'94 LX Moisture/Water in Trunk ? (Foggy Rear Window)

[Intuit]

'94 Ford Escort LX 4-door (sedan model - *not* hatchback)

Moisture/Water in Trunk ? (Foggy Rear Window)

Was just wondering if anyone else has dealt with this issue and in your case, what was the cause ?

Once the nightly lows get above freezing for better than a day (or can store it in garage until dry) I intend to try and locate it by having someone spray water into the seams of the trunk while looking through the back seat for leaks.

The source of the leak is not obvious because the trunk seals are in perfect shape, the vehicle has never been severly rear-ended and the seams indicate perfect runk alignment. Shouldn't be the rear window though I suppose that's the worse case scenario possibility <grunt>.

I know there's a leak because for one, the rear window fogs up everytime I run the heat after a rain, and a several weeks ago I went and pulled a pair of gloves out of the trunk and noticed they were damp. Several years ago after a flat had discovered that the spare was frozen into the trunk. Luckily I had my toolbox with me and after running the heat on full-blast for better than an hour managed to break it out with a long crowbar. I think had simply pushed the seals back into place to resolve it then but the problem is back and that didn't do it this time around. Is water getting in under them or what ?

Anyway I should report back with what I find...

Thanks.

[Davescort97]

I had such a problem with a 73 Buick in the past. Turned out, there was a hairline crack beside the roof rail and it was getting in their from that and dripping into the trunk. These things can be very hard to find.

[Intuit]

Guess I was wrong about the "worse case" scenario but then again I'm not sure which would be a harder repair. Thanks for the comment and insight. I will keep that in mind if all-else fails.

[Selectron]

I have water in the front footwells on my UK diesel wagon, both driver's side and passenger side. No idea where it's coming from. I'll probably crumple some sheets of newspaper and wedge them up under the dash, against the firewall, and tape some strips of paper along both front door seals, and hopefully locate the problem that way.

It's been horribly wet and windy over here for weeks, and the car doesn't get driven much so there's a slim chance that it's just a build-up of condensation which isn't getting the chance to evaporate. Probably a leak though.

[tripletdaddy]

Does your sedan get water in the trunk if it just sits parked in the rain? If not, then you may consider the water is coming in from underneath. It could be coming in at the drain grommet(s) or you have underbody rust holes. Another thought is that it is being driven in and may not be obvious from being just rained on while parked or from your hose. I have a defective weatherstripping on the front door that isn't smooth across one of its fuse joints, so it leaks rain while driving.

Selectron, I have an older Escort that I couldn't figure out why I kept getting really wet floorboards every time it rained thinking I had a leak somewhere from above. It was instead coming from underneath and soaking through from rusted through holes in the floor boards. I have to fix them to pass inspection, but I also wanted to stop the annoyance and future rust damage, so I bought some rubberized/elastomeric flashing/roofing compound to recoat the underbody where the undercoating is gone, etc., and to seal where I had to put in sheet metal and backer. I also was getting tired of the musty smell from allowing it to go on this long. When I had to readdress this problem, I discovered I have a bigger problem than I realized. Problem is it has been too bloody cold to work on it or even apply that black goo as I can only work outdoors. I figured the roofing compound was near enough like auto undercoating and would make a nice thick protective coating.

[zzyzzx2]

Originally Posted by Selectron

I have water in the front footwells on my UK diesel wagon, both driver's side and passenger side. No idea where it's coming from.

Probably from the HVAC intake. Your drain holes in your fenders are clogged.

[tripletdaddy]

Did someone say anything about the evaporator condensate drain and drain tube may be plugged? Though that is not a winter problem especially like in the summer with the ac on all the time. I guess I wouldn't expect much if any condensate in the winter when running the defrost as there is so little moisture for the ac to remove from the air before it is heated and blown onto the windscreen.

[dlbdata]

When I bought my 95LX in 2002, the spare wheel well was filling up with water when it rained. I sealed all around the weather stripping for the rear hatch, and that did the trick.

[ethanaw]

for some strange reason the underneath of my rear seat('94 wagon) gets all wet. like dripping. strange.

[Intuit]

For a wagon, the only possibility I can think of is door and window seals. Might want to check the floor as well. The roofline I think extends well beyond the rear seat and the rear window is no where near it either. Given that this sits underneath your seat cushion that's a serious mold hazard and needs to be rectified immediately. I'd also chemically steralize under there. Your fuel tank might sit under there so don't try and drill any drain holes or anything. Have an assistant hose down the vehicle and seams while you sit inside of it monitoring for leaks. If possible, leave the back seat cushion out until you get it licked.


============

Thanks for the comments all.

Originally Posted by dlbdata

When I bought my 95LX in 2002, the spare wheel well was filling up with water when it rained. I sealed all around the weather stripping for the rear hatch, and that did the trick.

My '94 (manufactured 4th Qtr) and '95 are virtually identical. Even when we had that day in the 70s (following day in the 20s) just didn't have time to check it out.

Rather than actually isolate the specific source of the leak (which honestly would purely be for curiosity's sake) may just go ahead and take off the trunk seals, put some caulk underneath then reinstall. If it's actually the trunk seals and had to guess where it's coming in at, would probably be around the top somewhere. This is because the gloves that were damp, were sitting off to the right and below the deck lid lift-arm; where it would be when the trunk is in the closed position. Could be getting in other places too though.

Bike racks can also distort or misalign the trunk but originally had this issue long before the purchase of my bike rack.

[dlbdata]

I was trying to isolate exactly where the leak was, and not having any luck. It was a lot of water coming in too. So eventually I used a tube of clear sealant I had laying around and just completely sealed both edges of the hatch seal. It hasn't leaked since. And I use a bike rack on it regularly. Good luck.

[tripletdaddy]

Ethanaw, I don't quite follow your description of water dripping onto the underside of the rear seat of your 94 wagon. On my older wagon, the floor boards were developing rust holes that allowed road spray to wick inside the car, though that may not be where it would enter to get to the underside of the cushion as it is up higher on mine. Just a thought if you can't find the leak from above, try looking underneath.

[Intuit]

MYSTERY SOLVED -- AND NOBODY (including myself) GUESSED IT !!!

So what was it ? What was the problem ? Come on... tell me what caused it. Okay, the cause of the problem... what problem ? I mean the problem with water getting into my trunk was....

(que the drum roll)

The Strut Mount. (what?)

My car has 226k on it and in October will be 1.5 decades old. In the last week, the original strut mount, probably full of holes then, had finally and completely, failed. Pulled that strut assembly out and found nothing but a holy religious shell still bolted up in there. Unbolted what was left, scraped and primered the strut wells and replaced both sides. No water in the trunk since. (knocking on wood) Foggy window problem is history. (still knocking) Can keep it on recirculate and not have to breath car fumes in the morning. (yeh!)

By the way, you should be able to see a faint outline on the rear deck lid (trunk); where it makes contact with the trunk seal. If you see gaps in this outline, that's probably where your water is getting in from. The water coming in, will wash that part of the outline away.

[Davescort97]

Thanks for coming back and letting us know where the water was leaking in. I never would have guessed the strut mount. Do they put a lot of salt on the roads where you are from? Hopefully this post and thread will go into "search" mode and help others.

[Intuit]

Tons-o-salt. I also call'em "craters" now. Quit call'n'em "pot holes" long ago.

They use this special brine mix now that gets up in every little nook and cranny of your car. Even seen salt dust-bowls out on the highway this season.