Swimming Pool in Rear Passenger Footwell

[Michigan944]

I know that this has been a topic of discussion in the 944 world for some time, but i'm at a loss of where to go from where I'm at with what I know.

Several years ago I noticed that when it rained really hard the rear passenger footwell carpet would get pretty soaked. Over this past winter while I had the car stored in the garage I removed the hose that drained from the gas cap to find that it was completely clogged. I cleared that out and afterwards it appeared to drain just fine. Everything remained dry through the first few rains of this spring, but a couple of weeks ago we had a very heavy rain and everything was back to being wet again.

The water starts to pool in the back of the passenger footwell while the car is parked on a level surface and when there is a lot of it it slowly leaches towards the front of the car. The worst was yesterday when I left the car outside for three hours and it had gone from damp to a half inch of standing water in that short amount of time.

I just can't seem to find where so much water can be coming in so fast. Both seals on my sunroof and my hatch seal are brand new as of last summer. When I pour water into the rear passenger sunroof drain it almost immediately begins to flow out the drain at the back of the car, same with the gas cap drain. I've poured water over the window seals and they don't seem to be leaking either. I know many have said it could be the battery tray up front, but that doesn't make any sense to me since the water is concentrated in the back before it moves towards the front of the car.

Tomorrow I plan on taking apart the interior to inspect the rest of the sunroof hoses for cracks, but does anyone out there have any other suggestions on where a leak that big might be coming from or what to look for when I have everything torn apart to search for it?

[jcommin]

This is a common problem - the metal under the battery is compromised. There are several posts on this - do a search and you will find stories as well as solutions.

[9FF]

+1 I know it doesn’t make sense but it will be coming from your battery tray.

[Bukowski]

Window scraper!

Water goes in the door, behind the door card, fills up to the level where the door metal opens - interior to the car.

My car was on an incline and only the rear filled, but perhaps it can get in both places.

Also - clean out the door drip holes on the bottom edge.

You could test it by just pouring water on the window but you’ll probably see it’s dried out and cracked.

[drkshdw]

Most likely it's the battery box. There is a drain in there that drains out the bottom of the fender. This drain gets clogged all the time and the water sits in the box until it rusts through the tray. From there the water travels under the carpet to the back where it sits lower than the front of the car. You will not see or feel wet carpet up front even though the water is coming from the front.

But that isn't the only place water can come in. Could also be the sunroof drains and seals. Make sure your sunroof closes securely, especially with new seals and make sure all 4 drains are clear.

Like Bukowski said, it could also be your window scrapers although it takes quite a lot of water to get it from the door into the cabin of the car. Doesn't hurt to clean out the weep holes in the bottom of the door if you've never done it before.

But also, it could be coming in from your rear hatch. If your hatch has de-laminated at the top, they can leak and cause water to pool in the rear seat. Usually it drips onto the rear seat bottom but if it fills up it can also pool into the floor where yours is flooded.

In the end, the only way to really find out where the water is coming from is to get out a garden hose and have a friend water your car while you crawl around inside and try and find the source.

[Michigan944]

Well I'll be darned. It indeed was the battery tray. After my last exam today I spent some time moving the passenger carpet out of the way so i could see if there was any water coming in from the front. I plugged the battery tray drain and dumped a pitcher of water in it and the water came streaming into the footwell. After adding a little bit of pepper to it I was able to track down where the water was leaking through. Come to find out the previous previous owner had patched a crack in the battery tray and the patch had worn away and the crack was exposed again. Just finished cleaning that up and sealing it for good this time. Cross your fingers that there's no more problems.

[Bukowski]

Originally Posted by Michigan944

After adding a little bit of pepper to it I was able to track down where the water was leaking through.

glad to hear it's solved - I like this clever trick. Might need to stock a bottle in the garage.

... I'd check the window scraper anyway - the reverse side my door card was wet so long, a thick fungus grew on it - couldn't be removed without damage, so I sealed it in with PlastiDip.

[Slam]

Also check your quarter window seals. These dry out, take a set and then leak. I'll bet you find that even after you've got your battery box patched you still get water back there.

[FrenchToast]

Just an FYI, the entire carpet on the right side needs to be removed in order to make sure to stop any rust that has started.

[Michigan944]

Well, the car has gotten through 4 heavy rains or so now and the carpet has remained bone dry. Removed the passenger side carpet and ran a dehumidifier in there for a few days after wetvacing the whole thing. Glad to have that little bit fixed. Now I don't have to stress out about that and can work on more pressing issues. Thanks again!

[universeman]

Awesome, learned a lot in this thread!

[jeff968]

How about the sunroof seal? I had a bad one with similar results.