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Driverside Leak was Flooding Floorpan

13K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  Automender12345 
#1 · (Edited)
My 2001 Taurus was had a leak on the driver side which was really causing a wet carpet on the driver side floor. It seem to be caused from rains and I initial thought it was a issue with the weather stripping on the top of the door. I fixed that issue and repaired the floor rot I found when I lifted the carpet. However a few weeks later the floor was wet again. I then thought it was a leaking floor seam. I fixed that, but during the time it took to dry the carpet out, it rained, and flooded the floor pans because it could not leak of anywhere any more. I did more investigation and found out if I placed a hose with full water floor it leaked into the car in the area of the parking brake.

I could see nothing looking up under the dash because it was so crowded with the fuse box and parking brake. I decided to look from the outside of the cabin And found that it was leaking in a confined area of the unibody that cant be reached from inside the car and hardly from the outside. The spot was were the cowl drains into that area and then down to the ground behind the inner fenders.

I ended up removing the inner fenders, the fender and wiper mechanism to get access to what I think was the leak. I used a garden hose and sprayed it in the area of the pictures below. The area is inside the small oval of the unibody behind the front fender. There is a plastic rectangle hidden in that area that was somehow coated with urethane foam and held in in place with two push pins. It is also in this area that there is a small drain trough for the cowling which houses the wiper motor and mechanism. There is a plastic drain tube more towards the center but this one is at the driverside end. This trough empties right in the vicinity of this plastic rectangle.

Well I used a garden hose and sprayed it on the plastic rectangle and water flowed inside the cab right down from above the parking brake area. I did a forum search and found some had leaks below the parking brake under the wiring harness, but sadly this wasn't the leak area.

I decided to fix the area by coating the plastic rectangle with rust proofing or a rubber product and use RTV to stop as much water flowing into that area. I also found a heater hose that had a 90 degree bend formed it which I was able to slip up from below and work the bend into the trough of the cowl. I would then RTV the hose in the trough so all the water had to flow through the hose and away from the area.

I went to the autobody shop to see if they had a solution to what I could spray into that area to seal it up. I ended up with some professional rubberized undercoating and then over coated it with AS SEEN ON TV Flex Seal. I did four coats of undercoat shot through the oval hole and up from below. I blew heated air through that area to cure the coats. I then slid the hose in place and shot on two more coats of Flex Seal. I let that all dry and tested this morning with a hose and no leaks.

I wish I could have found the exact leak area but even with a bore-scope I could not find it. Hopefully this is helpful if someone has a similar leak. Sorry I can't show pics of all the details but the are really can't be seen easily let alone reached or photographed.

I will upload pics next but I am having size issues with my I Phone
 
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#3 ·
I too had a leak but mine was on passenger side and it seemed that it was coming from the forward half of the passenger door. All I have been able to see are several skinny water trails on the outward slope of floorboard. I haven't put nearly the effort you have into tracking it down, but I suspect it's somewhere in the front edge of weather stripping at the hinge and/or the fact that I have rub strips removed currently and magnet strips over the holes in doors. I do keep a steady supply of chamoises on that floorboard, which is a temporary fix, but there haven't been any puddles in a while.
 
#4 ·
Water could also be leaking in from the AC drain.

It's wicking thru the sponge gasket and getting into the drivers side floor.

Find the drain coming out of the firewall, remove the insulation around it, push in the sponge gasket a bit and use a good silicone to seal around the drain tube.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I thought all the work done inside the fender area would eliminate the water leaking into the driver side floor area. I spent a couple of days on the last effort and was debating whether to pull the dash now or try to find the leak inside the cabin. I was able to stop the water when it was on the windshield but it still came in when driving. I ended up pulling the parking brake pedal mechanism and the fuse block and GEM module. I needed to pull the GEM to get to the upper nut for the parking brake mechanism. I pulled out the sound proofing mats behind the brake and moved the fiberglass firewall sound material.

I pulled the seat and used some patio chair cushions to ease the torture on my back. Not as young as I use to be.

I ran the hose on the windshield and no leak but when I pointed the hose at the area of the hood hinge on the driver side water started to run in the area of the windshield wiper cowl area but on the inside of the cabin. The attached pics are area that was leaking. The area was an inch left of the main power cable pass thru of the firewall. That area is not reachable from the outside since it is in the area that I tried to seal before.

Now that I found the leak area I am trying to figure how to fix it. I am planning on removing the inner fender and spray more Flex Seal in the area that I sprayed it before but more in the area that I found leaking. I am going to spray Great Stuff window spray foam sealer in the area inside the cabin that was leaking. The groove was about two inches deep and 1/4 inch wide. The window sealer stays more flexible and doesn't expand as much as regular foam sealer. I didn't want it to expand the area and maybe cause more leakage. I will install a small heater blowing up in that area to warm it to help the sealer expand. I heated my garage because it was cold and Flex Seal needed at least 60 degrees to harden.

The last pic shows at least four different sealers and maybe there was an attempt by Ford to fix this leak before. I have only had this car for that last six years.

I'll post the pics of the latest fix tomorrow and post the results of the fix. Hopefully this may help someone in the future if they have a driver side leak that is soaking the carpet.
 

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#7 · (Edited)
I used Great Stuff Window Foam Sealer and I think at this point my water issue may be fixed. I shot the rest of the Flex Seal into the area inside the cavity by the front fender. The foam sealer seemed to expand enough and didn't have the large bubbles like the regular foam. I think it was the right choice for sealing that groove. I think if someone had the same issue they could get to the area without pulling out the parking brake and just pulling out the GEM module.

I did the water test for five minutes shooting water into the area around the hood hinge and none inside the cabin.

Sorry for the orientation of the pictures it seems that it changes after they are uploaded.
 

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#8 ·
This seems like it'll solve the water leakage issue on both the '02 (leaks rainwater slowly) and my '96 (gushes water on top of the carpet only when you take off after it's been raining or you washed it). I do really dread taking the cars this far apart tho. :( :/
 
#9 · (Edited)
I would initially skip all the stuff in the fender area. Where it seemed to help it didn't fix the issue and took a lot of time.

It really isn't really to difficult once you commit to doing the job. You are younger than I and maybe you don't need to take the seat out., that's if you twist under the dash. I would just try to pull the GEM module without pulling the emergency brake mechanism. I pulled it because I was trying to find the area leaking. As long as you can get the sealant can into the area, it should work. I am still getting a little wetness and am going to be pulling the cowling off and the covering in the engine compartment to seal the leak on the exterior.

I'll keep posting my effort and hopefully it helps you out.
 
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