2002 GT Convertible Wet Floor/Leak

MattMan02GT · Jul 31, 2018

I bought this car about a month ago and I'm trying to fix things the PO neglected as I find them. We had a ton of rain last week and that's when I found out why the car was garaged on rainy days... The passenger rear floorboard became a wading pool. After some searching I found common issues are tears in the top at corners before the window, which I did not find, or plugged drains on the underside of the car. I've attached a picture previously posted by another member here in an older thread.

On the driver's side I can get a coat hanger wire partially up it and I thought it was plugged, but when I spray compressed air in it appears to blow freely (and that side has not gotten wet yet). On the passenger side drain it feels like I'm hitting either foam or body sealant when I try to put the wire up the drain. It also will NOT let compressed air flow up it freely.

I was not told of any accidents the car was in, but after getting it home and detailing it, I see the rear bumper and trunk lid have been replaced. Frame rails look straight, but I think the passenger rear quarter has had some work done and been resprayed. If they glued on a new quarter skin, I'm wondering if they inadvertantly plugged the drain!

I'm thinking my next step is to jack up the passenger side and run a small drill bit up the drain hole to clean it out. Any thoughts on this? I'm hesitant to expose bare metal on an otherwise rust free northeastern mustang!

-Matt

wmburns · Jul 31, 2018

There is a Ford TSB about this problem. It has to do with not enough seam sealer between the floor pans and the frame rail. I don't know what the TSB number is.

I did have this same problem on my 2003 GT Convertible. I solved the problem by using an aluminized tape to seal the seam.

MattMan02GT · Jul 31, 2018

wmburns said:
There is a Ford TSB about this problem. It has to do with not enough seam sealer between the floor pans and the frame rail. I don't know what the TSB number is.

I did have this same problem on my 2002 GT Convertible. I solved the problem by using an aluminumized tape to seal the seam.

Hey wmburns! I know the exact seam you're talking about. From reading it seemed like (no pun intended) that is some people's issue, while others have a plugged drain that then fills up the quarter panel and spills into the floor? Or is that shortage of sealer always the issue in your experience?

Do you know how water gets into that rail in the first place? Is that drained from the cowl, directed into those channels, then out the bottom of the car via the drains pictured?

wmburns · Jul 31, 2018

OK. What I found in my case. I tried cleaning all the drain holes. No improvement. I tried drilling more holes. No improvement.

Then decided to I study HOW the water is designed to drain/flow and discovered that water is supposed to drain through the rocker panels. So no amount of extra holes would ever solve the problem.

In my case I sealed the seam before finding the TSB. So IMO this validated my solution.

MattMan02GT · Jul 31, 2018

What a fantastic pain in the butt! Well, I'm going to have to stop after work and pick up a T45 torx bit so I can remove the seat belts and lift up the carpet the rest of the way. I see a lot of people using a Urethane sealer to do this job, but the tape seems great. Especially since there is no drying time and I can tear it apart/put it back together in one evening. If you had to do it again would you use the aluminized tape again? That flexi seal spray sealer in a can that lets you go fishing using a screen door sounds like a good option as well

stormsedge · Aug 1, 2018

Here is a link to a part 1 of 3 videos working on the problem/solution wmburns described...

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=W1GMLqEIDVA

Ran across them while researching my top leak.

wmburns · Aug 1, 2018

+1 on above. That is EXACTLY how my convertible was leaking. Basically I re-sealed the seam between the floor pan and the frame channel. I used an Aluminum Foil Tape to seal the seam.

I'm sure there's more than one way to solve this problem.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/ADO-Products-2-in-x-50-yds-Aluminum-Foil-Tape-Roll-TF25012/302742795

MattMan02GT · Aug 2, 2018

Hey stormsedge and wmburns, I have seen that video as well and it really highlights the lack of sealant at that seam! How does water get into there, though? Is that where the water that goes into the rest quarter panel drains before dumping out the rocker panels? Or does it come from the front cowl? Also, see the attached picture for what I picked up to hopefully fix the issue! If butyl seals up concrete underground structures between sections, I'm hoping it can watertight the floor of my flipping car LOL

MattMan02GT · Aug 3, 2018

Well it rained like a bugger last night so of course when I get out to the car this morning the floor is wet again. Driving down the road I heard sloshing back and forth (see picture 1). The little vinyl beauty cover is just holding water until it reaches those 2"x2" access panels and is dumping onto the passenger side.

I thought I could see water dribbling in from what looked like the area in picture 2, but that was only looking back quick at a stop sign. I took that pic on my lunch break and that area looks pretty dry right now?

So I started looking at the outside and some of the vinyl is separating from the glass window as you can see in pictures 3 and 4. Is this the problem? I know the vinyl is supposed to be glued to the glass, but as you get underneath that flap on the right side of picture 3 it doesn't look like that later of vinyl was ever actually glued to the lower later of vinyl? I ask because if that's the case, all of that water should just go into the channel and out the drains in the quarter panels. Picture 4 shows the view from top down.I'll seal up the seams in the floor pan with the tape, but I'd love to stop somewhere on my way home from work and get something sealant to stop where the water is coming from in the first place.

