How To.....

[Smilge]

:lol: Thanks to SA Intruder for original pics ..... rear washer wasnt working this morning and thanks to this thread fixed it as per instructions. Saved me a lot of hassle thanks m8 :lol:

[galaxytdi115]

A sad inevitability that can/will afflict all models from 1995 to date is the joint between the front and rear washer pipe leaking badly.

 

It is an absolute disgrace that this still happens....the damage potential is huge.

 

The cure is fairly simple. But requires a certain level of dexterity...

 

The only tools you need are a med Phillips screwdriver, a small flat blade screwdriver and a couple of small flat nose pliers to effect the rejoint of the pipe.

 

And a means of making the joint less susceptible to coming apart again!

 

I used Epoxy, and then covered the joint with heatshrink sleeving.

 

In my case, the pipe had completely seperated from the coupling.

 

The first photo shows the general view of the trim removed, the second shows the joint detail.

 

To make the repair: remove the two screws (one beneath a removable cover) - note the top one is longer - that hold the forward part of the trim panel on under the glovebox.

 

Pull the weather seal away from the base of the door opening and about 8 inches up the A and B pillars. Start in the middle of the bottom run.

 

Then pull the trim panel toward the interior of the vehicle to release the panel clips. The clips are friction clips, not pop clips they don't break like those on the door panels. Be careful, the same clips secure the loom. Once away you can access the joint.

 

Replacement is the reverse. The weather seal is fun to replace!

[galaxytdi115]

sorted been trying to find a solution to this problem 4 ages, mine just stopped all of a sudden .guess wot im doing in my lunch break tmoz :o

[bogjam]

Firstly I am very poor at repairs and do it yourself type stuff, but I have finally got round to pinning down the reason that my rear wash doesn't work. This forum is fantastic and has helped no end, I wouldn't have had a clue as to how to go about it without this board.

 

It took me less than five minutes to fix and the thing that sprung to mid was how easy it was to repair once you know how. It makes sense to me to have the weakest point in the system somewhere that is so easily accessible. If frozen pipes are going to burst without a built in weak point surely it is easier to put a safeguard in the system.

 

Has anyone repaired theirs and glued it together to find failures then occuring in any other parts of the system?

 

Al

[Davetheref]

Slightly off topic I know, but how nice to see one of SA INTRUDER's early posts. I can remember when I first joined the forum he seemed to be on here a lot and I do miss his 'straight to the point' posts whilst taking no prisoners or making friends. You always got good information from him.

I seem to remember that he disappeared off into the wilds of France. :(

[scrappydoo]

SA Intruder

Many thanks for your information on this, not only do I now have a fully functioning rear wash/wipe, a soon to be much drier passenger footwell, but I'm also now 24 pence and 6 euro cents richer after looking under the carpet in that area! :blink:

[Guest ravingdave]

Thanks for the info on how to fix the rear washer leak. Some extra info that others might find useful. When I first looked at the instructions it was not obvious to me how to remove the weather seal - I was trying to slide it out horizontally away from the door - however it needs to be pulled vertically upwards. However, I also found that I did not need to remove the seal at all. After undoing the two screws and a bit of gentle prising I found there was just enough give to release the trim whilst keeping the seal in place. Then after fixing the joint (I just wired the two sections together) I found that by just pulling up the weather seal a small amount along the bottom, but not releasing it completely, it was easy to replace the trim. Then just push down on the weather seal to get it back in place.

 

I think this must be a common Ford problem. I seem to remember an equally crap joint on my Mondeo, but this at least was in the engine compartment so just leaked into the open air, rather than inside the car.

[Wibbly]

> Then pull the trim panel toward the interior of the vehicle to release the panel clips.

 

I just completed this job, but beware I did indeed break some of the clips. You may have more luck if you try and move the panel UP instead. There are clips in the trip panel on a vertical axis that plug into an assembly that clips into the sill on a horizontal axis. It just depends I guess of which gives way more easily.

 

I also found I didn't need to remove the weather seal - it was flexible enough in my case to facilitate removing and replacing the trim panel

 

For the record, I used a water pipe repair kit (a combination of tape like duck tape, and self amalgamating tape - wonderful stuff) - we'll see how it fairs. The joint had half popped out.

[Horatio]

What a useful post. Many thanks for interesting information. I'll be sure to keep an eye on mine.

 

I'm taking a belt and braces approach to solving a passenger side foot-well 'pond' that has been appeared and re-appeared ever since I first owned the vehicle in 2001. Mine is a W reg 2.3 GLX.

