Water on door sills.

SlashProm

Active Member
May 23, 2018
160
22
Had the problem since a got the car a couple of years ago. Last on my list of jobs. Whenever it rains there is water on the door sills. Wet carpets and the windscreen steams up overnight. I've checked the inner door seals under the door trims and they've already been done with silicone by the looks it and are completely sealed. I have noticed there is some strange window under a carpet on the bulkhead in the engine bay that's filled with water and has some kind of bung on it. Also when I jack up the car after rain. Yeah it gets jacked up a lot. Water will flow out from around the sub frame area. Any ideas? Pollen filter seal etc. Thanks.
 

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chriswales6

Active Member
Mar 2, 2016
294
47
Had my Leon for 14 years & had many dealings with door seals. If there's water on the flat section of the sill and plastic trim when you open the door the seal inside the door is leaking. The water should drain through the rubber seal along the outer bottom edge of the door. It's worth checking and cleaning that rubber seal & drain holes. Need to stick a finger into the rubber & get the dirt out.

I used silicone on the door seals many times & it doesn't last much more than a couple of years. Seems once you get a few frosts the cold metal breaks the seal. Butyl tape is a lot better, done mine 6 years ago & no more leaks.

Not sure about that window in your bulkhead, never heard about that before.
 

SlashProm

Active Member
May 23, 2018
160
22
I'd bought a roll of Butyl tape to fix it. But I took the door cards off to see they had been done with silicone already. I then took buckets of water and poured them onto the window from the outside and nothing came through, so it's definitely not the inner door seals. Outer door seals maybe?
 

chriswales6

Active Member
Mar 2, 2016
294
47
It's normally the seal behind the door card that leaks when there's water on the inner sill. When you were pouring water on the windows was it coming out the drain holes in the bottom of the door? Would be worth checking they're clear.

There's seal between the front & rear door that could be letting water in. One option is to rub talc or flour around & see which bits get washed away with the water.
 

SlashProm

Active Member
May 23, 2018
160
22
Good idea, thanks. Any ideas what that fish tank behind the bulkhead carpet is? It seems a bit weird to have a perspex window there that's full of water :p

When I checked the sills I had the door cards off and I poured water all over the outside of the window and nothing came through the metal door piece that screws onto the door(the usual suspect) They were sealed up well which is why I haven't touched them. I can't say for sure if the drain holes were clear. I just noticed it was running down the outside of the door and not the inside. Might be worth checking, as it could be blocked and just leaks in when it goes over a certain level.
 

chriswales6

Active Member
Mar 2, 2016
294
47
Never heard of a prespex panel under the carpet on the mk4 golf based cars. Maybe someone cut a hole in the bulkhead & put it there?

The door drains are hidden in the rubber seal along the bottom edge of the door. If they're blocked water will build up behind the metal panel. Then leak inside, either through the speaker or the holes for the clips that hold the door trim on.
 
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SlashProm

Active Member
May 23, 2018
160
22
Look at the attachments in my first post. It's on the bulkhead, just below that weird puck shaped valve on what I'm 90% sure is the feed line from the brake reservoir to the abs pump. There are 2 pictures. One of the soaked heat shield/fire resistant carpet on the bulkhead. And one of me holding the carpet up to reveal what looks like a perspex inspection window. It has a rubber seal all the way around it and a bung about halfway up. Whatever it is it is factory. But I doubt it should be full of water.
 

DarrenGI

Active Member
Aug 31, 2020
50
32
Surrey
Hi I have the same problem on an 02 Leon main leak seems to be coming in from above the accelerator pedal so will be investigating this weekend if the weather is good
 

Yellow fr

Gone to new owner so seat less for now
Sep 6, 2018
1,547
1,062
Sandbeds West Yorkshire
Hi I have the same problem on an 02 Leon main leak seems to be coming in from above the accelerator pedal so will be investigating this weekend if the weather is good

Sounds like your drain hole on the bulk head is blocked and it’s not letting the water out and leaking in through the panel that has the main wiring loom going threw into the car
 

andycupra

status subject to change
my experience is that siliconing the door carrier has a very high failure rate. and its not always easy to detect the leak, loads of people have poor water over and reported no leak to then end up replacing the door carrier seal months later to fix it. PITA of a job to do it properly. roof sealant sprays might be something i'd consider if I experienced this again.
 

chriswales6

Active Member
Mar 2, 2016
294
47
I've been battling with door seals on my Leon for 13 years. Yes silicone normally lasted until a frost then leaks. Swtiched to Butyl tape & that has lasted years. But had a leak even with Butyl tape recently. I'd taken the door apart to replace the lock. Even took it apart again to put more tape on & it still leaked. Think I've sorted it now by hitting the metal panel with a rubber mallet. I had trouble getting it off to do the lock & think I'd bent the metal out of shape.

Leaks around the pedals is likely from the scuttle panel. There's an electrical connector box on the driver side that has a plastic lid & seal that can leak. There is a water drain in the corner by the wing but they don't often block on the Leon since it's just a big hole. There was a thread on here a while ago where someone found it was the body panel seal between the inner wing & scuttle that had cracked & was letting water in.
 

DarrenGI

Active Member
Aug 31, 2020
50
32
Surrey
Sounds like your drain hole on the bulk head is blocked and it’s not letting the water out and leaking in through the panel that has the main wiring loom going threw into the car
Thanks Yellow fr any details or photos where the drain hole is so I can try and unblock it
 

DarrenGI

Active Member
Aug 31, 2020
50
32
Surrey
Thanks Yellow fr any details or photos where the drain hole is so I can try and unblock it
managed to get the wipes off today but they did put up a fight, in the hope to be able to remove the black plastic scuttle?? cover which sits under the windscreen but it doesn't seem to want to move and I don't want to break it. I have been able to look under the driver side and it has 18 years of crud under there, surprised I haven't had potatoes growing in it as there was so much dirt in there. I can now see the drain hole which is clear.
Just a question is this the wiring loom through the bulkhead that leaks?
wiring loom into bulkhead.jpg


looks like the sound proofing is perfectly angled to let water drip onto it. What is the suggested method to seal around the loom?
Thanks Darren
 
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