mk1 focus sill gets full of rain /wash water -cant suss how

[steveo3002]

got clean mk1 focus , just latley noticed when moving it about water will pour out of the passenger sill when moved , when parked right id say at least a litre comes out

the doors have decent rubber seals around them , after washing i can see the dust undisturbed in the door jambs so cant see it entering around the hinges or wiring rubber as barely a splash gets in there

had the carpets up and dry , so its not entering from the floor pan

hasnt been through a flood for 6+ months

no gaping rust holes for it to enter

no sunroof /sunroof drains

any suggestions on what to look at ? drivers side doesnt seem effected

 

[Melvyn Best]

Scuttle drain directing water into the sill?

 

[tigdlo]

Blocked drain holes, you probably won't stop water getting in so it needs a way out. You could check the scuttle, it could be finding it's way down the a post.

 

[steveo3002]

scuttle drains into the wing , so the bottom of the wing would be wet , the A piller isnt open to the sill

its clearly glugging in at a fair rate

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Sun roof, if so drain holes.
Boot seals and rear light seals are good for letting in water.

 

[steveo3002]

Sun roof, if so drain holes.
Boot seals and rear light seals are good for letting in water.

theres no sunroof and yes the boots can leak on these mine doesnt , and im not sure how it could fill the sill

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

theres no sunroof and yes the boots can leak on these mine doesnt , and im not sure how it could fill the sill

The water would run down inside inside the rear blind area and work its way. Took us 4 weekends to find it.

 

[Nomad]

A few ideas -
Remove the back wheel and check the inner arch isn't letting water into the interior? Also lift the back seats and look for damp areas.
Open all the doors and check the harness & seal from the door into the A-post / B-post ?
Ariel mounted on the roof? Check it's watertight.
Unlikely but is there any chance it's condensation ?

Scuttle & sunroof drains are common weak points but it sounds like that's not the case on yours...

One of my classics had anti-corrosion treatment in the sills, they did it by drilling a handful of 2 inch holes along the inner sill - I left them open as it was great for airflow and drying out any dampness in the sills. Maybe do the same on yours??

Edit: alreay mentioned, check if there are diain holes in the sills - and it they're blocked.

 

[Migmac]

Has it roof rails ? I’d check them if it has.

 

[caprinut]

In other classic Fords the trouble is attributable to blocked drain holes in the bottom of the sill, there are often drains from the sunroof, sunroof has 4, windscreen and scuttle drain into the sill. I don't know other OEMs put drains into the sill but Ford do, if you have had the sills waxoled in the past that is a problem since the drain holes are just 2-3 mm wide at points along the sill.

 

[steveo3002]

im having the wing off monday to get a proper look , if it really drains direct into the sill then i guess theres not so much of an issue , im going to add a couple of 10mm holes to make sure its going out again , i was sure it ran into the wing /behind wing liner but will see ...realisticly its got to be going in via the A pillar , i dont see any other ways with the carpets /inside trims dry

 

[Turbo]

I had this on a car. Cause was due to a knob head tyre fitter jacking the car up on the sill lip, bending it and blocking the drain holes. A few minutes work with vice grips and a taper punch soon had the water running out.

 

[bert]

Mine was letting water in through the panel join at the top of the boot. This filled the boot area with water not the sill.

Bit more sealer sorted it.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Mine was letting water in through the panel join at the top of the boot. This filled the boot area with water not the sill.

Bit more sealer sorted it.

View attachment 462540

Ford Orions had that issue.
Mine was on drivers side.
But would wet passengers front foot well carpets.

 

[steveo3002]

I had this on a car. Cause was due to a knob head tyre fitter jacking the car up on the sill lip, bending it and blocking the drain holes. A few minutes work with vice grips and a taper punch soon had the water running out.

thats fine but why has the sill got litres of water in it in the first place when the other side doesnt

 

[bert]

If you have a sunroof the drains empty into the sill. Are the sill drain holes blocked stopping the water getting out as it should?

 

[steveo3002]

had the wing off, no missing grommets /rust holes /defects that i can see

as per the orig post it doesnt have a sunroof

 

[Melvyn Best]

had the wing off, no missing grommets /rust holes /defects that i can see

as per the orig post it doesnt have a sunroof

Did you use a hose into the scuttle area when you had the wing off?

 

[steveo3002]

no not yet

 

[Onthespotwelding]

Drill some extra holes so the water can get out