Possible Mk3 Boot Leak?

[Reamonnt]

Thanks very much for that information. I feel its the rear lights myself but there is piles of silicone on it but it still leaks. Next fine day I will strip it down again and give it another go. 

[beanoil]

On 1/7/2018 at 2:46 PM, beanoil said:

I'm a new member from the USA. I own a USA-spec 2016 Ford Focus Electric (FFE). I joined so that I could let you know that FFEs suffer from the same problem. Unfortunately, the consequences of boot leaks are far greater for the FFE. Instead of a spare tire and jack, FFEs store a compressor and charger in the lowest well of the boot. When I discovered the leak, my factory tire inflation compressor and Level 1 charger were both submerged in ~6 inches of water. I'm afraid to plug either in since they were almost completely waterlogged.

This problem needs to result in a recall. I hope representatives from Ford read this thread and do the right thing.

UPDATE: The US Ford dealer that I bought the car from was able to fix the leak under warranty. The service manager told me that the spoiler was the cause. They resealed it to the hatch and everything is bone dry now.

[JJohn85]

Thanks for the posts Wez180. Just had  exactly the same issue on my 11 plate Focus. Taken off bumper and lights then sealed the vents today. Hopefully problem solved! 

[Mk3dan]

How long does original ford warranty last? 

[Phil21185]

 

On 19/02/2018 at 8:04 PM, Mk3dan said:

How long does original ford warranty last? 

50 yards.

[FatHead1979]

1 minute ago, Phil21185 said:

50 yards.

Ah, so they've increased their warranty length then? 

[south_bound]

On 2/4/2018 at 11:59 AM, Reamonnt said:

Thanks very much for that information. I feel its the rear lights myself but there is piles of silicone on it but it still leaks. Next fine day I will strip it down again and give it another go. 

Another Mk2 owner here with a spare wheel swimming in water and mould one the carpet and right hand side (I have a cover on the boot floor so didn't see it till I needed to get the wheel jack out)!  Did you get anywhere with working out where your leak was coming from?  I get some water running from the boot lid when I open it and guess it runs down around the lights then out of some channel or other - I will be starting with taking the light cluster off which is high up on the Mk2 then go from there.

[Htpearg0]

I can now add my name to this thread. Just over 4 years old and the seals have gone on the filters as explained above. Resealed with silicone selant but I have 1 Torx screw left any Ideas? Oh and I lost one of the headlamp retaining screws even though I was being carefull. The last one using my left hand :-(

 

[TomsFocus]

13 minutes ago, Htpearg0 said:

I can now add my name to this thread. Just over 4 years old and the seals have gone on the filters as explained above. Resealed with silicone selant but I have 1 Torx screw left any Ideas? Oh and I lost one of the headlamp retaining screws even though I was being carefull. The last one using my left hand :-(

 

T30?  One of the arch liners is missing one I reckon.  Should be 3 each side in the bumper.

[Htpearg0]

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

T30?  One of the arch liners is missing one I reckon.  Should be 3 each side in the bumper.

 Thanks for the response. Its a T27 Quite clean as well. I have Mudflaps fitted and they each have 7mm bolts fitted x 2 each plus one screw which I didnt undo. Funny its just one screw. I put everything in a container as I dimantled.I also have parking sensors but couldnt disconnect them fortunately there was enough spare cable to rest the bumper on the floor PS got my replacement headlamp bolts today from Ford £3.98 for two

[TomsFocus]

52 minutes ago, Htpearg0 said:

 Thanks for the response. Its a T27 Quite clean as well. I have Mudflaps fitted and they each have 7mm bolts fitted x 2 each plus one screw which I didnt undo. Funny its just one screw. I put everything in a container as I dimantled.I also have parking sensors but couldnt disconnect them fortunately there was enough spare cable to rest the bumper on the floor PS got my replacement headlamp bolts today from Ford £3.98 for two

That's odd, I also have mud flaps but they kept the original Torx bolts on mine.  I did the same with the parking sensors, left them connected and put a towel on the floor to rest the bumper on.  Did you remove the plastic side trim inside the boot at all?  There is a single Torx screw towards the tailgate there but I don't remember it being that big tbh.

At least the light nuts are cheap...just hope the dropped one doesn't rattle lol!

[fordification]

Hi everyone I've got the same problem, spare wheel well has a bit of a puddle in and the carpet on the left hand side is wet.  I've read through the rest of this thread and as a result I removed the rubber grommet underneath but no water came out it seemed pretty dry in there.

What would be the next thing to check before getting the bumper off and resealing the vents?  I don't have a drive way so it's hassle doing lots of work want to limit the trips to somewhere better to do it if possible.

Cheers!

[Snowbaby]

Sorry...i haven't read through every page of replies. 

I just had a major water leak in my 62 plate. It was proper drenched (swimming pool like!) from the boot through to the rear passenger foot wells. It was the vents in the rear bumper that was letting water in. 

