Wet rear passenger footwell - 944 S2

rowey200 · Mar 2, 2015

Folks,

I'm trying to get to the bottom a leak(s) into my 944 S2.

A few months ago I noticed that both the front and rear passenger footwells were quite damp (drivers side dry as a bone). I suspected that the hasty removal and refitting of the plastic scuttle cover a couple of months previous (due to a failed wiper motor) might have been the issue, water getting down via the heater fans etc.

I therefore spent some time repairing the plastic scuttle panel and refitting it with a decent seal while also drying out the interior. All seemed well for a few weeks until last week when we had quite a bit of rain and the rear passenger became saturated (the front passenger footwell is still dry).

The car is parked on the flat so I assume that the water can't be coming from the front of the car as the front passenger footwell is dry. I have read that the sunroof drain pipes can be a common issue - can anyone advise how I go about checking these? Do I need to remove some of the interior trim to gain access?

Any other ideas welcomed.....cheers in advance [

]

pauljmcnulty · Mar 2, 2015

Sunroof drains are simple to check, see here:

https://www.porscheclubgb.com/forum/tm.asp?m=806735

Could also be the rear side windows leaking, or the boot hatch seal. It's surprising how far water can travel!

Worsey · Mar 2, 2015

Let me know how you get on, I had same issue before Christmas with water pooling in the rear passenger footwell after a particularly wet couple of days. Car's been under cover since and not really got round to checking it out so would be handy to see what the issue is for someone with similar symptons.

Cheers
Lee

wolfie308 · Mar 2, 2015

I've had something similar for months, rear passenger foot well only. First noticed rear boot carpet wet underneath, assumed it
was the rear hatch seal and replaced with genuine Porsche item(without trimming it)

Having said that, the first sign was probably the vinyl coming away from the panel above the back seats that covers the sunroof
mechanism. I've removed and repaired that but not refitted it yet.

On closer inspection, I noticed that there was damp behind the trim on the passenger C pillar which probably explained the water
in boot and foot well. So I fitted a new Porsche sunroof seal. Because of the metal reinforcing strip, I found I had to cut about
1/16th inch off to get it to fit perfectly without a gap. Still have the leak!

Forgot to say I'd checked drain tubes free with strimmer cable and poured water thru funnel to check all were clear and water ran
out where it should and the leak is higher up than the side window, so that's eliminated as a possibility too.

My belief(and hope) is that it's the trim round the sunroof aperture which feels a pretty loose fit. I intend to replace this and
silicone it in place to prevent any capillary action. In the meantime, I'm using wads of kitchen towel to keep things dry, changing
them every few days. Can't believe how hard this has been to trace [

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wolfie308 · Mar 2, 2015

and here's my current setup to prevent drips wetting the rear seat.

ALZ 1933 · Mar 2, 2015

Could it possibly be leaking through the rear hatch due to it delaminating from the frame? Do you have any rattles from the rear when its being driven?

eddieedmo · Mar 2, 2015

most likely coming from the connection which joins the drain point in the sunroof gutter to the tubing which runs to the boot well outlets .They go hard with age and leak allowing water down the inside of the c pillar lining and into the rear footwells or to drip down onto rear seats.

Nick

white944 · Mar 2, 2015

Like this one....

rowey200 · Mar 2, 2015

Thanks everyone! I see that I am not alone on the water ingress front [

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The car has new boot & sunroof seals and all sunroof drains appear to be free (water discharges under the car when poured down) although I have not tried strimmer cord as yet.

I might strip out some of the trim around the sunroof and see what I find! Can you access the sunroof drain tube connections this way?

George Elliott · Mar 2, 2015

Rowey,
sorry to hear you have this problem, I'm going to suggest that it will remain should you seal off the sunroof with insulation or clear adhesive tape. (this can be done easily and quickly) It will prove all the drain tube theory without messing up the roof lining, they get a bit ripe.

The real cause is in the sills of the 944, and seems to always be worse on the passenger side. (if it is the sunroof, why would this be as the car body shell is symmetrical)

The leak is into the steel pressing for the front seat support on the body floor. This is open to the inner sill cavity (its triple skinned) and the water migrates (via capillary action) into the rear seat well. I think the water originates in the front scuttle and runs into the A Pillar area and into the sill.

There is a very good thread on here dating from a couple of years ago that looked at it. I was plagued by it with one car.

