Water Ingress Issue

[Grechster]

Apologies in advance for the long post however I thought it best to try and include as much detail as possible!!

I am hoping someone is able to help / offer me some advice.

For the past 6 months or so I have had a issue which results in the carpet in the front passenger footwell of my C-max becoming wet or very wet (sodden) with water.

I took it to the garage back in August and they checked the pollen filter as this is a common cause of water leaking into the cabin. They also noticed that the scuttle panel on top of the windscreen was a bit loose. It appeared to have previously been taken off. They found quite a number of leaves in between it and the windscreen.

Whatever they did appeared to have resolved the issue as no more issue over the following couple of months were noted. I was very happy!

This period however did co-incide with a quite lengthly dry spell in the region that I live.

Later in October when the rains returned the problem became apparrent again, in fact it seemed to have got worse! When the problem is at its worse water also appears in the storage cubby hole behind the passenger front seat. Note that the car is parked nose facing forward on really quite a steep drive and I think that when enough water accumulates it flows over the ridge in the floorpan under the front passenger car seat.

Disappointed I returned the car to the garage and they checked the pollen filter and the scuttle panel again.

They conducted some additional tests using a hosepipe trying to identify where the water was coming from but to no avail.

They suggested that replacing the front door seal on the passenger side might resolve the issue but they didn't seem particularly confident about this so I was particularly happy to spend more money on just their hunch.

I thought I would try and locate the cause of the water ingress myself.

I have pretty much ruled as the aircon drain being blocked as it is rarely on.

A couple of other things to note which may or may not be significant.

It is often the case after a period of moderate / heavy rain that when I open the front passenger door a lot of water drains out of the middle drain hole at the bottom of the door - i didn't understand why this was happening, however upon closer examination there did appear to be minor blockages in the other drain holes. I cleared these with a coat hanger and this seems to have resolved that issue.

In fact I thought it may have resolved the issue completely as when it rained heavily last Sat the carpet did not become wet. However the day following the carpet was wet actually very wet :-( I have remove two soaking wet towels from the footwel of the car in the past few days. The wetness does not smell, so I am guessing that the problem is not related to the pipe that carries screen wash to rear window.

Interestingly (well not very) if you split the footwell carpet into 4 equal portions then by far the wetest portion in the bottom left hand corner.

One other thing when I returned home the other day I noted that there was quite a large patch of water on the driveway. It was probably about 3 feet long and 6" to 12" wide. I am familar with the small puddle of water that can be seen from the aircon drain however this was much larger and not something I can recall seeing before?

I was thinking that I may need to remove the carpet to try and find the leak - not sure how easy this would be??

Does anyone out there think I should have the door seal replaced?

I Would love to hear from anyone who has a experienced a very similar issue to mine as this is beginning to drive me mad, particularly with regards to the constant musty smell.

Thanks and kind regards

Simon

[Stoney871]

I'd check the door seals forst then look under the floor in case there are any grommets missing from the floor pan.

[Grechster]

Thanks for your reply Stoney. Are you suggesting that water could be coming UP through the missing grommets (if there are any). Also if there were a problem with the door seal then wouldn't the hosepipe test highlist this problem?

[Stoney871]

Ford put grommets in weird places so a good look underneath the pan will be a good idea.

The seals may have a pinch or dent in them, or evenjust have lost their flexibility.

A good inspection will tell you.

It may even be the case that the door catches need adjusting.

[gregers]

dunno if your car has a rear washer?

but check to see if the pipe runs along that side from the front.

i know on the galaxy range in there wisdom they put a joint to the pipe around the passenger seat directly above the central locking alarm module.

[mr rugby]

I have water dripping in from the tailgate.

As you'll no doubt be aware, water can enter from a different place to where you see it.

I know it's a fair old job, but if you can peel back or remove the carpets, sit in the car while some one hoses the car down then at least you can follow it's track and have the benefit of properly drying the carpets at the same time..Start from the bottom of the car and work your way up, giving sufficient time for the water to run down before moving the hose position.

sorry I can't be of help

mr rugby

ps

if you find it, get back to us.

[Grechster]

Ford put grommets in weird places so a good look underneath the pan will be a good idea.

The seals may have a pinch or dent in them, or evenjust have lost their flexibility.

A good inspection will tell you.

It may even be the case that the door catches need adjusting.

The garage reckoned they could not confirm that there is a problem with seals, they just said that they it might be worth replacing them. TBH I rather not spend £100 to have the new ones fitted unless there is a very possibility that it fix the issue.

dunno if your car has a rear washer?

but check to see if the pipe runs along that side from the front.

i know on the galaxy range in there wisdom they put a joint to the pipe around the passenger seat directly above the central locking alarm module.

I appreciate the water could be be coming from a number of different places. The car does have a rear washer, however the car is parked on a steep drive and the car faces forward so unless the water is able to break the law the gravity then I don't think this can be the source of the issue!

I have water dripping in from the tailgate.

As you'll no doubt be aware, water can enter from a different place to where you see it.

