General Arrrrgh water in drivers side footwell !!

[Mr_Uno]

The carpets dry under the dash/pedals on both sides, but it's absolutely soaked from 2 inches in front of the seats, 2 inches from the door and centre 'console' and around 10 inches away from the edge of the carpet under the dashboard. It seems on both sides the area of wetness it's quite concentrated (for some reason i laughed while typing that).

I did notice today that my coolant level had gone down (to just above where the coolant pipe curves away), i topped it up full when i bought the car in the beginning of September, I've covered around 750 miles since then.

How easy would it be to just remove all the carpet from the car ?

I'm thinking put some drainage holes in the footwells, paint and rust proof them and replace the carpet and sound proofing once they are dry. Don't mean to sound lazy or defeatist but i'm only going to be driving the car 1 or 2 years max (won't be scrapping it though !).

 

[Ucof]

Is the car always stationary?

By divide and isolate, I mean, divide the affected place into two and place paper towels with a visible gap between them of about 3 inches up the sides of the footwell.

Leave it a few hours and see which towels are wet.

Put more paper above those and wiat again - if wet, repeat, if dry, the leak is below that or it hasn't leaked.

Do the same for working out left and right and isolate where the water is coming from.



Hope all that makes sence.

 

[Mr_Uno]

It is stationary for a while, in that somedays it doesn't get used. It sits on the drive for a lot of the time actually now i think about it, which i guess isn't good if i'm trying to stop a leak especially with the crazy amount of rain we've had (absolutely hammered it down last night).

I'm going to take the carpet out and leave it out when i get the chance.

Ucof: Thanks for clearing that up ! I'll give it a go...

 

[Ucof]

So, it doesnt leak if you drive it, was what I meant.
It only leaks after it has rained and the car is stationary?

 

[Mr_Uno]

Errrrm I'm pretty sure it only leaks when it's stationary...

 

[Ucof]

Gotcha

To me then, that would indicate the water isn't getting in underneath and wicking up somehow.

Ok, so lets try to think of all the ways the water can get in...

1) Doors - down between the window and the exterior panel.
2) The seal between the door and the car body
3) The Windscreen seal
4) The air intake leading to the vents


Things we know:
1) Both sides are flooded - this to me says that there is something in the middle pumping water into both sides. Anyone have any idea if water can move freely between the two sides? Knowing that will help us work out if it is just one side that producing the water for both.

2) Only happens when stationary

3) You've pulled out any crud from the bottom of the air intake and the drainage hole is clear to et water drain out.



Can you see a dry ring of carpet all the way round the wet patches at all?

 

[Chas Uno]

Anyone have any idea if water can move freely between the two sides?

Unlikely, as though there isn't a transmission tunnel as such there are still separate sections in the floor pressings. If the water came in via the central part of the bulkhead or heater box lower vents then this would fill both foot wells. A dodgy door seal would likely only lead to water on one side. My flooding was only in the passenger footwell with the driver's side being bone dry, though I suspect my leak was caused by the windscreen seal.

A bit worrying in that Mr. Uno mentioned his coolant level going down. If the heater matrix was leaking this would fill both footwells, though this would possibly be more likely if the car was being driven rather than standing.

Ucof's idea with the paper towels is a good one to isolate the source

 

[Ucof]

A bit worrying in that Mr. Uno mentioned his coolant level going down.

Dip your finger in the liquid and dab it on the tip of your tongue - if it tastes sweet, it's anti-freeze and it is likely the heater matrix is leaking.
Don't swallow it though, it isn't particularly good for you.


You know behind the centre console, you have that space that was designed for owners to put Amps on, just behind the radio, is there any liquid on the top of that, or is it bone dry?

 

[Mr_Uno]

Topped up the coolant 2 days ago, checked it this morning and it's all gone !! The leak is still there....got a feeling it's the heater matrix.

You know what the next question is going to be...how do i replace the heater matrix ?

 

[Ucof]

Leaky heater matrix?

big-ish job, removing centre console and then getting to the air unit.
Ask if Louie has a spare.

Have you got a copy of the haynes manual?
If not, PM me

 

[Mr_Uno]

I've still got the link to it you posted on one of my other threads. The water does have an odd taste to it but the anti freeze and coolant in the car had been diluted so i couldn't get the full 'sweet' taste.

Whether this has anything to do with it or not but i noticed a 'sizzling' sound coming from the engine and the temperature rose, i guess this is becuase the pressure in the cooling system had been lost (due to the leaky heater matrix ?) and the boiling point dropped.

Can i still drive it providing i keep the coolant topped up with water every few miles ? As i really need it tomorrow...

Also i'm sure if Louie has got one he'd want to keep it...

There's one for sale on Ebay from a scrapyard but how do i even know it's not another 'leaker' ? Can you get new ones by any chance ?

 

[Louie Bee]

Yes I have but....

Can I split It??


(crowd says Yes you can!!)


It's still complete with the fan and surround

Will PM you about price..

Make sure it's not the pipes that come through the bulk head (and attach to the matrix) that have split or come adrift.

 

[Chas Uno]

Leaky heater matrix?

If the heater matrix was leaking this would fill both footwells, though this would possibly be more likely if the car was being driven rather than standing.

 

[Mr_Uno]

Would the fact that my heater has been working intermittently be related to the leaky heater matrix ? Please say it is !

 

[Ucof]

It is.......?


Intermittent working could be because of a blockage that has evolved into a leak because of the high pressure.

 

[Mr_Uno]

So if i replace the heater matrix everything will be amazing ?

There seems to be so many things that could be causing this problem and i'm getting kind of confused.

Sorry for all the questions but all this to do with the heater stuff is completely new to me...

 

[Ucof]

Dont be sorry for asking questions!
You never know what is causing a problem until you start trying to fix it/ replace parts.
Once the problem stops, you know that you fixed the correct part!
You just have to start fixing the most likely thing to be broken first, so that you dont waste time.

 

[Godfather Deejay]

Hi I have been having the same problem and searching over the net for a solution was not very successful.
I managed to find this forum the most helpful, thank you all.:worship:
I read all your posts and then decided to fault find resolve the problem and in doing so I also recorded the process and added the video to youtube.
I hope this may help some people in the future.

Unfortunately I may not post url because I am a new user so please search on youtube for my video "Fiat Uno Air Vent / Intake, Drain Blocked, Water Leaks Into Car"

 

[Hyperspace]

I had a similar problem I only noticed after my car slept outside instead of the garage one night recently...

Turned out the drainage hole under the black vent infront of the windscreen was blocked. It is not so much a hole as a rubber sleeve.

To fix it, hood must come off (only way to get the black panel off). Its just 4 screws, I took it off with a little help from my clumsy wife.
I seriously doubt you can get much more than a hand into recess in which the drainage hole is. I started by pushing the vacuum cleaner pipe down it until all debris was removed from the space leaving the hole exposed....

THEN, take a hose running hosepipe and guide it down the actual drain hole.... another crap ton of leaves came out of the bottom like a plug. Just keep pushing the hose in until you see it come out the bottom of the firewall shield, as it is quite a long tube.

There are a number of other places a little water can get in...
Like the screw you see in the gap at the top between the fender and front door...

Also the wheel well seams to have a seam in the front that can leak a little..
But the only way you will flood the car like that is if the hole is blocked like explained in part one of my reply. This causes the water to flood in via the back of the heater assembly.



You can see the black heater assembly and the little hole below it... If the hole gets blocked, water rises and enters there...

 

[Godfather Deejay]

This is my video I made searching for the water leak problem and resolving it too.


(I am a new user so I had to first go and add other comments before I could put a link, so hopefully the link works now)