Water in footwell

UK forum for general and technical discussion about the Z3 roadster
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Dr. Wilson
Joined: Tue 30 Sep, 2008 20:25
Posts: 117

  Z4 M roadster
Location: London

Water in footwell

Post by Dr. Wilson »

Hi all,

I’ve been wondering why my Zed has been suffering from high condensation recently. I have a hard top fitted and it seems to be a pretty good seal for the elements, but every time I’ve been out to her, the inside of the windscreen has been dripping with water.

Finally got around to searching for sources of water ingress and discovered the passenger footwell carpet seems pretty wet on the near side (picture below showing the area). I cant see where this might be coming in from and it doesn’t appear to be anywhere else other than this particular area. Know the scuttle can get blocked and at some point I need to take a look at this, but would that also explain the specific footwell saturation area?

Any ideas gratefully received!

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Robert T
Site Admin
Joined: Mon 12 Jun, 2006 10:35
Posts: 10170

  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: Cheshire

Re: Water in footwell

Post by Robert T »

Even with the hardtop fitted, I suspect that water still goes into the front seal above the windscreen and should run down inside the A-pillar. There is a bung at the end and the rubber seems to spilt and ceases to redirect the water downwards, instead allowing it into the car. It will drip from inside the side window at the top of the vertical piece separating the quarterlight.

If it's not that, then it could be the window not sealing properly against the door frame, or possibly even from the heater.

Cheers R.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

Arctic Silver '99 Z3 1.9 & Black '59 Frogeye 1275cc
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wonderloaf
Joined: Mon 02 Aug, 2010 20:55
Posts: 518

  Z3 roadster 2.2i
Location: Basingstoke

Re: Water in footwell

Post by wonderloaf »

Another place to check is the membrane behind the door card, I had similar problem and there was a slit in the membrane allowing water to get through to the footwell. Did a temporary repair with gaffer tape but eventually replaced the membrane with a new one, no problems since.
2001 Titan Silver 2.2 Sport
Bumpa
Joined: Fri 23 Jun, 2017 20:31
Posts: 70

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: Water in footwell

Post by Bumpa »

Oh boy, if it's wet on top of the carpet I bet the thick foam bonded under the carpet will be saturated. On mine there were several pints of water in that foam. Once I got the flooring out of the car (no mean feat) it took days and days to dry out. Unfortunately the acceleration sensors that are under the carpet on mine didn't like being in a bath and so cost me lots for replacements.

I think Wonderloaf has the most likely answer. Certainly on my car the water was coming from inside the door. Factory fitted is a very thin foam type of rain shield which, if its never disturbed, can keep the water in the door from getting in the car. But if at some time in its long life that membrane has been peeled back to fix something, it seems impossible to make it water tight again. I removed mine completely and have fitted polythene sheets and hey presto, dry floors. I have also cut a small inspection hatch in the carpet over the sensors so I can keep an eye on whether they are happy and dry. Once the hatch is pressed back down and the seat moved forward to my wife's favoured position you don't see it at all.
wonderloaf
Joined: Mon 02 Aug, 2010 20:55
Posts: 518

  Z3 roadster 2.2i
Location: Basingstoke

Re: Water in footwell

Post by wonderloaf »

You need to check the sealant around the edge of the membrane carefully as well, the smallest hole and the water will leak through. I also replaced the sealant around the membrane, spoke nicely to the man at BMW and he gave me a load for free :thumb:
2001 Titan Silver 2.2 Sport
Dr. Wilson
Joined: Tue 30 Sep, 2008 20:25
Posts: 117

  Z4 M roadster
Location: London

Re: Water in footwell

Post by Dr. Wilson »

Robert T wrote: Mon 09 Dec, 2019 22:20 Even with the hardtop fitted, I suspect that water still goes into the front seal above the windscreen and should run down inside the A-pillar. There is a bung at the end and the rubber seems to spilt and ceases to redirect the water downwards, instead allowing it into the car. It will drip from inside the side window at the top of the vertical piece separating the quarterlight.

If it's not that, then it could be the window not sealing properly against the door frame, or possibly even from the heater.

Cheers R.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
So after leaving it a few days with 2 x large gel bags, it seems too have cleared up after heavy rain. I think the suspect was as mentioned here - at the top of the front seal where the hardtop meets the vertical quarterlight, I had a small gap which I’ve now plugged with some deftly cut rubber to create an additional seal. So far, so good.
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