 

For any others out there researching possible causes for their unwanted water feature/s, take heart. Before you can prevent your floor from becoming soaked, first you'll have to establish which leak/combination of leaks your car has. Mine has suffered from 5 different sources of leaks, seemingly these problems employ tag team tactics to annoy us. Must be the law of sod.

 

In order, here's a list of possibilities for you to investigate:

 

1) Windscreen leak - can effect both foot-wells and can easily interfere with your ECU, fitted under the driver's seat.

2) Pollen filter leak - effects the passenger foot-well, caused by incorrectly fitted pollen filter - where filter doesn't fit correctly over the seal.

3) Scuttle drains - these can become blocked, consequently the water pools and drains through the pollen filter or possibly elsewhere on the bulkhead.

4) Black plastic shrouds at base of windscreen, under the wipers - where these plug in need to be silicon sealed - 4 out of 6 reside over the occupant side of the bulkhead!! That's right - directly over your feet, behind the dash!!

5) Inner door seal/weather seal - the metal lip where it fits at the base of the door entrance can become rusty and irregularly shaped.

6) Sunroof - the drain pipe from this can become disconnected and needs to be refitted.

7) Rear washer pipe - as discussed here.

 

If anyone can add anything to this list, I would be most grateful - keeping my Galaxy dry is a work in progress.

 

Regards the underlay beneath the carpet - when it gets wet, the carpet above may in some cases remain dry. However, you'll notice the smell before too long and perpetual misting of the windscreen. Getting it dry is no easy task as the sound insulation material is a thick, dense, felt-like material. I removed the grey trim (about 4 or 5 screws concealed by removable plastic covers), lifted the carpet and used a stanley knife to cut through the rubber matting/underlay/felt. I cut as large an area as I could - right up under the dash, up to the centre console and back as far as the seat. The resultant mass of wet underlay easily weighs in excess of 20kg if it gets as saturated as mine did. It holds alot of water!

 

To get it dry - be patient. It's not going to happen over night. You don't want this thing corroding your floor pan or damaging your air-bag inflation charge, or the loom. The way I dried mine was to leave as much water run/drip away first - all day when the weather was fine, draped over a wall in direct sunshine, rubber side uppermost. Then I took it indoors - with permission from the missus. BE WARNED! You won't be able to hide this thing from your other half. I put it in the bath and used old towels to draw out moisture. Then when it just felt damp, I left it held up against an economy seven storage heater. It took 4-5 days to fully dry out.

 

Don't bother re-fitting it until you've convinced yourself (!) that there are no more leaks. Since 2003, I've had to remove this passenger side underlay 4 times. It's no joke.

 

I appreciate I'm new to the forum, bear with me whilst I air my sorrows! :lol:

[Paul Larner]

It's 2009 and this topic is still going strong...

 

The wife's 2001 Galaxy has a soggy footwell and she put down a load of newspapers to dry up the water. Whilst she was out this morning, I found this topic on the web and thought, "I bet that's what's wrong..." When she got back, sure enough the damp patch was nearest the door. I removed the plastic cover on the lower screw holding the trim on and the upper screw (hidden slightly by the dashboard, and then eased the trim away from the door. Sure enough, there was a puddle of water under the carpet. I've got an Earlex 1200 wet & dry vacuum cleaner (a fantastic purchase for any DIYer, or anyone with kids!) and I was able to pick up an inch of water off the floor!

 

However, the pipe to the rear washer was fine - no breaks at all. Having said that, the rear washer is pathetic - it only squirts up the rear window by about 3 inches, so I suspect a leak somewhere else, but it isn't here...

 

This leads me to the blocked scuttle drain. The instructions from "coldcall" in July 2005 have been printed off and I've had a look at the plastic cover at the bottom of the windscreen, but it doesn't look like it will come off without removing the wiper arms. I did poke the nozzle of the wet & dry vacuum cleaner in the gap underneath to vacuum out some of the leaves and general crud under there, but next stop will be to ease off the wheel arch liner and see what's behind there.

 

Thanks, all, for your ongoing support to this forum ... while Ford continue to build cars as "reliable" as the Galaxy, so this forum will thrive!

 

Paul...

[Paul Larner]

OK, so here's an update now that I have removed the wheel arch liner...

 

TIP - it's easier to remove the wheel arch liner of you turn the steering to full left lock.

 

I took out 6 of the screws and found that at the top of the inner wheel arch (e.g. the metal wheel arch behind the plastic liner) has a big hole (probably 1

[suzuki91]

my rear washer was only getting 3" up the rear screen as well, the pipe had come apart in the rear door. you can get a tell tale residue of water in ther tailgate by the locking pin above the bumper.

