Water getting into passenger side floor !

Pentalab

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Got the constant break light problem sorted out..it was a bad switch on the brake pedal. While messing with the fuse box in the SJB ( fuse #2 had to be temp pulled out)... I noticed the footwell area, like where a passengers toes would be..was very slightly, and I mean slightly...damp in 2 x spots.

I went through it all and couldn't find a damned thing. Have not used the car for 2+ weeks lately...and a LOT of rain. Yesterday, the entire inside of the windshield was damp with condensation. Cleaned that up..then noticed soaking wet napkins on the floor on passenger side. The passenger side floor was soaking wet..and then some. I had GT floor mats (rubber backed) on both driver + pass sides. Pass side floor mat was also soaked through. Water was collecting at the bottom right corner of the floor... WTF? Its all down the right side, starting at front end of sjb.....and all the way back along the edge.

Ok, what's the trick here ? Where the hell is the water getting in ? It's not coming through where the power cable from eng bay comes in....to the sjb box. The entire width, way up, is bone dry. Without tearing up the oem carpet on pass side, I can't fine it. That insualtion beneath the oem carpet on pass side is also soaked.

This is on my 2010 GT automatic.

I got all the water out with my 4 gal shop vac, then had the heat cranked to max for a while, but I have not solved the root cause. The drains on the outside, at base of windshield are good. It's not only baffling, it's really pissing me off now. And yes, the windows were up, and rubber door seals are in good shape.
 

Juice

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Yup, cowl drain clogs. Water fills cowl, than drains into cabin through the fresh air inlet/cabin filter.
 

86GT351

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Cowl Drains are a huge issue. Especially on the passenger side. If it is clogged the water then goes through the Cabin Air FIlter into the Evaporator housing. Just remove the drains on both sides. Simple with a pliers to just pull them out.

100691d1328239740-cowl-leak-easier-way-clean-driv.jpg
 

Pentalab

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Cowl Drains are a huge issue. Especially on the passenger side. If it is clogged the water then goes through the Cabin Air FIlter into the Evaporator housing. Just remove the drains on both sides. Simple with a pliers to just pull them out.

100691d1328239740-cowl-leak-easier-way-clean-driv.jpg

Ok, that red circled area. What is it's function ? Are they plastic rectangular plugs or what ? Why were they installed in the 1st place ? I assume there are 2 of em ? If the mating pair of circled rectangles are removed, does water pour out IF cowl drains are clogged ? Why didn't they just leave em open..when car was built ?

I only have 1 (one) tiny, aprx 1/8" hole on the cowl....on the passenger side of my 2010. It also appears there is a gap, drop off, at extreme left and right of cowl.

I THINK the cabin filter is below those slots on eng bay side of cowl...with hood up ?
 

86GT351

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Ok, that red circled area. What is it's function ? Are they plastic rectangular plugs or what ? Why were they installed in the 1st place ? I assume there are 2 of em ? If the mating pair of circled rectangles are removed, does water pour out IF cowl drains are clogged ? Why didn't they just leave em open..when car was built ?

I only have 1 (one) tiny, aprx 1/8" hole on the cowl....on the passenger side of my 2010. It also appears there is a gap, drop off, at extreme left and right of cowl.

I THINK the cabin filter is below those slots on eng bay side of cowl...with hood up ?
They are the OEM Drain plugs. Ford installed them as a restrictor to be able to control the flow of water. Everyone removes them because they get clogged severely. With them removed for a clog to happen there needs to be a lot of leaves there.
 

Pentalab

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They are the OEM Drain plugs. Ford installed them as a restrictor to be able to control the flow of water. Everyone removes them because they get clogged severely. With them removed for a clog to happen there needs to be a lot of leaves there.
Tnx a bunch. I will get em both out asap.
 

tjm73

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This happened to my '05 back when I had it. Mine was plugged with dirt and some leaves. Poked a screwdriver through after cleaning out the few leaves and never had a problem again.

