Water in passenger footwell

[inkey$]

Hi all,

I’ve been wondering why my Zed has been suffering from high condensation recently. I have a hard top fitted and it seems to be a pretty good seal for the elements, but every time I’ve been out to her, the inside of the windscreen has been dripping with water.

Finally got around to searching for sources of water ingress and discovered the passenger footwell carpet seems pretty wet on the near side (picture link below, showing the area). I cant see where this might be coming in from and it doesn’t appear to be anywhere else other than this particular area. Know the scuttle can get blocked and at some point I need to take a look at this, but would that also explain the specific footwell saturation area?

Any ideas gratefully received!

https://ibb.co/PGJgG05

 

[t-tony]

Could be from a previous (now repaired) leak. That carpet underlay will hold a whole lot of water and will not dry out on it's own. It usually needs the interior stripping out and drying.

Tony.

 

[inkey$]

Could be from a previous (now repaired) leak. That carpet underlay will hold a whole lot of water and will not dry out on it's own. It usually needs the interior stripping out and drying.

Tony.

Thanks. I’ve removed the mat and trying to let the carpet dry out. I guess if it gets worse I’ll know soon enough and need to search out the culprit.

 

[Ianmc]

If you have aircon, use it frequently, all year round; keeps interior from becoming damp.

 

[inkey$]

If you have aircon, use it frequently, all year round; keeps interior from becoming damp.

I heard this too. Alas no aircon though.

 

[Jack Ratt]

Put some cat litter in a tub and put it on the dash when you park overnight. I do this and my car doesn't suffer from condensation when the hard top is on

 

[DrWong]

I reckon it's worth checking the seal for the inner membrane of the door and the drain holes at the bottom of the door

Nice marking up on your photo btw!

 

[inkey$]

Thanks for the advice (and photo marking-up compliment!)

I’ve bought 2 x large silca gel bags I’m now leaving on the dash. Rechargeable when full so hopefully see a little difference there.

As for the soaked carpet patch, I’ll check the inner membrane after the next time it rains. Will also check the door drain holes. Are these located on the very underside of the door itself?

 

[jonco]

Thanks. I’ve removed the mat and trying to let the carpet dry out. I guess if it gets worse I’ll know soon enough and need to search out the culprit.

As @t-tony said there is a very thick foam egg box style underlay under the carpet. If the leak has been there for awhile the underlay will probably be sodden and the carpet will not dry (been there done it).
Unfortunately, if so, you will need to lift the carpet and squeeze the underlay out and hot air dry it. There is a drain bung in the floor under the seat.

 

[DrWong]

Thanks for the advice (and photo marking-up compliment!)

I’ve bought 2 x large silca gel bags I’m now leaving on the dash. Rechargeable when full so hopefully see a little difference there.

As for the soaked carpet patch, I’ll check the inner membrane after the next time it rains. Will also check the door drain holes. Are these located on the very underside of the door itself?

Yep, bottom side the door near the front. I often see water coming out of them if I open he doors after washing the car

No need to wait until it rains to check the inner door membrane. Just take the door card off and have a look. If it’s broken or the butyl seal is compromised, it could be letting water past into the interior.

You have to get past the membrane to service the window mechanism, so possible it’s been messed with previously

 

[Sean d]

If you lift your carpet I fear there will be litres of water under there, all soaked in to the 3" thick foam back

 

[handsomejackuk]

give your inside windscreen a real good clean with glass cleaner, and the side windows, i found this really helps..

the trouble is any condensation on the inside of windscreen will drip down behind the back of the dash and eventually soak the carpet in the front..

Also if you get the opportunity to air the car in the sun.... open the window for a few hours every day i found this helps, and also where you park it this time of year, as the days are so short we dont get much sunlight it all helps, best bet is garage too if you have one...

I not convinced a car cover or half cover will help to stop condensation..

another trick i have done is to remove the rear trunk / boot bulb that way if the inside of your boot lid gets condensation you can leave the boot open without fear of draining the battery.

also remove any clothing jackets or anything that can soak up water in the car or in the boot.. i have also been removing the boot carpet on occasions just to expose the inside of the boot to let it air...

I live at 1150 ft above sea level so air is pretty much always moist this time of year and condensation is problem.

hope this helps..

 

[Bumpa]

I replied to you on zroadster.net. In my case it was the door membrane. Sean is right, there were pints of water soaked into the foam bonded under the carpet. For some daft reason the carpet (and foam) is all one piece from door sill to door sill, so can't be removed without dismantling the centre console and whatever else sits on top of the tunnel.

 

[GeoffZ]

View attachment 124835 This is what you will need to do to dry it out. It took two weeks with the dehumidifier and a fan with regular squeezing of the foam underlay by hand to release the water. In my case, the leak came from the scuttle via the fan blower duct. I took the opportunity to replace the seatView attachment 124835 bushes as I had water both sides, though the nearside was by far the worst.

 

[inkey$]

I replied to you on zroadster.net. In my case it was the door membrane. Sean is right, there were pints of water soaked into the foam bonded under the carpet. For some daft reason the carpet (and foam) is all one piece from door sill to door sill, so can't be removed without dismantling the centre console and whatever else sits on top of the tunnel.

Thanks for the advice. Looks to have sorted it now and down to new roof seal drip, now sealed!