I know it's a fair old job, but if you can peel back or remove the carpets, sit in the car while some one hoses the car down then at least you can follow it's track and have the benefit of properly drying the carpets at the same time..Start from the bottom of the car and work your way up, giving sufficient time for the water to run down before moving the hose position.

I think that I may have to ultimately need to have the carpet(s) removed to try and locate find the source of the water.

Having not removed any carpets before I was hoping that someone who has removed them can comment on how difficult this task is, as I have to admit I am not the most practical person, so I need to determine whether it is something that I have a bash at!?

Thanks in advance.

Simon

[Nooby]

Hello, I have exactly the same problem with my Cmax. Soaking wet carpets on the passenger well and the rear seat passenger side well. Did you manage to find a solution? Did you manage to take the carpets out? Any help greatly appreciated! Thanks

[Grechster]

Unfortunately the answer to both of your questions is no. Might look at removing the carpet once the weather warms up a bit!

[Nooby]

I will let you know if I find a solution. it seems strange that it is exactly the same issue!

[Grechster]

Thanks, I 'll keep an eye on this thread.

[BSam]

I also am experiencing this problem, has anyone come up with the solution to this problem yet???

Thanks

[SB1]

Water ingress caused rear sliding door to break - In October 2014 my 3 year old C Max Grand Titanium had a service and 1st MOT (end of warranty period). Last month the rear sliding door on the f/o/s came off its track during a really cold spell and caused the loom to break. I presented it at Ford Evans Halshaw and they were baffled as they had never had to repair one before. As a result they contacted Ford direct and they were not interested, albeit they did confirm they had never come across this type of repair before. Evans Halshaw were unable to provide an exact qoute because their pricing manual did not cover this. As the warranty had expired we agreed on a price of £100, which I was extremely satisified with. They had to order the parts from Germany due to the fact that the loom is not in general circulation as a spare and is factory built. They repaired it and conducted a visual check for free. And this is where things went bad.....this revealed that there was a substantial amount of water in both front footwells and qouted me £384 to remove carpets, dry out and locate cause. A search on the forums led me here. A few days later the rear sliding door was stuck fast. It was a sub-freezing day again. I left it for a few hours to defrost and the door opened but was difficult and appeared to be grating against something. On closer inspection the cause was ice! The water from the footwell had spread, frozen and expanded causing the loom to break in first instance. I thought it had been the pollen filter being fitted incorrectly at the service in October, because prior to this there had been no water ingress. I returned to Ford and they checked the pollen filter for free and said this is not the cause and the only way to detect the cause was to have it examined at a cost of £384. I took it to a local independent garage who have conducted all the water leak checks, checked all window/door seals, air con pipe and filters and underneath for free and were unable to detect a leak - advised to monitor to see if it dries out. I am now really stuck as to what to do next. Was advised to take to body shop to check all welds but was told it is very unlikely to be the cause??? I have since read it could be a faulty seal/panel on the bulkhead behind the dashboard under the windscreen...any ideas? May have to take back to garage?

[SB1]

I also am experiencing this problem, has anyone come up with the solution to this problem yet???

Thanks

See my blog below. SB1

[supercmaxer]

Need to start by removing the front seats and then rear seats, door trims will then come off allot easier, centre console needs to come out all pretty easy to do. Then I Beileve the carpet can then be pulled up from the front.

[gregers]

just a thought,does it have a rear wash wiper?

wondering if its the same problem that has plagued the galaxy mk1/2

running down the passenger side under the side floor trim is a pipe,with a join in it right above the ecu(on the galaxy)

this comes apart and fills the floor pan up with water.

might be worth taking a peek?

[BSam]

I have an 08 plate C max and as in an earlier post I have experienced both passenger and driver foot wells sodding wet, when lifting the mats there is a hole in the carpet you can put a finger through and there have been puddles of water.

I have recently discovered an issue which I hope will resolve this problem, I do still hear water swishing inside the car when I am turning sharp corners but I hope this will disappear once the remaining water has founds it's way out.

The problem I discovered was at the bottom of the front windscreen where the windscreen meets the plastic scuttle, there was a gap, the two had become parted, this easily allowing water to enter into the area below, after further investigation by removing the plastic scuttle which I noticed did not align correctly with the holes for the windscreen wipers, I discovered a water marked area on the plastic below, following the mark it lead to an access hole in the corner of the car above the passenger arch for electric cables.

My conclusion was the water was running down this hole and entering into the foot wells of the car. There is an adjustment which can be made to hold the scuttle in place which keeps it tight to the window, I have also now applied sealant along the bottom of the windscreen where it meets the scuttle in hope that this solves the problem, I have only done this in the last couple of weeks so I will let you know if this solves this frustrating problem!

[RB2004]

Garage can use their smoke testing machine to fill car with smoke and see where it's leaking. Any decent garage now has a smoke machine for smoke testing inlet manifolds etc.

Smoke is best way to test door seals

Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC

[SB1]

Will do thanks, although I have a feeling that the washer runs up front pillar and along roof - will check though!