Hopefully this helps someone!

[fordification]

Thanks everyone for the advice in this thread, I had the same problem with my 2013 reg mk3.  I've done the fix as per the recommendations so fingers crossed this fixes it.

[Htpearg0]

On 15/03/2018 at 8:51 AM, Htpearg0 said:

I can now add my name to this thread. Just over 4 years old and the seals have gone on the filters as explained above. Resealed with silicone selant but I have 1 Torx screw left any Ideas? Oh and I lost one of the headlamp retaining screws even though I was being carefull. The last one using my left hand :-(

 

Found where the torx screw went . Off side behind the wheel arch liner and fastened the bumper to the body. Good old haynes manuals

[Orbinspector]

Just to add my findings on a 2012 Mk3 Estate which I bought recently and seemed to have a fresh leak at the rear with the tyre well filling up with water. 

Car recently bought and in very good condition for the age but with rear carpet wet and the tyre well 1" deep in water. The water however looked very clean and there were no rust lines or rust spots so it looked like a recent start to the condition.

I pulled a load of rear panels off in the boot and let it rain. Investigation showed that when it rained water ran in a fine dribble down the inside of each of the vertical steel members on either side of the rear hatch. This water collected on an edge and dripped onto the inside floor where the  little storage panels are on either side, then ran into the spare tyre well.

The water was running down from somewhere well above the lights so I used silicone and sealed the rear of both plates that the door dampers attach to the body with- thinking water was leaking through the screw holes. This however made no difference.

Further disassembly,  involving removing the rubber seal that the hatch seals against, was carried out to be able to look into the gap between the metal body and the soft panelling around the hatch hinges. It was dry around the hinges but either side of these hinges in line with the roof rails there is a line where two body panels meet and there is a line of sealant filling the seal gap between these two meeting panels. The sealant looked old and crazed and on the inside of the body level with this weld the water was dripping down.

I am sure this is the cause of the leak on each side and I think originally this line of sealant was painted over but in preparing the car for sale the seal line may have been jetwashed stripping off the paint and exposing the porous/cracked seal  and allowing the leak to start.

I have run Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure over the seal to fix the leak (I hope) and I am now waiting for the next band of rain to test it.

If this doesn't work then I need to strip back some more and investigate further- I won't give up!

 

Orbinspector

[bezzawezza]

I've found out this week that I too have all the symptoms described here. Wet boot, water in the spare wheel etc so went to the Ford garage where they immediately diagnosed the vents and quoted £230 to resolve the issue. I've since stumbled upon this helpful thread (thanks OP!) and a mate who works in a garage has offered to help me remove the bumper and do the job myself. Should I be replacing the vents though? If so, where can I get them from? Or will just sealing up the existing ones be sufficient?

[TomsFocus]

5 minutes ago, bezzawezza said:

I've found out this week that I too have all the symptoms described here. Wet boot, water in the spare wheel etc so went to the Ford garage where they immediately diagnosed the vents and quoted £230 to resolve the issue. I've since stumbled upon this helpful thread (thanks OP!) and a mate who works in a garage has offered to help me remove the bumper and do the job myself. Should I be replacing the vents though? If so, where can I get them from? Or will just sealing up the existing ones be sufficient?

Sealing the original vents is fine.  Unless you break one on removal like I did lol...  Only place you can buy them new is Ford dealers, though there are a few dealers selling through eBay now.

[bezzawezza]

Nice one cheers, that explains why I've struggled to find any. I'll give ford a call just in case they have some in stock but I'll probably just seal the existing ones in that case.

Any recommendations on sealant to use? I was thinking of using the Wickes Gutter Sealant that I think I saw people recommending? I was a little concerned about whether this would stick to metal or prove to be corrosive to it though.

[bezzawezza]

On ‎10‎/‎04‎/‎2018 at 8:48 PM, Orbinspector said:

Just to add my findings on a 2012 Mk3 Estate which I bought recently and seemed to have a fresh leak at the rear with the tyre well filling up with water. 

Car recently bought and in very good condition for the age but with rear carpet wet and the tyre well 1" deep in water. The water however looked very clean and there were no rust lines or rust spots so it looked like a recent start to the condition.

I pulled a load of rear panels off in the boot and let it rain. Investigation showed that when it rained water ran in a fine dribble down the inside of each of the vertical steel members on either side of the rear hatch. This water collected on an edge and dripped onto the inside floor where the  little storage panels are on either side, then ran into the spare tyre well.

The water was running down from somewhere well above the lights so I used silicone and sealed the rear of both plates that the door dampers attach to the body with- thinking water was leaking through the screw holes. This however made no difference.

Further disassembly,  involving removing the rubber seal that the hatch seals against, was carried out to be able to look into the gap between the metal body and the soft panelling around the hatch hinges. It was dry around the hinges but either side of these hinges in line with the roof rails there is a line where two body panels meet and there is a line of sealant filling the seal gap between these two meeting panels. The sealant looked old and crazed and on the inside of the body level with this weld the water was dripping down.