Usually its summer again by the time we refit all the seals, and mother nature fixes it.

good luck with your work.

George
944t

Hallsy · Mar 3, 2015

I went through a similar pain with my S last year. My rear passenger footwell was filling with water during heavy rain, yet no signs of where it was coming from.

I spent lots of hours chasing minor leaks from the hatch area (tailgate seal, rear light seals, hatch pin seals) and also the scuttle area (resealing the blower unit and also repairing the scuttle trim/cover), but still had the padling pool effect in the rear footwell! All sunroof drains were clear, the petrol filler area drain had fallen apart, but I repaired this, and still the same.

Eventually I spent time running water in certain areas of the car and leaving it for a good 30 mins before checking and being sure whether the water ingress was from that point. Eventually I found it was coming from the passenger side bulkhead drain. The seam sealer between inner wing and bottom of a pillar had cracked, and where the bulkhead drains ran it was allowing the water to wick into the car. The front footwells are double skinned, so it was not seen at the front of the car, but gathered in the rear. Took me a while to suss that one out!!

I think I have some pics somewhere, I will take a look.

EDIT - here is my thread from last year http://forums.tipec.net/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=16981

As George says, as well as what I found, there have been other cases where corrosion has formed in this area giving the same problems, but is not always apparent until the wing is removed.

In my case, the easiest test I found was to stick a hose pipe directly in the bulkhead drain hole on that side and run water down it.

Good luck

Robin · Mar 3, 2015

Is it possible that the water is coming in where the rear hatch hinge bolts go through the bodywork.

kdp · Mar 3, 2015

That's where mine leaked, but it dripped onto the rear seats rather than appearing in the rear foot well and it was obvious that it was coming directly from the roof area.

Waylander · Mar 3, 2015

strange, KDP post keep saying I have blocked this user, I have blocked no one, don't even know how. wtf is going on

Ewan · Mar 3, 2015

The interior of my turbo is bone dry. Is this yet another one of those "S2" problems?

wolfie308 · Mar 4, 2015

No......it's probably because yours spends most of its life garaged....or at JMG [

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scam75 · Mar 4, 2015

ORIGINAL: Ewan

The interior of my turbo is bone dry. Is this yet another one of those "S2" problems?

So is mine Ewan! Parked outside in all weathers. Not having a sunroof helps greatly in my case! [

]

Stuart

rowey200 · Mar 4, 2015

ORIGINAL: Hallsy

I went through a similar pain with my S last year. My rear passenger footwell was filling with water during heavy rain, yet no signs of where it was coming from.

I spent lots of hours chasing minor leaks from the hatch area (tailgate seal, rear light seals, hatch pin seals) and also the scuttle area (resealing the blower unit and also repairing the scuttle trim/cover), but still had the padling pool effect in the rear footwell! All sunroof drains were clear, the petrol filler area drain had fallen apart, but I repaired this, and still the same.

Eventually I spent time running water in certain areas of the car and leaving it for a good 30 mins before checking and being sure whether the water ingress was from that point. Eventually I found it was coming from the passenger side bulkhead drain. The seam sealer between inner wing and bottom of a pillar had cracked, and where the bulkhead drains ran it was allowing the water to wick into the car. The front footwells are double skinned, so it was not seen at the front of the car, but gathered in the rear. Took me a while to suss that one out!!

I think I have some pics somewhere, I will take a look.

EDIT - here is my thread from last year http://forums.tipec.net/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=16981

As George says, as well as what I found, there have been other cases where corrosion has formed in this area giving the same problems, but is not always apparent until the wing is removed.

In my case, the easiest test I found was to stick a hose pipe directly in the bulkhead drain hole on that side and run water down it.

Good luck

Thanks for this info - I've read through the info in the link, very comprehensive.

I think I'm going to have to put aside some time and get the car in a friends garage to investigate further!

George Elliott · Mar 6, 2015

Is it possible that the water is coming in where the rear hatch hinge bolts go through the bodywork.

Its obviously possible Robin, but unlikely because the water drainage volume over that point is very low. (plus its sealed, but they can fail)

The drainage volume through the scuttle is half the windscreen each side or all the windscreen with 2 wheels on a kerb, so in a rainy 24 hour period it may be measured in litres.

Hallsy refers to a good thread, i forgot who had written it

George
944t