Hi, We have noticed recently that the passenger footwell is quite wet in our 2002 focus. Any ideas on what could be the cause?
Thanks in advance
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Have a feel towards the front, as it rises. If its wet a few inches above floor level then there's a drain blocked at the back of the engine bay. Pouring water onto the windscreen should see it come out through the wheel well. If it pools at the back of the engine bay then remove the dead leaves. You'll probably need to blast it with an airline to get the last of the crud out.
Otherwise, the plastic seal on the door has gone.
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Could also be the dreaded pollen filter cover leaking or the filter it self full of crud and dead leaves? Have had a look on my foci around the scuttle panel area and have never managed to find any drains, not that are accesable? Happy looking....
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As mentioned, a poorly-sealed pollen filter cover (aka passenger-side skuttle panel) can definitely cause leaks in the passenger front footwell.
Have you had a major service recently ? The pollen filter is changed every 3 years if you're still taking it to Ford to get it serviced. No matter who did the service, if they didn't do a good job of sealing the panel afterwards, then this could cause water to leak into the pollen filter compartment.
If you undo the clips along the front edge of the cover, you may be able to prise the cover up enough to have a look - the filter itself may even be wet. Just be careful not to disturb the seal with the windscreen.
There are plenty of posts on this subject, both on here and the Focus forums. Here are a few posts (including some of my comments) that might help :
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=74...9
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=69...5
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=65260&...f
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Thanks Mike for your help, It hasnt had a service since we owned it from last summer. I have just bought all of the service parts for a DIY service and have also bought a new pollen filter as I may as well change it now due to the leak.
Do you remember the part number of the new plastic panel with new sealing strips?
Thanks
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> Do you remember the part number of the new plastic panel with new sealing strips?
No - sorry I don't and I don't even have the receipts to check for you as I sold the car at the end of last year.
Your best bet is to phone your local Ford dealer and explain exactly what you want - it's often know as the passenger-side skuttle panel or cowl and IIRC, the strip is a butyl sealing strip. I forget the exact cost, but I think it was <£30 for both. It's a part that breaks so easily that my local dealer had them in stock !
Do you have a Haynes Manual ? It gives a reasonable description in there on how to change it.
If your 2002 1.6 is the same as my 1999 1.8, then the main thing to note is that (as you look at it from the front of the car) the fixing point on the left of the panel has a removable plastic cover that you can prise out with a screwdriver blade to reveal a screw beneath. The ones in the middle and to the right are just dummy covers and simply indicate the position of the clips which are directly underneath each of these points. If you're fitting a new cover, then removing it should be easier because it won't matter if you break the clips.
Make sure you clean the base of the windscreen thoroughly with a damp cloth and then dry it properly (mine was filthy !) and be careful around that area if you have a heated front screen, as I think there might have been wires/connections for that nearby.
When you're ready for the final application, stick the strip to the underside of the panel (note position on old one, as there are no instructions with it) and try and get everything lined up as best you can to avoid having to move it around too much once it's stuck down as it's pretty sticky.
It might still be worth undoing the clips along the front edge first and seeing if you can see if the pollen filter and/or housing is wet with a finger-tip, just to be sure that this is definitely the cause of the leak ?
Finally - I'm doing all this from memory, so apologies if any of it isn't quite right. You might want to double-check that the procedure is the same for your car as it was for mine (I'm fairly sure the 1998-2004 models were all similar in most respects though).
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Rather than buy a new seal, I sealed the cover on my Focus with clear silicon sealant, from B&Q. It worked perfectly, and when the time came to renew the pollen filter again, the cover came off with little trouble.
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When I had the windscreen replaced on my Focus, the fitter admired the way I'd fitted self-tappers through the 'blanks'. He used a mastic gun to effect a seal.
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