Water leak in Ford Escort

[Scuzz2]

I have a leak in my Ford escort. The footwell on the drivers side, passenger side and rear passenger behind the driver is flooded when the car is stationary? But I cannot see any water dripping. Checked the door seals they seem ok. Any other suggestions?

[Sproutstick]

Have you recently topped your water up whilst your car engine is still hot?  If your car over-heats and you try to top up the water straight away without waiting for the engine to cool down, the cold water will cause the pipe to crack when it hits the immensly hot metal.  This can cause a leak in the footwell of both driver and passenger sides.

 

I think it is quite costly to repair as well because you may also have blown a gaskett??

(sorry i'm not a mechanic, can't drive and am a woman - so not sure of the technical terms!!!  I've probably given you heaps of faith in my answer now!!!??)

[New Forester]

I think Sproutstick's idea would make it leak outside the car -- and not at all if the filler is in a header tank, as I'd have thought it would be.

 

I think you have a leak in the heater radiator, which looks like the main rad, but smaller.  There will be a pair of rubber pipes running through the bulkhead, joining onto metal ones sticking out of the heater -- or the metal stubs on the rad will stick through the bulkhead themselves.  These stubs can crack where they go into the radiator, or the radiator itself may be leaking.  Or the rubber hoses may be perished, or just not on the stub properly.

 

They can be a bu*ger to get at, as they're usually behind all the heater and fan control gubbins.  If it's a cracked pipe, it's a new heater rad.  If it's a hose, replace that, and if it's just the rad itself, you may be lucky and some Radweld will work.  If it's as fiddly as I fear, it'll be expensive to have done.  Make sure the heater and fan stuff goes back correctly, so all the blowers etc work in the right way.

 

Also check the water temperature is OK -- sometimes the heater goes because the engine is overheating for other reasons.

[Sproutstick]

Yes, yes!!!  That's the 'pipe' that I was referring to I think??  The radiator - it has happened to a car I was in once before which is why I said it.  My dad was sure it was because of the water in hot pipe thing.  I'm SURE he said that it cracked the radiator (he laughed at us cos he's a brilliant mechanic).  Oh God - perhaps I should stick to the non-technical sections of AB!!!!

lol  :)

[freshfruit]

Before you look into the heater matrix, which can indeed be a cause of this problem, check this;

Open the bonnet of the car and have a good look along where the windscreen meets the engine bay. Water comes of the windscreen and is channeled into this area, there are normally a couple of drainage points here that let the water out. Especially this time of year leaves and stuff often clog these drainage channels and cause the swimming pool in footwell syndrome that you describe.

[honkytonkman]

Had a Ford Escort once that did this from new.. and the garage never could sort it out.. It used to drip from above the pedals.. Apparrently some water trap in the bulkhead. The Escort was early 1990s vintage.

[ianess]

freshfruit.........thanks for that answer.   You`ve just solved the problem I`ve been having with a stationary Ford Transit.  Many thanks.

[halfwit]

Hey Scuzz2,

I had exactly the same problem with an old ford sierra. Had it in the garage several times where they srayed water over it to try and find the problem. They checked all pipes, window seals etc.but could not solve problem.After a year or so I was talking to an old fella who put me right. Water would collect in the tray that the car battery sat it.As it rusts the water would find its way behind the dash and into the foot wells.Hope this helps.

[bimba]

halfwit - your answer has been very helpful to me.  I have a 1995 escort with the same water leakage problem and having read your answer I went to check under the battery and there is indeed excess water.  My question is - what do I do about it now.  How do I stop it collecting in there? 

[halfwit]

bimba, glad I've been some help to you.Unfortunately I can't remember how I stopped the water collecting there.I may have drilled a small hole on the front edge of the battery ledge to allow  water to drain away in a more convenient place, but can't be sure, it was a long time ago. I also think i may have removed the rubber bungs on the drainage holes (see freshfruits answer) on the drivers side of the car so less water made its way along the gully over to the passenger side.

[vip]

My son had a similar problem in that the passenger footwell was filling up with water (early 90's saloon). We too found that the problem was underneath the battery where rainwater seems to collect. There was a tiny crack in the bulkhead seam that had allowed the metal to rust through under the paintwork. Solved it with mastic..