[manicmechanic69]

Hi All,
I'm hoping you can help me out, I'm having an issue where water is pooling in the drivers side foot well (No Sunroof!)
I've pulled up the carpet and insulation and it is wet wet wet. Used a shammy to dry out most of the water but it seems like it keeps coming from up under the pedals, between the insulation and the body, running into the foot well.
I'm not the most car savvy but here is what I have checked/tried so far:
-Cleaned and checked door seals
-cleaned drains at bottom of doors
-cleaned muck from behind wheel well drains
-cleaned drains under cowl on both sides
-resealed hood release gromit
-ran some sealant around cable box (is that what it's called?) next to hood release gromit.
Heavy rain last night and everything is back to being very wet again.
Now- I tried to seal around the cable box next to the hood release gromit, but it's super tight even with the wiper motor removed. My cable box isn't the kind that flips open easily and has a hose running into it, so my questions are:

• can anyone link me to how to lift out the cable box or lift the lid on it so I can triple check that it's not leaking through the lid of the box or under it? I've attached a picture (not my vehicle just na example) of the kind of one in my vehicle, it doesn't seem like I can get the bolts off easily to lift the lid. hmm.
• where else can i check?

I keep reading people refering to the firewall, can someone explain what that is a bit simpler?
I'm waiting for my boyfriend to get back from a trip so we can team up with a hose and try see where else water is coming in. 😁
Open to suggestions! Thanks!

 

[ATBB]

Hi. I could guide you to various tutorials of how to locate the leak in driver's footwell but I believe it is all pointless.
There is very little value in locating which gasket failed as the first one in your Mk4. IMHO waste of time.
All those gaskets are made out of the same material, unrolled from same spool, and all age at similar pace.

The only reliable way of dealing with leaks is to renew ALL those gaskets every 15 years or so.
Not to locate the ones that failed, one by one (if that is what you ask for).
There might be various opinions on the subject - let others share their knowledge.

Prerequisites:

1. no heater core leaks
2. windshield/hatch glass glued in correctly.
3. door hinges without any play
4. thick door seals press evenly on doors mating surfaces
5. no crap on door seals smooth mating surfaces.

And also prerequisite #0: the "wet, wet,wet" happened only recently. If you already have rust inside, scrap the car.

If above prerequisites are met you need to:

• remove wipers (2x13mm),
• pollen filter cover (4xT25),
• lift the long, black cowl cover,
• remove wiper motor assembly (3x10mm)
• clean all the gunk with brush and warm water(do not move ECU)
• remove pollen filter housing (2x10mm)
• remove loom box/housing (2x10mm)
• slide out release cable grommet and same grommet blank on opposite side.
• clean mating surfaces, check/repair for any rust or damage
• reseat all that.

I know it is tight. I have never seen this kind of one-piece loom box live, mine is different two part assembly and was very easy to lift, unclip the loom, move it aside, clean. Mk4 cowl is designed so that there is a water standing/pooling there - this is normal. As long as it is watertight - this is no problem.

With EU type of cable loom box, I used EPDM rope, 5mm diameter, foamed. I think 4mm would have been more adequate. I coated grommets with bitumen used for underbody protection. Works fine. This is 2-3h job.

Unfortunately this is easier half of the game. Same aging gaskets are placed on door panels, speakers and rear vents.

 

[manicmechanic69]

Hi. I could guide you to various tutorials of how to locate the leak in driver's footwell but I believe it is all pointless.
There is very little value in locating which gasket failed as the first one in your Mk4. IMHO waste of time.
All those gaskets are made out of the same material, unrolled from same spool, and all age at similar pace.

The only reliable way of dealing with leaks is to renew ALL those gaskets every 15 years or so.
Not to locate the ones that failed, one by one (if that is what you ask for).
There might be various opinions on the subject - let others share their knowledge.

Prerequisites:

1. no heater core leaks
2. windshield/hatch glass glued in correctly.
3. door hinges without any play
4. thick door seals press evenly on doors mating surfaces
5. no crap on door seals smooth mating surfaces.

And also prerequisite #0: the "wet, wet,wet" happened only recently. If you already have rust inside, scrap the car.

If above prerequisites are met you need to:

• remove wipers (2x13mm),
• pollen filter cover (4xT25),
• lift the long, black cowl cover,
• remove wiper motor assembly (3x10mm)
• clean all the gunk with brush and warm water(do not move ECU)
• remove pollen filter housing (2x10mm)
• remove loom box/housing (2x10mm)
• slide out release cable grommet and same grommet blank on opposite side.
• clean mating surfaces, check/repair for any rust or damage
• reseat all that.

I know it is tight. I have never seen this kind of one-piece loom box live, mine is different two part assembly and was very easy to lift, unclip the loom, move it aside, clean. Mk4 cowl is designed so that there is a water standing/pooling there - this is normal. As long as it is watertight - this is no problem.

