Ford Fiesta (1995 - 1999) - '98 - water leak to the interior

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Sat 21 Feb 2004 19:24
'98 - water leak to the interior - buzby1
have a '98 1.25 fiesta which continually has a puddle of water on the passenger floor after continuous heavy rain - can't find where its getting in. Though it might be the seal on the heater box but doesn't seem to be. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Edited by Dynamic Dave on 13/10/2008 at 14:42

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Sat 21 Feb 2004 20:48
'98 fiesta water leak - pmh
See a previous post....

Do a search and you will find many other answers.

A well known problem with the 'new Fiesta' is that the rubber grommit seal around the cable entry thro the bulk head into the passenger compartment is on a horizontal surface that fills up with water when it rains. If the grommit is not a perfect fit water flows thro under the carpet on the passenger side filling up the footwell. However until there is several cms of water it does not become visible. My advice is take out the carpet on the passenger front side and see if this is the source. You can look from above with the bonnet open but

In my case a very liberal application of silcon sealant from a cartridge skeleton gun solved the problem and condensation problems disappeared along with the rotting sound insulation that was removed.

I suspect that there are other known leak spots but this one is a disaster waiting to happen. I can think of lots of ways this problem should have been engineered out at the design stage


pmh (was peter)
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Sat 21 Feb 2004 20:53
'98 fiesta water leak - Dynamic Dave
Has it got a pollen filter? If so check to see if the cover is securely fixed on.
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Wed 30 Apr 2008 10:28
'98 fiesta water leak - hrvoje dagelic
In my case sealing everything on the horizontal bulkhead surface (rubber grommet, heater pipes box, air intake box) didn't help.

I discovered that the water was getting through the air intake:

- after going through the passenger side grill (continent model) it flows in 2 directions:
- towards the cabin
- to the other side :)

- when it's going towards a cabin - it's getting in


Because I didn't know how to reach there without taking 1/2 of the car apart, I improvised a plastic barrier, cut holes (to let the air pass) in it and put it below the grill and now water can go only through the holes and to "the other side" and not towards the cabin.

Edited by hrvoje dagelic on 30/04/2008 at 10:29

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Mon 13 Oct 2008 14:31
'98 fiesta water leak to the interior - N.Carr
I also have a promblem with rain water coming into the passenger footwell. I think I have tracked it to the grommet on the roof. I call it the weather grommet. My mecahnic is not in agreement with me saying nothing can get into the car from there. You can see the water coming through a joint in the pillar between the two doors. Also there is a stain on cloth on the inside of the car. Even the seat belt is soaking wet.Has anyone haerd of this promblem before. E.G can the rain get into the car from where I am speaking about.
Thank you,
N.Carr
The car is a Fiseta Flight 2001.
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Tue 14 Oct 2008 01:24
'98 fiesta water leak to the interior - Roland T
This could be the from the hose running to the tailgate washer nozzle. The washer bottle on this car is on the drivers side, so I presume this is the side that the hose runs. Is this the side of the leak? A fiend of mine had a very similar problem on a '93 Mondeo and that was the cause.
I suggest removing the internal plastic trim from around the B pillar, check if it's the side with the washer hose and if so operate the washer and check for fresh leakage.
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Sun 20 Jun 2021 08:19
'98 fiesta water leak to the interior - Caltayp
N.Carr did you find issue my fiesta flight drivers side footwell soaking wet :(
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Sun 20 Jun 2021 11:57
'98 fiesta water leak to the interior - Xileno

N.Carr has not logged in since that post so unlikely to be reading the forum - but you never know...

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Thu 31 Dec 2015 11:49
'98 - water leak to the interior - Brembo01
I have a similar problem but the leak is on my 98" ford fiesta zetec 3dr the leak is on the back seat behind the driver and I can't find where it is coming from can anyone help me please???
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Sun 7 Feb 2021 19:37
'98 - water leak to the interior - Ford Lover 1969

Hi I have exactly the same issue - did you ever find a fix?

Mine also gets wet in the o/s/f footwell

Thanks in advance

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