Water near fender well inside car? Normal?

undecided.steve · 12-01-2006, 02:05 PM

Thanks for the vert forum!!

I hope the first part helps someone, but I need some help with the second.

******************* Maybe this will help others with strange leaks*****************

I have another thread posted about water leaks in my 03 GT vert.
I've repaired the major leak which was at the weld between the rear passenger floor pan and the side frame.
The goop that Ford puts on there (looks like peanut butter) actually hardens rock hard and tends to split. The design of
the car seems to be that water runs from front to back INSIDE the rocker panels (snap off the plastic strip running under the door to see it through the holes) and exits at the rear through a hole.
In my car, the water would run down into the floor pan leaving a puddle.
I smeared the entire seam with silicone rubber and it is now fine.

Ford seems to be very stingy with this yellow sealent and the fact that it dries hard instead of flexible means
that over time it will crack and allow water in.

************************************************** ****************************

Here is where I need some help::::

However::::: I notice that in the REAR of the car, with the seat removed and spraying water on the rear of the top, water trickles down INSIDE the car on the ledges at the sides ot the car that the rear seat rests on.

Now there is a nice little opening on the floor at the front of the rear fender well which goes outside the car (a drain I suspect) which looks good.

Unfortunately, the water does not want to go that way and instead goes right into the pan below the rear seat where there is some grommet and cable/wire going to the rear of the car.
IOW it will pool there instead of dripping outside the car. This is actually a raised pan and not the true bottom of the car but it is not as high up as the ledges on the sides of the car.

I read on this website that the design allows a little (it is a little water BTW, not the flood like the above paragraph) water to do this.

http://www.mustangforums.com/archive...2177581-1.html

Any ideas on how to fix this?

I was thinking of opening up the slit (drain hole) a little bit and then using silicone rubber and mabey a small rubber hose
glued to the floor to act as a *fence* or guide to direct the water to the hole instead of puddling under the seat pan.

Comments?

sweet99 · 12-11-2006, 12:39 AM

My '99 is in winter staorge in my garage but I will pull the seat this week and take a look and tell you what I saw. mark

undecided.steve · 12-11-2006, 02:26 PM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: sweet99

My '99 is in winter staorge in my garage but I will pull the seat this week and take a look and tell you what I saw. mark

I really appreciate it Mark!

See if you see any staining near the cable grommet directly under the passenger side seat bottom of the rear seat.

Also look *inside* the fender, looking from the inside of the car toward the fender and see if you see what I am talking about!

Thanks again...Steve

sweet99 · 12-11-2006, 07:49 PM

Steve how is the rear seat bottom held in place? My imports had screws/bolts that held the front of the seat bottoms in place but I am not sure what keeps this in place but it sure is tight. I used a flashlight to look into the corners by the seatbelts but saw nothing there but some remnants of a mouse house! Let me know about the seat bottom please. mark

undecided.steve · 12-12-2006, 12:33 AM

There are two little latches under the seat cushion between the cushion and the carpet (the bottom one)_ that you need to press in with a screwdriver and then lift up the cushion.

They are about 8 - 10 inches in from each side of the seat.

If you start from the outer edge and pull up on the seat cushion with your hand, you can peek underneath and you will see them.

Carefully slide a screwdriver in and press the button while pulling up on the cushion.
You have to do it by feel.

Do one side at a time.

Putting back the seat is simple. Just slide it in and push down until it clicks.

Once you see how it's hooked in there, it's really easy and in fact the easiest seat I have ever pulled out of a car.

The seatback stays in place.

You might get lucky and find the factory build sheet for the car under the cushion.
That's where mine was hidden away.
Sometimes they are in the trunk.

Here is a description:

http://www.deftracing.com/light_bar_...uide_94-04.htm

sweet99 · 12-13-2006, 01:40 PM

I found a silver bracket that is raised up enough in the center to get a screwdriver under it. That did not seem to unlatch anything. Do I put the screwdriver on top of that bracket and push down towards the garage floor? Or do I get the driver on top and push towards the back of the car? Sorry for the trouble here. Never have seen anything like this! mark

sweet99 · 12-13-2006, 05:34 PM

FINALLY! Got the seat bottom out. It was tough to get at the buttons after 10 years as the seat was down and what we had to do was pull the carpet down to get a look at the buttons. I see the "caulking material" that was used to seal the joints but am not sure about water drain. lookingunder the car there is a hole the size of a quarter or larger that seems to be directly beneath the area you are talking about. I think what I would do if I had your situation was make sure that there is actually a drain there from the factory. Pour a cup of water near where you believe the water should drain and see if any does come out under the car. I see no traces of water in mine so I don't want to add any water there.
Anything else I can do now that the seat is out? Mark

undecided.steve · 12-13-2006, 05:39 PM

Hi Mark!

Glad you got the seat out!!

Do you see any drain holes at the inside of the car, at the front edge of the fender well on that little metal "shelf" behind the speakers?
IOW at the very edge of the car in line with the seat which is now removed.

sweet99 · 12-14-2006, 08:49 AM

I will have to look once daylight gets here as it's early. I did not see any hole yesterday. Maybe at the end of what you are calling a ledge that runs front to back. At the back edge of that there is a spot where 2 sections of the caulk come together. You have a digital camera? Mark

undecided.steve · 12-14-2006, 01:35 PM

Hi Mark!

I'm working on posting some pics right now.