MattMan02GT · Aug 3, 2018

Aight, we're getting a little warmer here now. There is what appears to be a pea sized hole hidden near the area of picture 2 above. It stopped raining an hour or two before my lunch break so by the time I went out to take the picture it was dry. Apparently the fabric dries relatively quickly when you're trying to document a leak but if you look very closely at the new picture I've attached you can see a little dark spot. I took that while I was parked and it was raining lightly. As the rain increased it became a steady stream. Once I started driving down the road it was a freaking river pouring into the beauty cover. I picked up some "E6000" at home Depot after reading a number of Miata and S2000 guys had good luck with it, just need it to dry out/stop raining. It's supposed to rain until Sunday morning here and I have my cousin's funeral tomorrow so until then this is how she sits.

MattMan02GT · Aug 6, 2018

Just continuing the blog here...I coated the wear hole in a good layer of the E6000 yesterday morning and it baked in the hot sun all day. I threw on another coat tonight as they are calling for more thunderstorms around

Fingers crossed and praying to God the floor is not wet tomorrow night, as carpet and sound deadening are just starting to dry finally.

stormsedge · Aug 9, 2018

Yup, there are a couple of good YouTube videos on the top/rear window area leaks as well. Note that I've found four holes/leaks around my rear window, so far (still leaks)...I may have to spring for a new one to stop it. My third convertible (TBird, Corvette, and this) and worst leaker of any of them, but the receipts with the car indicate a top replacement without a new window, so to be expected.

MattMan02GT · Aug 9, 2018

Ah yes, if they reused the window and the glue is getting tired that makes sense. The top on this one is in a little worse condition than I originally thought, but it is a 16 year old car. I know a top replacement is eventually inevitable, but I need to push it off at least a year. I picked up some of the Product 303 Aerospace cleaner and protector to hopefully treat the vinyl and extend the life of what I have left! The car's carpet was bone dry when I looked at it, but the PO had the car for 3 years and put 800 miles on it in that time. The rest it was in the garage, so of course it was dry lol.

daveinva · Oct 26, 2019

Exactly where is this seam that you sealed? I'm not clear on this... Have the same problem with my 2004

QUOTE="wmburns, post: 9129361, member: 152830"]
+1 on above. That is EXACTLY how my convertible was leaking. Basically I re-sealed the seam between the floor pan and the frame channel. I used an Aluminum Foil Tape to seal the seam.

I'm sure there's more than one way to solve this problem.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/ADO-Products-2-in-x-50-yds-Aluminum-Foil-Tape-Roll-TF25012/302742795
[/QUOTE]

wmburns · Oct 27, 2019

Did you look at the video about the 4:00 minute mark?

In my case, I sealed the entire seam between the floor pan and the frame rail.

95Vert383AOD · Apr 29, 2020

I know this thread is a little old but.... I found an alternate resolution. The back of the water channel where it meets the wheel well has an opening that is usually plugged up with seam sealer from the factory. Those reliefs in the pinch weld just aren't enough and sealing the floor pan is a bandaid that just allows the water level in the channel to get higher. If you remove the seam sealer at the bottom and reveal the hole chances are the floors will never get wet because that channel will never hold enough water. After testing with a hose lots of nasty stuff that would normally block up those smaller reliefs/holes in the pinch weld started coming out thru the back. Hope this helps someone. Chances are that extra seam sealer in the wheel well already has cracks in it like in the picture.

ebitt · May 1, 2020

I JUST found the driver side rear floor soaked and sloshing around while attempting to locate an annoying rattle (hood prop rod). The car was pulled into the driveway incline with a slight slope to the driver side. The cowl has been off due to disintegrating after removal for the strut tower brace. We had a lot of rain and high winds and lots of debris were located in the cowl area. Does anyone know where the cowl drains are located? This is the first time water leaks have been an issue.

joshcapecod · Nov 3, 2022

95Vert383AOD said:
I know this thread is a little old but.... I found an alternate resolution. The back of the water channel where it meets the wheel well has an opening that is usually plugged up with seam sealer from the factory. Those reliefs in the pinch weld just aren't enough and sealing the floor pan is a bandaid that just allows the water level in the channel to get higher. If you remove the seam sealer at the bottom and reveal the hole chances are the floors will never get wet because that channel will never hold enough water. After testing with a hose lots of nasty stuff that would normally block up those smaller reliefs/holes in the pinch weld started coming out thru the back. Hope this helps someone. Chances are that extra seam sealer in the wheel well already has cracks in it like in the picture.

what Did you remove to get at the sealer to open it up in the pic? the rear inner wheel plastic? take off the ground effect? I have an 03 vert gt, not far fropm you on cape cod. 2 years old thread just found....

2002 GT Convertible Wet Floor/Leak

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