theorganist Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 I am getting very wet carpets in the front of the Horizon. Both driver and passenger side, this morning there were actually puddles. I have carried out some investigating including using a watering can to try and ascertain exactly where the water is coming in but I couldn't actually see it leaking in, I assume it must be a slow process, although we haven't had a great deal of rain here I don't think! I think it must be the door seals, I suppose the rubber has become porous. The carpet under the dashboard is dry and there are no signs of any leaks through the bulk head that I can see. Can anyone recommend any kind of off the shelf treatment for the door seals or has anyone any experience of this problem themselves? Thanks as always.
dollywobbler Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 Door seals certainly can be an issue, but I've found the only solution is complete replacement. Worth looking for any small tears. Might be worth getting the door cards off to check whether the plastic sheet behind is still intact. That can be another source and can simply be replaced with another bit of plastic. Or gaffer tape over any holes given it's out of view.
oldcars Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 My door cards leaked in the Reliant, and as above it was the plastic. A previous owner has taped the plastic rather than tucking it in the bottom of the door so all the water drained into the back footwell.
dollywobbler Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 And don't overlook the rear doors. My Mk1 BX estate was leaking into the front footwell via the rear door seal!
colnerov Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 I am getting very wet carpets in the front of the Horizon. The carpet under the dashboard is dry and there are no signs of any leaks through the bulk head that I can see. Thanks as always. HI, just because the top of the carpet under the dashboard is dry doesn't mean it's not coming in there. The carpets are not porous so water up there just runs down. Try removing the carpet altogether and laying news paper all over the floor and up the bulkhead and sides then check later, it should be evident where the water is first appearing and tracking down. Colin lisbon_road 1
twosmoke300 Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 Over the years and loads of leaky cars I don't think I've ever found a door seal to be the cause of a leak unless it's obviously damaged . Door membranes are a prime cause tho
Uncle Jimmy Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 Had this experience; watering the screen doesn't tell you much as the water is there and gone too fast; unlike a slow British drizzle. Worth checking and rubber grommets around cables going through bulkheads. Also (depending on model) there are likely to be drain tubes leading from air intake to bottom of car, they can get blocked by debris very easily. alf892 1
Uncle Jimmy Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 Sometimes there is a seam around the area of the pedals. This can leak as sealer gets elderly. You need to get the carpets up, mop up as much water as possible and run the car with heater on to make it relatively dry. Then have a look after a period of rain. Trouble is that condensation can make it appear the water is coming in all over the place.
forddeliveryboy Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 just wondering... Partridge, theorganist, alf892 and 3 others 6
Lord Sterling Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 I had exactly the same problem in my G-reg Sterling, it was tracked down to a blockage in the water drainage pipes from the sunroof. If you don't have drainpipes in the car and you suspect the door seals, then packing the door seals might be an option unless you can find seals to replace it. You might at some car shows there is a chap who sells all sorts of rubber seals for door/boots/bonnets, he can cut them to size too. Might be worth researching anyone who sells them. theorganist 1
alf892 Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 Check plenum chamber first. Make sure door drains are clear. Other than that the only reliable way to find a leak is remove dash, seats and carpets/underlay and then sit in the car while someone sprays it. Surprisingly door seals rarely leak but if they do you can sometimes liven them up by pushing a length of cable behind them to push the seal out further Edit to add that I've never known a door membrane to be a cause..........but I've been wrong about stuff loads of times.
Barry Cade Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 Pull carpets back aud waft around some talc- makes the water trails obvoius where they are coming in.. Smells nice too. Or, my favorite way, make up some strong washing up fairy liquid water, splosh it over the car then go inside with an airline and make some big pretty bubbles where you have a leak. Spent a lot of my early apprenticeship with Vauxhall trying to cure leaks... once ending up unconsious in casualty... vulgalour and theorganist 2
vulgalour Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 The Xantia is leaking through a door (tailgate) membrane and a door seal, and possibly the windscreen trim again and possibly the roof rails. Really, anywhere water can get in it is. Key areas as mentioned above are sunroof drain tubes, door bottom drain holes, door moisture membranes, door seals... check for any small holes in the floors or missing/dislodged drain bungs when you lift the carpets too.
sierraman Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 I've just sorted a leak in the boot of the focus, that was a dried out seam seal. 5 mins with some silicone sealer job done.
theorganist Posted February 21, 2015 Author Posted February 21, 2015 Thanks for all the replies and advice. I will try the talc powder trick. Some of the rubber seals are cracked and torn in places so will look at those but also will take the doors cards off and see what the plastic looks like underneath. I couldn't find any blocked drain holes or vents but will look again tomorrow. Hopefully I won't have to remove the dash as that sounds like a daunting task!
sierraman Posted February 22, 2015 Posted February 22, 2015 Scrapyard best bet for seals. Once tried buying some for a Fiesta, the price of them new was nuts! You couldn't get them aftermarket for love nor money. Only trouble with scrapyard is theirs might not be any better than yours...
alpinerapier Posted February 22, 2015 Posted February 22, 2015 Have suffered the same problem with every Horizon I have owned. There are two plastic 'drain' pipes in the bottom corners of the windscreen that take the water down into the engine bay/front scuttle and this is where the problem could well be. This area rots out and the water pours into the car. Remove the windscreen surround trim (bonded in screen) and inspect the bottom corners and the centre for signs of rot. Be careful not to bend the trims or loose the clips that hold them on place. Also make sure the plastic 'drain' pipes are clear. The water collects in the front 'parcel shelves' on mine which makes the mopping up easier.I've now worked out which direction to park my Alpine, Solara and Horzion so they don't leak when outdoors................... theorganist 1
brownnova Posted February 23, 2015 Posted February 23, 2015 In a Peugeot 306 I had that leaked the fix was easy... It leaked through the passenger side somewhere, I discovered that if you parked with the drivers side wheels on the kerb it didn't leak, so I did that for the duration of my ownership. If you put the passengers side wheels on the kerb you needed a bucket to bail it out! theorganist 1
theorganist Posted February 23, 2015 Author Posted February 23, 2015 Have suffered the same problem with every Horizon I have owned. There are two plastic 'drain' pipes in the bottom corners of the windscreen that take the water down into the engine bay/front scuttle and this is where the problem could well be. This area rots out and the water pours into the car. Remove the windscreen surround trim (bonded in screen) and inspect the bottom corners and the centre for signs of rot. Be careful not to bend the trims or loose the clips that hold them on place. Also make sure the plastic 'drain' pipes are clear. The water collects in the front 'parcel shelves' on mine which makes the mopping up easier.I've now worked out which direction to park my Alpine, Solara and Horzion so they don't leak when outdoors...................Thanks for the advice, that's very useful. Will have a look on the weekend. Thanks again to all for your input.
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