[Scope]

Another great thread helping me solving a problem with my galaxy. :lol:

 

Now the question is, do I cut into the underlay to dry it, or try to squeeze it while its still on the floor.

[edatelder]

It's best to carefully cut it out with a Stanley knife so you can remove it fully, hang it up vertically for a while to drain then put it in a warm place for week or so to thoroughly dry. You can also let the car floor pan area dry out too by folding back the carpet.

[Taliska]

As always, thanks again.

 

Cold weather a few weeks ago had caused it to pop out under the trim in the passenger footwell. I used self amagamating tape to wrap the joint - that's the stuff that you wind round your f-plug / lnb connectors on your satellite dish. Fairly easy and not messy to use, we'll see if it works.

 

That's two repairs done today so far: had clocked a tree trunk and knocked the fog light out - bit of superglue and all's well.

 

Cheers,

 

Taliska

[Hookhills]

Had exactly the same problem. A word to the wise ... if the rear washer pipe freezes it can 'pop' at the water bottle too. If you find this has happened, once you have re-connected it, do not be tempted to keep trying to get water through if none appears at the rear washer after a few tries. In my case the pipe not only disconnected at the bottle, but also inside the passenger compartment. When I found the disconnection at the water bottle I assumed I had fixed the problem so kept pumping water for too long, resulting in a saturated carpet and a dead sensor unit.

 

Check both places

[riksilvers]

please help,my rear washer wipe leak seems to be coming from a lot earlier than mentioned..just past the glove box and down onto the trim/carpet,are there several weakspots/joins in the pipe :angry2: :ph34r: :unsure: :unsure: ,and if so how do i get in there????????????

 

I have the same problem.......how do i get in there??

[riksilvers]

please help,my rear washer wipe leak seems to be coming from a lot earlier than mentioned..just past the glove box and down onto the trim/carpet,are there several weakspots/joins in the pipe :angry2: :ph34r: :unsure: :unsure: ,and if so how do i get in there????????????

 

I have the same problem.......how do i get in there??

 

On inspection it was the joint that had come adrift even though it didn't sound like it was coming from there.....problem fixed with the help of this forum...many thanks

[1953bloke]

Thanks for the information. Can anyone recommend someone who knows how to solve this water in the footwell problem near York/ Doncaster? I'm on holiday here from Australia and bought a V reg Galaxy so no tools.

 

Note that the water in the footwell problem has two possible causes. Leaking rear washer fluid (well covered on this site) and a blocked scuttle drain covered here and elsewhere. Diagnosis is simple. If the footwell floods after heavy rain then you have the scuttle drain problem. If it floods in dry weather then you have the washer fluid problem.

 

This scuttle drain problem was relatively easy to solve on my 1996 Galaxy so read this before trying the other posts, which are less complete. The bulkhead (under the windscreen wiper mechanism at the base of the windsreeen) fills up with leaves and other crap. There is a drain hole at the back corner of it about 1.5 inches by 2 inches underneath the pollen filter but you cannot get your hand into that part of the bulkhead, so there is no need to remove the drip tray or the pollen filter or any other parts from inside the bulkhead. The trick is to take the inner plastic wheel arch cover (on the inside of the front passenger side wheelarch (or nearside front for the mechnically minded)). This is held on by six or seven star shaped screws and is very easy to get off. Start undoing the screws from the back - forwards because this plastic inner wing arch is flexible and you'll probably only need to undo 4 screws to get access. Note that some screws are not easy to see so feel inside the wheelarch for them. Pull the inner plastic wheel arch cover away (should come away easily unless you've missed a screw) until you have enough space to get your hand up inside the wheel arch.

 

On the inner wing of the car (the structural part of the car that would still be there if you took the visible wing off), you'll find there is a plastic drain cover with a rubber flap (which it supposed to act as a one way valve). If this drain cover feels blocked then pull it off. Now it is off, you'll be able to clear the hole properly because you'll be able to insert two fingers into the bulkhead and remove any crap that has blocked the drain hole from the outside in.

 

After you've cleaned the joints (with your mother in law's toothbrush), use some epoxy resin like "Araldite" to glue the plastic drain hole cover back on. Then screw the wheel arch cover back on and Bob's your father's brother.

 

Replace your mother in law's toothbrush after a quick rinse.

[Ginettamad]

I'm not far from York. Just had my Passenger footwell full of smelly screen wash too after the hard frosts we've had so I guess the pipe froze and the expanding ice pushed the joint apart.

It may be a safety joint for that reason???

