Door - plastic membrane to stop water?

Hi,

have had water leaks into the front footwells so have taken the door cards expecting to see a plastic membrane that keeps water off the indside of the door card.

but no plastic sheet!, or any traces of it, on either door!

Is this standard. On all the cars I've had in the past there has been a plastic sheet glue/taped to the face of the door so rainwater entering the top of the door ( at the lower edge of the window ) runs down the inside of the door and out through the drain holes.

Thanx for any help

[dean]

All car that I have ever worked on have had plastic on the doors

[sithot]

This is more like a vapor barrier. If you've got water coming in the footwells, the problem is a little more severe than missing the barrier.
You might want to check your drain holes and also your weatherstripping. Good luck.

[Glasgow 911SC]

Hippo,
Sounds like you & I have the same problems (see the Soaked Carpets thread). There should be a plastic membrane on the door (available from an OPC I believe). My front left floor gets a huge puddle in poor weather. My door was leaking but never enough to give that amount of water. I resealed the front window but the water was still getting in. As I said in your other post, I went through a drive-through car wash to find any leaks. When the jets sprayed the fron fresh air vent, water starting gushing through the footwell heater/air vent. It was the only area (aside from the door) that water came in. I don't see how rain could possibly build up so much though!? The drain pipe from the fresh air box seems clear and the water only came in 1 side (the wet side). I don't have much clue how to sort it!

Sorry I'm not much help but you should try the drive through car wash idea, making sure you get the brushless wash to save your paint!

[Paul T]

I had the exact problem on my 86. Every hard rain, my front carpets would be soaked. Replaced door/window seals and checked all drainage and no problem. Then I noticed a tear in the membrane. I sat in the car with the door panel off and had a friend soak the door with a hose. Water was flowing down past the window, down the membrane and right through the tear into the carpet. That membrane indeed gets wet in a hard rain and is a must to prevent water in the car. I cut and installed a new sheet of plastic and it's been dry ever since.

[Sean Hamilton]

I replaced my tatty old inner door vapour membranes with a heavy duty plastic and used spray-on contact adhesive.

Regardless of the vapour barrier being in-situ or not, if the door stereo speaker penetrates the membrane without a protective half diameter sock over it taped to the vapour barrier - water WILL leak in as it drips down onto the speaker and in through the speaker penetration opening. It will also rot the speaker and the inner door trim panel. Get someone to squirt the hose on the window whilst your inside the cabin with the inner door trim removed and you'll see what I mean!

Another good idea is to cut a small plastic "curtain" to fit INSIDE the inner door skin where you see the largest horizontal opening (used for the removal of the window winder mechanism). The curtain is duct taped along the upper edge only and allowed to drape down just past the lower edge of the opening, but not in contact with the lower internal door sill risking blocking the drain holes. I used pond/pool liner - heavy enough for a wrinkle free drape so as not to risk fouling the window mechanism operation.

I've spent hours chasing these improvements and at last I now have water tight doors.

[dickster]

you can get the oe ones from porsche (only?) pretty cheap - i have to get some - have had naked door for a couple of months!

the leak sounds like front screen - what i had - and it may be worth changing (cheap) if you don;t know how old it is.

since you have a cab. - well, it could be anywhere!

best thing is to remove all carpet etc (only replace when leak sorted)- easier to see leak- and give the car a good hose down until the leak reappears....

btw - scotch guard is good for your cab. top.

good luck

[Langers]

The problem with the plastic sheeting inside the doors (if I am thinking of the right one...) is that when maintenance is needed - i.e. adjusting a window, or a lock, or anything inside the door, the plastic is cut through. Most people don't bother replacing it. If you do replace it, use spray contact adhesive but DO NOT get any on the window. It is an absolute bugger to get off.

[Superman]

I don't see how water in the door can get into the footwells. I believe that most water-in-the-footwell complaints are almost always traced to a leaking windshield gasket. the pastic membrane is a vapor/air barrier. It cannot stop water. It is on the wrong side of the door inner bulkhead to keep water inside the door.

[pwd72s]

Maybe so, super...but IMHO, it doesn't hurt a thing to have that membrane there. After all, Porsche installed them for a reason.

Hi Superman,

on the previous cars I've seen with the plastic membrane - it is glued flat allover the inner face of the door ( so no pockets are created that might trap water )


The rain water just runs down the sheet, then at the botom, as the sheet is stuck flat to the door - then the water runs back down along the inner face of the inner part of the door, and down to the drain holes.

Guess that unless the car is parked on a perfect flat level surface, then whatever water gets inside the door could fall against the door card, rather than drip straight down to the base of the door?

having said all that - I will be getting the windscreen seals changed as well!

[Glasgow 911SC]

Water can get in through the doors. My door cards are warped by a regular, albeit small, flow of water.

[ART C.]

I had the same problem on my 71e. I used a paper punch and punched a hole in the outside edge of the rubber seal at the front and rear ends of the flat run under the door. The water that gets in the groove used to build up and then flow in on the floor. Now it runs out the hole. I also put a drip deflector in the opening to direct the drips from the (newly replaced) window squegees into the door away from the (nice new) door panels.