I am sure this is the cause of the leak on each side and I think originally this line of sealant was painted over but in preparing the car for sale the seal line may have been jetwashed stripping off the paint and exposing the porous/cracked seal  and allowing the leak to start.

I have run Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure over the seal to fix the leak (I hope) and I am now waiting for the next band of rain to test it.

If this doesn't work then I need to strip back some more and investigate further- I won't give up!

 

Orbinspector

I something similar happen a few years back. On that occasion the rubber grommets at the top of the boot that hold the elecrics for the high level break light, windscreen wiper and water pipe for the washer hose were to blame. One of them had popped out slightly and was allowing rain to get in and run down the inside of the vertical metal strut and dripping out just above the light cluster on the inside of the boot.

The cure turned out to be simply popping the grommet back in and sealing around it for good measure.

[bezzawezza]

Okay, so spent the morning yesterday removing the bumper to seal the vents up. The vents were difficult to remove but all went well.

Had more rain today and it doesnt seem to be flowing in water like it was earlier in the week but it’s still all damp from prior to the fix so difficult to tell 100%.

The cavity behind the vents had about a litre of water in each side which I drained but had to leave the wet foam in place as run out of time and needed to get the bumper back on. 

As there was water there though how confident should I be that this will rectify the leak? Mine appeared to be originating from more by the wheel arch and running down to corner and spare wheel. Whereas most people seem to say it originates in the front corner. I’m pretty certain it’s not coming from above so this seems like the only answer.

Any advice to put my mind at rest would be appreciated.

[Orbinspector]

On ‎13‎/‎04‎/‎2018 at 8:31 AM, bezzawezza said:

I something similar happen a few years back. On that occasion the rubber grommets at the top of the boot that hold the elecrics for the high level break light, windscreen wiper and water pipe for the washer hose were to blame. One of them had popped out slightly and was allowing rain to get in and run down the inside of the vertical metal strut and dripping out just above the light cluster on the inside of the boot.

The cure turned out to be simply popping the grommet back in and sealing around it for good measure.

No water was coming through those grommets as I was able to feel underneath them when it was raining and the metal surrounding them was dry. It seems the issue is water entering the weld line somewhere under the roof rails and running to the back of the car. The sealant sandwiched between the two panels is no longer sealing properly.

Am taking the car back to the dealer tomorrow to have the roof rails removed and the weld resealed.

[Ferretdw]

On 30/05/2015 at 4:40 PM, WES180 said:

Right, here we go again! Went out this morning and the boot was dry but when i pulled the grommet out underneath the car it was full of water again!!!

This called for some more investigation so off came the back bumper. Turns out the vents fitted behind the bumper were a poor fit so they were not sealed properly. You could see where water had tracked down from the roof past the lights etc and then onto the top edge of the vent. Once the vent was removed it was obvious that was where the water was getting into the cavity as it was full of dirty rain water residue between the clips highlighting that the seal had failed.

I cleaned all the surrounding area and dried the cavity and insulation out with a hair drier, this took some time as the insulation was saturated. You can see through the body cut out in the pic above where the underside grommet is removed to let the water out. This was replaced when everything was reassembled.

Once that was all clean and dry I siliconed around the open edge of the body and also the back of the vents for good measure before clipping it back into place and smoothing the silicone around the edges. I did this to both side vents and both rear vents to be on the safe side.

Basically what was happening was the water was tracking down behind the light cluster and getting into the body of the car via the poor seal on the vent. This caused the cavity to fill with water and then when driving the car and going around corners the water was spilling over into the boot floor area through a hole about 20mm up from the bottom of the cavity.

I hope this helps somebody as I couldnt find any information regarding boot leaks on mk3's anywhere and Ford were useless as seals are only guaranteed for 12 months!

I will remove the grommet again next weekend to make sure it is finally 100% sorted but all the signs were there to suggest it is. Im just hoping there is no secondary leak point!

 

[Ferretdw]

You legend! I’ve had the exact same issue, I love my focus but this leak has been driving me nuts!!! Such a poor design that at some point let’s water into under boot cavity and then back fills up into the tyre well.  I’ve removed lots of trim to dry it all out, car stood for a week and no leak. However when car had been moved water appeared in the boot. Suggesting that it was holding water somewhere.  Found and pulled the groomets out each dumping 1ltr of water on my face !! I then watched a video that some chap had been able to pull then positive air vents away from the recess due to the seals failing.  These are exactly in the same area where water is tracking down behind the bumper !! I’ll be sorting it in the next week or so. 

[team alchemist]

Hi all, new member here, picked up my 2011last week, found my in car swimming pool yesterday, boot wet, passanger rear footwell full of water, side carpet of boot wet, so should i be looking at tail light or bumper vents? As ford dont do them does anybody make a gasket or rubber seal for the tail light?