VERY leaky door seal

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Pluto
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VERY leaky door seal

Post by Pluto »

Hi all, bit of an odd one this!

I recently noticed that the carpet (or more specifically the sound deadning layer underneath) in the front passenger footwell was absolutely soaking wet.
I can see exactly where the water is coming in, it seems to be escaping over the top of the door seal rubber just underneath where the door speaker is. The rubber itself is in perfect condition with no splits or cuts and there is no sign of it starting to perish so I can't work out how water is getting past it.

To confuse things further, it never leaks from rain fall, no matter how heavy. But every time I wash the car (with a very low pressure hose - like a shower) it absolutely pours in even if I'm not directing the hose at the seal. I'm a bit stumped!

If anyone has any suggestions they would be greatfully received! I have tried removing the seal, cleaning it up and refitting a couple times but it hasn't helped!
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Re: VERY leaky door seal

Post by rutter123 »

I think your sunroof drain tubes may be blocked and your headlining is filling with water hence the wet floor, the bx sunroof is designed to let in water and the water should drain away through the 4 drain tubes which are located on each corner of the headlining, these block with crud/silt and the water has nowhere to go apart from inside the car usually soaking the front/rear footwells and under the rear seat. Easily access to the drain tubes via removal of the rear light clusters and the a-pillar inner lower trim panels-clear tube carefully pull it thru and blow through it with an airline, you may need a pair of long nose pliers to grab it, they are not fixed at the bottom so you should be able to pull them out enough, bit fiddly but easy enough.
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Pluto
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Re: VERY leaky door seal

Post by Pluto »

Sorry I forgot to mention that my car doesn't have a sunroof. That's what is making this even more confusing. Its definitely coming in over the door seal under the speaker as I can actually see it pouring in when I'm washing it. Driver side is fine and I can't see anything different between the two door seals.
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Re: VERY leaky door seal

Post by rutter123 »

Hi pluto i DO have a passenger side door seal if you need it, but there is a possibility that water could be coming in from the bulkhead into the footwell, might be worth removing the screemwash reservoirs to see if the bulkhead has rusted through underneath them, this is quite common rust spot on bx's and water runs down inside behind the fusebox into the footwell. If you have no sunroof this would be the second suspect area, i have just welded both sides on my estate as it was quite rusty under both reservoirs. 3rd option could be a rusty windscreen scuttle panel which would also let water inside the car.
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Re: VERY leaky door seal

Post by Defender110 »

For those who appear to have misread his post , he does know where it's leaking he just needs to know why, I would suggest that the outer edge of the door seal is definitely not sealing against the door somewhere allowing water to run into the centre channel of the seal and then over the inner lip into the car. Either door alignment or the seal is weak.

Pluto wrote: I can see exactly where the water is coming in, it seems to be escaping over the top of the door seal rubber just underneath where the door speaker is.
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mds141
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Re: VERY leaky door seal

Post by mds141 »

Would it be worth trying to pack out the hollow section of the door seal?
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Re: VERY leaky door seal

Post by Gary »

Have you taken the speaker cover off and taken the speaker out to make sure the water isn't getting past the inner membrane that's stuck to the door and creeping down inside the door card and then onto the seal .
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Re: VERY leaky door seal

Post by Pluto »

I have had the whole door card off just to double check it wasn't coming from the membrane and it's all good. I assumed it may have been the seal so I actually gave the contacting face of the seal a light covering of red grease and then shut the door. The grease transfered onto the door all the way round with no gaps. This showed that the seal was making contact everywhere, so I then thought it must be coming from somewhere else.
Maybe 'just making contact' isn't enough. It's very surprising just how fast the water comes in when washing the car. It's like pouring water from a jug! Yet when it's sat out in the rain (even torrential) it doesn't visibly leak at all!

Ive got a replacement door seal on its way, so I'll try that and see what happens!! Fingers crossed as this is just getting annoying now
Pluto
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Re: VERY leaky door seal

Post by Pluto »

mds141 wrote:Would it be worth trying to pack out the hollow section of the door seal?
That could work, not sure what I could use to do this though?
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mat_fenwick
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Re: VERY leaky door seal

Post by mat_fenwick »

You could thread some (compressible) tubing into the seal; or alternatively a new seal is only a few quid per metre. Woolies seem to be good value.

As an aside, they can also leak when water drains into the U section of the seal at the top and tracks round to the bottom, resulting in a wet carpet below the door with no visible leak!
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