footwell leak fiesta 1998?

Ford brought out a modification to add a cover to the pollen filter to cure leaks into the passenger footwell. The part number is YS6H 18B500 BB, FINIS Code 1138001 description cover -blower and costs £8. It is held in position by the rubber strip in front of the air intake. I have just fitted one to our 97 Fiesta which was leaking badly when the car was left out in the rain. It will be a few weeks before I know for sure whether this has cured the problem, but the mechanic at the Ford garage said it was a common problem and the part was fitted as standard to later cars. Hope this is of use, it's cetainly a lot less work than removing the dashboard!

David Millard
January 2007

I solved this problem two years ago on my son's 1998 1.3 Fiesta by putting silicone sealant around edges of the pollen filter box. We were advised to do this by a friendly mechanic at our local Ford dealer. He told us that this this was the remedy they used when the cars came back for warrantly claims when they were new. I was a bit of a fiddle taking the panel out in front of it so that we could get proper access for the silicone gun but it was well worth it in the long run

Alan Perry
December 2006

Hi, Dennis,

Could be coming from a number of places. May be coming in via the windscreen rubber. It should be sealed to the glass and to the car itself. With age, the rubber parts company with both and starts to disintegrate, allowing water to seep round it. You can buy a small tube of sealing stuff from Halfords to reseal it yourself, but it never really works properly. Only way to do it properly is to have the screen taken out and refitted by one of the mobile guys, using a new rubber sealing strip. Should n't cost you much. You can check it by very gently easing the strip away from the metal of the frame, using a plastic lever...not metal, as you'll scratch the paint. Try this after a shower and you may see where the water's still there. It may not be immediately over where it's coming through into the car, as it can travel a distance before it drops into the footwell. Next, it may the heater pipes are leaking. Check to see if there's any pipes up under the dashboard. Run your fingers down any you find to see if you can feel any dampness on them. Of course, the water may be running down the pipes after coming through the windscreen. Also, it may be coming in round the door. The rubber door seal may be distorted or torn. Check to make sure it fits well when you shut the door. A good trick is to put some paper down the rubber strip when you shut the door, then try and pull it out. It shouldn't move. Try it all the way round the door. It may be that the door catch needs adjusting to make the door shut tighter against the rubber strip if the paper isn't clamped tight when the door's shut. It's often difficult to find the source of a leak, but there's a couple of ideas to try. Of course, you can always sit in the car while somebody blasts the car with a hosepipe to try and find the leak. Have fun!!

Denis Langley

Denis Langley (ex-mobile mechanic)
December 2006