivers' side. It wasn't the a/c drain hose, wasn't coolant, although I do have a slight matrix weep. Even when there was a fresh puddle on the mat, I couldn't see where it was coming from.

I cured it by sealing the bulkhead / firewall below the windscreen - there are some gaps quite high up - not sure if the water was running down the panel. I also sealed near the drain holes where the existing sealant looked like it may have cracked.

You'll need to remove the wipers and trim to get to it.

Cheers,

Simon
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,748
Have you checked the scuttle plate round the bonnet hinges? There are a series of drain holes there that may be blocked and causing the rain to flow over.

I had a similar issue on both my MK1 Golf and Volvo convertibles... just need the troughs cleaning out of leaves every so often.
 

Andy Marshall

Member
Messages
297
I know you don't want to hear it, but slide the radio out and see if the triangular shaped sponge that supports the rear of radio is fresh or sodden. If sodden you have a coolant leak from the heater matrix, which happens to the best of us.
If the passenger mat is dry but the carpet underneath is wet then it's not coming in from the roof.


Checked, and definitely not the matrix. Parked her in the garage last night, and no further wetness has emerged... It's definitely rainwater.. I'll spend some time today checking the various drain holes and seals again. I must have missed something!
 

Andy Marshall

Member
Messages
297
Have you checked the scuttle plate round the bonnet hinges? There are a series of drain holes there that may be blocked and causing the rain to flow over.

I had a similar issue on both my MK1 Golf and Volvo convertibles... just need the troughs cleaning out of leaves every so often.

I did check those yesterday, but I will have another look today - I was primarily focussing on the pollen filter so I may have missed something.
 

Andy Marshall

Member
Messages
297
I had a similar problem on the drivers' side. It wasn't the a/c drain hose, wasn't coolant, although I do have a slight matrix weep. Even when there was a fresh puddle on the mat, I couldn't see where it was coming from.

I cured it by sealing the bulkhead / firewall below the windscreen - there are some gaps quite high up - not sure if the water was running down the panel. I also sealed near the drain holes where the existing sealant looked like it may have cracked.

You'll need to remove the wipers and trim to get to it.

Cheers,

Simon


Thanks Simon, That's an interesting idea. I'll have a look.
 

Andy Marshall

Member
Messages
297
Fixed!

But don't ask me what I did because I don't actually know for sure! :tt:

Every drain and seal I could see was clear/in good order. The only one that gave me a teensy bit of resistance/**** was the drain hole that runs through the door seal, starting at the header rail on the passenger side. Some **** did come out of that via the hole in the seal above the sill , but aside from that everything checked out normal. Even if that seal drain had been blocked I still don't see how water there could have gotten into the passenger footwell!

I'm just going to chalk it up to "Italian" and move swiftly on.....

Now all I have to do is replace a drivers side front Michelin Pilot Supersport on my Gran Turismo that was utterly wrecked by a pot hole this week! GRRRRRRRRR! Its practically brand new too! It never bloody rains, then it pours and I get a puncture. There is a motto in there somewhere!
 

Rick1008

New Member
Messages
71
I have a wet driver's footwell. I have cleaned the windscreen scuttle panel area and changed my pollen filter. I also modified the ac pipe. I still have a wet drivers footwell. Where are the other drain holes or locations I can check?

Cheers
Rick
 

Andy Marshall

Member
Messages
297
I am not familiar with how the door seals on the coupe differ from those on the Spyder. It's worth checking that they are not perished or distorted around the hinge side of the door jam. Sorry I can't be more help