[theredfox]

lots of useful info about leaking cmax hope you find acure for it my previous car a passat is notorious for water leaks due to vw silly location off ecu under passenger seat

paul

[SB1]

Water ingress caused rear sliding door to break - In October 2014 my 3 year old C Max Grand Titanium had a service and 1st MOT (end of warranty period). Last month the rear sliding door on the f/o/s came off its track during a really cold spell and caused the loom to break. I presented it at Ford Evans Halshaw and they were baffled as they had never had to repair one before. As a result they contacted Ford direct and they were not interested, albeit they did confirm they had never come across this type of repair before. Evans Halshaw were unable to provide an exact qoute because their pricing manual did not cover this. As the warranty had expired we agreed on a price of £100, which I was extremely satisified with. They had to order the parts from Germany due to the fact that the loom is not in general circulation as a spare and is factory built. They repaired it and conducted a visual check for free. And this is where things went bad.....this revealed that there was a substantial amount of water in both front footwells and qouted me £384 to remove carpets, dry out and locate cause. A search on the forums led me here. A few days later the rear sliding door was stuck fast. It was a sub-freezing day again. I left it for a few hours to defrost and the door opened but was difficult and appeared to be grating against something. On closer inspection the cause was ice! The water from the footwell had spread, frozen and expanded causing the loom to break in first instance. I thought it had been the pollen filter being fitted incorrectly at the service in October, because prior to this there had been no water ingress. I returned to Ford and they checked the pollen filter for free and said this is not the cause and the only way to detect the cause was to have it examined at a cost of £384. I took it to a local independent garage who have conducted all the water leak checks, checked all window/door seals, air con pipe and filters and underneath for free and were unable to detect a leak - advised to monitor to see if it dries out. I am now really stuck as to what to do next. Was advised to take to body shop to check all welds but was told it is very unlikely to be the cause??? I have since read it could be a faulty seal/panel on the bulkhead behind the dashboard under the windscreen...any ideas? May have to take back to garage?

I have since been monitoring the above and after a substantial downpour yesterday I went outside and lifted the bonnet to check for anything obvious. I discovered that on both outer sides of the engine there is a plastic void which is located at the bottome edge of each side of the windscreen inbetween the windscreen and the wing. Both plastic voids were full of debris (leaves / twigs) and was brimming with water. The water was overlapping the rear edge and running down the back edge into the car. I cleared out the debris and all the water immediately ran out. I will have to let the car dry out over summer to know if this was the cause but I cannot see it being anything else!!! The car is only 3 years old and only has 15000 on clock....as well as being checked over as aboveby an indepedent garage with no result! Interestingly I did not return to the dealership as agreed for the cost of £384 but they did leave a voicemail stating that they could now look at it for half the price! Shame on you Evans Halshaw...why not give the true price in the first place!

[maxx31]

I have water dripping in from the tailgate.

As you'll no doubt be aware, water can enter from a different place to where you see it.

I know it's a fair old job, but if you can peel back or remove the carpets, sit in the car while some one hoses the car down then at least you can follow it's track and have the benefit of properly drying the carpets at the same time..Start from the bottom of the car and work your way up, giving sufficient time for the water to run down before moving the hose position.

sorry I can't be of help

mr rugby

Hi all

I have just brought a cmax tdci titanium after having a fusion+ for the last two years

what an amazing car .

but ….. theres always a but i too have the same problem as mr rugby with a leaky boot

the odd thing is that parcel shelf is dry the boot carpet is dry but the right side of the boot and the spare tyre hole is wet

so I'm thinking it coming from the tail light and running down in side

has anyone else had this fault ?

cheers

chris

[WES180]

Hi all

I have just brought a cmax tdci titanium after having a fusion+ for the last two years

what an amazing car .

but ….. theres always a but i too have the same problem as mr rugby with a leaky boot

the odd thing is that parcel shelf is dry the boot carpet is dry but the right side of the boot and the spare tyre hole is wet

so I'm thinking it coming from the tail light and running down in side

has anyone else had this fault ?

cheers

chris

Known areas are the roof rails, rear lights & tailgate hinge mounts. I had a leak in my mk3 Focus and it was the rear quarter air vent behind the back bumper. It wasnt sealed properly so it let the cavity fill with water and when the water reached a certain height in the cavity it spilled over into the boot through a hole.

[maxx31]

Hi

thanks for the reply after a bit of a search on google it pretty much said the same . So I sealed the roof spoiler as there was a drip off one side of the plastic trim at the top

Of the rear window and one of the rear lights as that was the side of the boot that was wet . The boot hinges looked ok so ill wait on them and see if I still have a leak

Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC

[Ray68]

I have just fixed a c max with this fault, 

remove the glove box and associated plastic, look up to the left where the bulkhead is sealed and you find a crack in it. This is where the water is entering the car you may even see a water trail / staining.

Remove the wiper arms and scuttle panel ( black plastic piece under the wipers) then look insdie the chamber it has reviled on passeger side, if you look where the A  piller, bulkhead and this chamber meet you will see another load of sealant that will be all cracked, this is where all the rain water is getting in!! 

Clean the sealant off from under the bonnet and reseal, reseal over the top inside the car. Hopefully this will help!! 

I have photos but no idea how to upload load them from a iPhone?