dastanley

Hi all,

So I posted this issue almost a year ago and, unfortunately, it's still recurring. Let me provide a brief summary of the problem:

I left my car in the parking lot of my apartment during a heavy rain. When I came home I found my car sitting in a pool of water, up to just below the door. Inside the car, the entire interior floor was flooded in about 1-2 inches of water. I took the car to the local Ford dealer, and explained the situation to them. They told me it was the "cowl leak" problem. They found some debris in the cowls, cleaned out the interior carpets, and said it was fine. However, a few months later, the problem happened again. They said the cowl was warped, which was contributing to debris buildup. The replaced the cowl and said it was fine. Just now, however, the problem recurred a 3rd time, with flooding in both the left and right passenger side.

Sorry for the long post, but I have two questions for you guys:

1. First, do you guys have any ideas what could be the cause? Since it's not the cowl, I was wondering if it could be somehow related to that initial event when the car was partly underwater. The car was completely fine prior to this event, with absolutley no water leak issues. Furthermore, the water was really filthy and there was a lot of debris that could have damaged or blocked some drainage ports.

2. Second, I was wondering if there are any rust issues that I should be concerned about, since this issue has been going on for over 10 months. I took a picture below, and it seems that there is a layer of rust over many of the parts in the interior of the cabin. Is this normal?

Thanks so much for your help!

dastanley

Here is a picture showing the rust on some of the interior metal components. Is this amount of rust normal?

dastanley

Anybody out there have some advice? I was really frustrated when I typed the first version of this post, bececause I have been struggling with this issue for almost 1 year. I have toned down and condensed this version, so hopefully someone will have some suggestions. Thanks in advance.
Dave

AzPete

The rust should not be an issue....but....if you get any squeaks or binding in the pedals, it would be something to consider. I would not worry at this time. I would take the time to pull the carpets and insulation and dry it all real good.

As for the water leaks, while the carpet is out, have someone inside while water is run over the outside of the car. They can watch for water coming in the car. Check the windshield seal, cowl drains, and any place wires pass thru the firewall. Slow, tedious task but you may find the problem.

dastanley

Thanks AzPete, I have found the Ford techinal service bulletin for the cowl leak. It seems like a huge job to remove all the carpet, since the seats, the clutch pannels, and all the side pannels need to come off as well. But if worse comes to worse I'll give it a try.