500 Flooding in footwell behind passenger seat!

[LRob]

Hello all, this is my first post. I have a '63 plate Fiat 500.

Just before Christmas I noticed the rear passenger side footwell was sumped with water....the carpet was sodden and there was white mould growing in it! I assumed it was the result of the recent wet weather and me driving through a deep puddle, and mopped up the water best I could.

However, a few days ago I found the area sumped with water again. I took the car into my local mechanic who says he cannot locate the source of the leak.

Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[John202020]

Not screen wash is it? From a split pipe to the rear, there's also a suggestion that there's a body seem at the rear that can let water in.

 

[typecastboy]

Yeah definately the rear washer pipe. It’s located under the passenger side plastic trim that runs at the base where the door shuts and continues at the bottom under the rear plastic side panel. First thing to do is take off that trim. It’s held on with a screw right at the front by the bonnet pull and another just behind the seat. Remove those and pull firmly unclipping it. The pipe is a black concertina pipe that is taped to the wiring loom. If you can’t see the leak there you will have to take the back panel off, or loosen it.

You have to take the rear seats out for that and the top of the seatbelt, remove the cream trim where the seatbelt is fixed, pull off the rubber door seal, undo the couple of screws that’s hold the panel on by the pre tensioner and then remove the little quarter panel that holds the parcel shelf. Two screws, one under the parcel shelf support and another where it joins the black rear quarter panel. The only thing apart from the clips is the big bolt at the back. Leave this connected. If you try to remove it because this bolt goes to the outside world it’s likely you will never get it back in. You can then lever the panel out of the way and you will see the pipe, again taped to the loom.

Find the leak and then you can cut where the leak is and get a Little joining piece from Halfords or a pond shop. It’s a pain having to take the back panel out but that’s the only way to get to it if the leak is that far back.

 

[John202020]

If it turns out to be the washer pipe, this is an excellent example of why the correct mix of screen wash is required?

 

[Ralf S.]

I dunno... the LRob says it's "sumped" which sounds like "teenager" to mean a pukka leak, not just some dribble from the washer pipes (which would only leak the water that's in the pipe... hardly enough to persistently waterlog the rear footwell).

My money is on a leaky aerial base or passenger door seal.. something fairly fundamental.

Do you have a sunroof, or just the fixed glass job? A sun-roof will have drain tubes front and back.. these could be blocked so your "gutter" may be full of water. I dunno if/how the 500 fixed glass roof can leak but that's also a possibility.

Also, is the front passenger side carpet wet? If there's a leak at the front and you park your car facing uphill, then the water from the front would accumulate at the rear. Front leaks could be a blocked drain or channel under the front scuttle (where the windscreen wiper motor lives).


Ralf S.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Lots of good stuff above. Something not mentioned so far - You may have noticed that car doors have drain holes on their bottom edges. This is because all doors suffer water leaking around the wind up windows which has to be allowed to get out or the whole door would fill up with water. Behind the door card (trim) there is a plastic sheet which is "glued" to the door frame to stop this water getting inside the car. The seal may be broken/ineffective, especially if someone has needed to gain access to the window winder mechanism/door locks. I've had a few like this over the years and it's not too obvious if you don't know it's a possibility.

Always worth drying things out and then getting in the car with someone outside running a hose pipe over it and looking for the leak that way. Put the back seats down so you can check out the hatch at the same time.

Good luck. This sort of thing can be an absolute b****r to find. Took ages to find how the water was leaking into "Becky's" boot after we had bought her almost a year ago now - there's a post in the Panda section about it if you want to search for it.

 

[rallycinq]

I dunno... the LRob says it's "sumped" which sounds like "teenager" to mean a pukka leak, not just some dribble from the washer pipes (which would only leak the water that's in the pipe... hardly enough to persistently waterlog the rear footwell).



Ralf S.

I see where you are coming from, but if the OP has been persistently attempting to wash his rear window there could be a lot of water pumped into the footwell

D

 

[Justin500]

Hi ive had the same leak rear footwell soaked. I pulled every thing out what a job that was. Lol. So had a hose setup on a stand and left in running going out to the car and checking now and then. Checking every seam and nothing but car was filling with water. Used to work at a ford garage and asked the lads there if they had any ka's with the same problem. ( same car built at same factory). And they did. So pulled rear bumper off and behind it is a metal bumper bar crash thing dont know what its call. That fixs to the chassis rails the Sealant goes hard and fails water runs down the rails then into the car. Take bar off four bolts clean and put pleanty of sealant on. Fixed mine

 

[amylw88]

I had this exact problem with my previous 500! The washer pipe had burst and had leaked in the front and rear passenger footwells. It took me ages to work out why my floor was mouldy! My friend did a cheap fix and cut the burst bit of pipe out and connected in a new bit and taped it up......maybe not the best fix but it worked and was free

 

[Catnapper]

Rear Washer fluid tubing split, found thanks to this post.
But trying to find some tubing for a repair job, nightmare.Good old B&Q.
Cheap Fiat tubing though one kink in that stuff and it'll split.

 

[typecastboy]

Rear Washer fluid tubing split, found thanks to this post.

But trying to find some tubing for a repair job, nightmare.Good old B&Q.

Cheap Fiat tubing though one kink in that stuff and it'll split.

I’ve got some original you can have. How long do you need it?

 

[Catnapper]

I’ve got some original you can have. How long do you need it?

Cheers but it'd be a nightmare trying to repair like for like.

 

[typecastboy]

You need to get a couple of joining tees (fishtank type thing). I think I bought a pack of them in Halfrauds. You can then join the proper stuff.