With EU type of cable loom box, I used EPDM rope, 5mm diameter, foamed. I think 4mm would have been more adequate. I coated grommets with bitumen used for underbody protection. Works fine. This is 2-3h job.

Unfortunately this is easier half of the game. Same aging gaskets are placed on door panels, speakers and rear vents.

Thanks for your reply, I'm confident I've done everything on your list there and no rust yet. Scrapping the car isn't an option financially so hoping to just minimize damage at this point.
I don't think the water is coming from the speaker or the door as the insulation and the padding is wet really high up under the pedals even after I've lifted the carpet and insulation in the lower footwell away from the body to help dry it.
I do have the time to keep trying so will be interested to see what else people suggest and give it a shot.

 

[XDleader555]

The newer style plenum feed through box comes out similar to the old style. Unbolt and take out the wiper motor, then remove the two nuts on the plenum feed through box and pry the box out. It's only held in by the two nuts and sealant.

A common place to leak is the inner door panel seal.

Roll down the window.
Remove the outer door panel.
Pour a glass of water into the door.
Check for leaks. Mine was leaking like this.

Even if it's wet up the firewall, it could just be wicking up there.

Does it only get wet when it rains?

 

[manicmechanic69]

The newer style plenum feed through box comes out similar to the old style. Unbolt and take out the wiper motor, then remove the two nuts on the plenum feed through box and pry the box out. It's only held in by the two nuts and sealant.

A common place to leak is the inner door panel seal.

Roll down the window.
Remove the outer door panel.
Pour a glass of water into the door.
Check for leaks. Mine was leaking like this.
View attachment 253048

Even if it's wet up the firewall, it could just be wicking up there.

Does it only get wet when it rains?

Thank you! I went out with a flash light and did the window test and yes its coming from the door! Thank you my friend! What did you do next? Remove door pannel and get cracking with some sealer?

 

[XDleader555]

Remove the window, remove the inner door panel, then scrape all the old stuff off.

I used a little bit of contact cement to adhere 6mm diameter EPDM rope (like this) to the inner door panel. Make sure the ends of the rope meet at the top of the door and not the bottom.

After reinstallation, do another leak test. I tapped down the edges as necessary with a rubber mallet to help it seal better.

 

[ATBB]

Thank you! I went out with a flash light and did the window test and yes its coming from the door!

No it is not.
"It is also coming from the door."
It would have been coming from the door only after you made sure there are no other leak sources, which is bloody difficult (if even possible) when carpet wicks everything instantly.

I used 5mm EPDM, not 6mm, I think it can be quite tricky to hold thicker rope in place while assembling. Buy both, try out yourself.

Some remarks how to not to mess up the door panel job:

• Do not use force. This is a thin sheet metal and if you bend it, no quantity of EPDM is going to seal that. Also, there are plastic items around, door loom, do not damage anything. YT.
• If you damage galvanizing, it is going to rust. Use acetone and soften old gasket, gently with scraping, use wood or plastic.
• Do speakers at the same time, when you already have panels outside it is easier.
• Do not drill all through the rivets. Rivets have steel core. Remove the head only and then squeeze the back and gently pull out remains.
• glue the ends of EPDM together.

My 5 door hatchback required about 11m of EPDM of 5mm diameter (cowl+door) and 2m of EPDM of 3mm(speakers). Doors is 1h job, times 4. Not a terribly difficult job if you know what you are doing.

Of course listed prerequisites apply.

 

[manicmechanic69]

Remove the window, remove the inner door panel, then scrape all the old stuff off.

I used a little bit of contact cement to adhere 6mm diameter EPDM rope to the inner door panel. Make sure the ends of the rope meet at the top of the door and not the bottom.

After reinstallation, do another leak test. I tapped down the edges as necessary with a rubber mallet to help it seal better.

No it is not.
"It is also coming from the door."
It would have been coming from the door only after you made sure there are no other leak sources, which is bloody difficult (if even possible) when carpet wicks everything instantly.

I used 5mm EPDM, not 6mm, I think it can be quite tricky to hold thicker rope in place while assembling. Buy both, try out yourself.

Some remarks how to not to mess up the door panel job:

• Do not use force. This is a thin sheet metal and if you bend it, no quantity of EPDM is going to seal that. Also, there are plastic items around, door loom, do not damage anything. YT.
• If you damage galvanizing, it is going to rust. Use acetone and soften old gasket, gently with scraping, use wood or plastic.
• Do speakers at the same time, when you already have panels outside it is easier.
• Do not drill all through the rivets. Rivets have steel core. Remove the head only and then squeeze the back and gently pull out remains.
• glue the ends of EPDM together.

My 5 door hatchback required about 11m of EPDM of 5mm diameter (cowl+door) and 2m of EPDM of 3mm(speakers). Doors is 1h job, times 4. Not a terribly difficult job if you know what you are doing.

Of course listed prerequisites apply.

Yes, as I mentioned above, I have already checked all of the things listed and am now down to the door. It is not difficult to see where the leak is coming from when the carpet and insulation are completely peeled back to the body.