On my car the joint was under the dash within the loom tape near the top of the passenger kick panel not under the door sill panel. No joint under sill under front Pass door found? 1999 MK1 110BHP. I just made some slack and re joined it which seemed a reasonably tight fit.

No tools were needed.

Next time it freezes I'll check it before washing my rear screen!

At least my booster heater is whirring away nicely though so carpet drying out ok now.

Harvey

Edited January 25, 2010 by Ginettamad

[1953bloke]

Thanks for replying/adding.

 

I'm DIY this job and have the wheel arch plastic cover off but dont see any "plastic drain cover with a rubber flap (which it supposed to act as a one way valve)" Maybe it is missing and thats why I'm getting the leak.

 

I'm not far from York. Just had my Passenger footwell full of smelly screen wash too after the hard frosts we've had so I guess the pipe froze and the expanding ice pushed the joint apart.

It may be a safety joint for that reason???

On my car the joint was under the dash within the loom tape near the top of the passenger kick panel not under the door sill panel. No joint under sill under front Pass door found? 1999 MK1 110BHP. I just made some slack and re joined it which seemed a reasonably tight fit.

No tools were needed.

Next time it freezes I'll check it before washing my rear screen!

At least my booster heater is whirring away nicely though so carpet drying out ok now.

Harvey

[ncb]

Thanks for replying/adding.

 

I'm DIY this job and have the wheel arch plastic cover off but dont see any "plastic drain cover with a rubber flap (which it supposed to act as a one way valve)" Maybe it is missing and thats why I'm getting the leak.

 

Naa. The crude rubber flap is supposed to stop anything, mainly leaves getting from the bottom/outside of car and up to the engine bay/bulkhead. Its useless and only is successfull in stopping any stuck leaves getting out rather than stoping them go in.

[Andy galaxy]

A sad inevitability that can/will afflict all models from 1995 to date is the joint between the front and rear washer pipe leaking badly.

 

It is an absolute disgrace that this still happens....the damage potential is huge.

 

The cure is fairly simple. But requires a certain level of dexterity...

 

The only tools you need are a med Phillips screwdriver, a small flat blade screwdriver and a couple of small flat nose pliers to effect the rejoint of the pipe.

 

And a means of making the joint less susceptible to coming apart again!

 

I used Epoxy, and then covered the joint with heatshrink sleeving.

 

In my case, the pipe had completely seperated from the coupling.

 

The first photo shows the general view of the trim removed, the second shows the joint detail.

 

To make the repair: remove the two screws (one beneath a removable cover) - note the top one is longer - that hold the forward part of the trim panel on under the glovebox.

 

Pull the weather seal away from the base of the door opening and about 8 inches up the A and B pillars. Start in the middle of the bottom run.

 

Then pull the trim panel toward the interior of the vehicle to release the panel clips. The clips are friction clips, not pop clips they don't break like those on the door panels. Be careful, the same clips secure the loom. Once away you can access the joint.

 

Replacement is the reverse. The weather seal is fun to replace!

 

just got my galaxy all these problems must relate to all going to tackle mine at the week end

thanks for info will save me lots of time tracing fault

once again cheers.

[SilverBeast]

I have a 2005 '05 Galaxy MkII.

 

The 'usual' joint in the passenger footwell came apart in the 'very' cold last winter. I just plugged it back together and dried out the sound deadening 'sponge' and carpet (over several weeks).

 

Shortly afterwards I notice wipers had stopped working again. This time it was a joint in the 'D' pillar at the back that I haven't seen mentioned before in thie thread. It is of the same type as the one in the footwell but is between the air channel for the rear air con and the 'D' pillar itself, just above the upper seatbelt mounting for the LH rear seat. Very difficult to rejoin, in the end I had to move the air channel forwards a little to get at it.

 

(It's also fun finding all the plastic and metal clips for the 'D' pillar trim panel when you drop them down inside the load area wheel arch cover :o )

 

It still doesn't squirt high enough to reach the top of the area swept by the wiper though, which leaves a nice mucky bit at the top in dry weather.

[dave W]

great tips, just fixed my X-plate Alhambra after the footwell became awash with soapy water! At leat on mine I didnt need to go anywhere near the foam door seal; the plastic trim on the inside of the door from the wheel arch to behind the front passenger seat is held in with 6 screws (2 in arch, 2 behind covers on footwell, 2 behind covers next to seat). The covers pop open from the top using flatblade screwdriver or similar, take screws out, and trim comes out with no effort (clips into the following bit of trim behind the seat). Looks the same in the original pic and saves having to faff with the foam seal, which I was worried about tearing.