I mean seriously who fucked this design up?
 

Juice

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That flapper acts like a one way check valve, which there is no need for. Just a tiny amount of something sticky like tree sap can make them stick shut. Mine was sticky like that when it happened to me in a HUGE downpour a while back.
Pull up that carpet and dry out the padding before it starts fermenting and stinking up the car. ;)
 

DieHarder

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There are several places on each side of the car that water can get in and possibly the base of the windshield (if it's not sealed properly). To figure out exactly which one/s are leaking I'd stuff some paper towels in those locations and take a hose and spray/flood the front windshield for 5 minutes. I'd also remove the seats and pull the carpet up to make it easier to monitor for any water. Then check the paper towels and the floors. If nothing I'd then spray the drivers/passengers windows toward the top for a couple of minutes to test those seals and check again. That should cover the water test.

In my case I found I had a bad passenger window seal and bad cowling/grommet seals at the base of the windshield. Sealed everything up and good so far. See TSB attached.
 

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  • 2005 - 2009 Water Leak Repairs.pdf
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JEWC_Motorsports

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Yall overthink shit, must be young kids. Just pull the fucking things. We've been pulling them since 2005 without an issue.
 

86GT351

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Juice

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I dont drive in the rain!!! Unless unavoidable. Hate cleaning. lmao
 

Pentalab

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There are several places on each side of the car that water can get in and possibly the base of the windshield (if it's not sealed properly). To figure out exactly which one/s are leaking I'd stuff some paper towels in those locations and take a hose and spray/flood the front windshield for 5 minutes. I'd also remove the seats and pull the carpet up to make it easier to monitor for any water. Then check the paper towels and the floors. If nothing I'd then spray the drivers/passengers windows toward the top for a couple of minutes to test those seals and check again. That should cover the water test.

In my case I found I had a bad passenger window seal and bad cowling/grommet seals at the base of the windshield. Sealed everything up and good so far. See TSB attached.
Tnx. That TSB is for 2005-2009 cars. I have a 2010.... which uses the 4.6 l eng, but uses the 10-12 body style. Some aspects of the tsb may be applicable though.
 

JEWC_Motorsports

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Tnx. That TSB is for 2005-2009 cars. I have a 2010.... which uses the 4.6 l eng, but uses the 10-12 body style. Some aspects of the tsb may be applicable though.
I have a 2012, they are all the same.
 

Pentalab

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Stopped raining, semi nice day. Issue is my car is black, so everything under the hood is black on black..which makes it sorta a bitch to find these rectangular soft rubber flaps. Got in with a small xeon flashlight..and found the one on drivers side. Reached down with left arm and felt around, lifted the lower leading edge...and a TON of water came out. Got in wih one finger and then pulled out a ton of gak outa there. Ok, good. Had a helluva time finding the flap on Pass side. It's a lot lower on pass side. It's just to the right of the battery..and way down.... it's actually recessed a bit, where the fake firewall meets the real firewall. IE: tucked under and outa site. Lifted the flap and a ton of more water came out. Plus more gak came out when I got my finer in there and managed to pull a load of black crap.

The soft rubber....rectangular flaps don't come out easily, so left em in there, but bent the flaps out a bit.
That entire top vented portion (parallel to cowl) but on the inside of the hood, comes right out with the removal of what looks like push pins, but they are the type that uses a small Phillip's screwdriver. With that off, access to the cabin filter is gained.

Lesson learned. That was one helluva lotta water that came flooding out both flaps. It's all clear now. Carpet on pass side is now dry, plus below it. No garage here, so car sits outside 12 months of the year.
 

blackjack07

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Change your cabin filter at least once a year. While at it, pull both cowl cover sections and check the very bottom of the cowls for debris as there are two more drain plugs down there. Pro tip: remove and replace the driver side cowl cover first and last and you'll have a much easier time wrestling with them.
 

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