Hi
My '96 mk4 Fiesta has a leak of some sort and after heavy rainfall the passenger side front footwell is usually wet.
I've tested the seals around the sunroof and front passenger door, which seem OK, and was subsequently quoted around £500 by a Ford franchised garage to put the leak right. Given the age of the car, that's obviously not worthwhile, but before I take my Fiesta to an independent garage is there anything I could check and repair myself?
For example, when I pour water down the windscreen while looking under the bonnet, I can see that quite a bit of the water leaks straight into the rear of the engine compartment - is this normal?
Any help you can offer is much appreciated!
Tim
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I took the opportunity in the fine weather today to have a close look at my leaking '96 (mk4) Fiesta, with reference to the links Peter helpfully provided. With the carpet in the passenger footwell removed, I poured water over the windscreen which sure enough quickly soaked into what is left of the sound deadening material. See this picture,
trwh.co.uk/file/fiesta_footwell.jpg
It looks like I'm missing one of the oval grommets in the floor panel - you can see the water which has pooled in the cavity at the bottom of the vehicle. Because I can reproduce the leak by pouring water over the bulkhead, I feel confident enough to try and seal some of the fittings on its horizontal surface.
In two of his posts, Peter identifies a grommet which he says is a prime candidate for leaks,
"Chance are that it is the large rubber grommit thro the horizontal section of the bulk head that has become distorted or unseated. Well known problem."
Here is a picture of the part I think he is talking about, taken on the far passenger side of the car above the fusebox,
trwh.co.uk/file/fiesta_grommet.jpg
Is the grommet the fitting in the middle, with the taped up bundle of wires entering it? Will I also need to seal around the base of the ribbed pipe which appears to come from the fusebox?
Another poster identifies a horizontal plate in the bulkhead,
"The other rain entry I've experienced is from the plate in the bulkhead (I'm not going to get this description right!) which is under the drain slots where the wipers sit. This collects water off the windscreen and lets it out via slots to drain down the bulkhead behind the engine. But there's a horizontal plate that has been know to leak. It's at a location equivalent to under the wiper motor but on the nearside of the car. I used silicone to solve this one."
Have I found the correct part here,
trwh.co.uk/file/fiesta_heater.jpg
I assume those are the heater pipes which I have also seen mentioned as leaking points - should I seal around the outside of the plate and the base of the pipes?
Thanks for any advice you can offer - if I've identified the correct places to seal I'll have at them tomorrow with some Dow Corning 781 Acetoxy Silicone!
Thanks again,
Tim
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first thing you want to do before you buy the worlds supply of silicon is to clear the drain holes
they are in the corners
i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/smartiesx3/fiesta_g...g
dont worry about the missing plug in the floor
dont worry about the heater connection in middle of bulkhead
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Hi,
I'm posting back with my results so if anyone finds this thread in a search it's helpful. Having tried silicone sealant on the large grommet with no luck, I found that sealing round the outside of the bulkhead plate containing the heater pipes solved the water leak, see my previous picture here,
trwh.co.uk/file/fiesta_heater.jpg
One clue that this was the leak point was the damp smell in the car when using the fan / heater!
I hope that's useful, and thanks for the help,
Tim
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thanks for the update
wonder if someone has been in there since factory fitted
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