Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Had a look at my battery last night following a post saying it needs to be secured and I noticed a lot of moisture in the battery compartment. I know that earlier cars with the battery in the engine bay suffered from blocked drainage channels and resultant water in the passenger footwell. this is a later car withthe battery in the boot. Any suggestions as to where this water is coming from? It is a non- sunroof model so it can't be blocked sunroof drains. I think it has been happening for many years as there is a small hole rusted through at the bottom. I also note that the battery vent pipe is not connected. The battery is seems to have vent locations but they are plugged.

Any suggestions on sources of water would be a help.

I did see some drips of water coming through the hatch top that side when I washed the car with a power washer a few weeks ago but I felt this was the pressure pushing through rather than a proper leak. When i saw tha water in the battery compartment I felt the top of the back seat. It was dry as a bone.

Any advice would be really helpful.

Cheers

will be coming from the rear hatch locking pin area seal or the drain pipe from latch is not connected or from the rear light cluster (seals deteriorated)

Nick

Agreed.

The big rubber bits around the pin holes are about £30 each at the moment from my nearest OPC (Nottingham) but apparent the 968 items fit too and may be a smidge cheaper. Let me know if you want me to dig up the product codes for the 944 items - oddly they are left and right oriented...

Also check the drain tubes are in place still under the bottom of the "sphincter" latches are that hold the pins when the hatch is closed. There should be a plastic tube that takes water down from a little catch-tray under the latch, through a drain on each side (of which the near side one is right by the battery).

If you have the non-bridge / pre-90 (?) big black classic rubber spoiler, check that you have clean drain holes that run from the bottom edge of the glass through to the 944/turbo/S/S2 badge area. there is one on each side. These can easily be cleared with a sturdy cable tie or other bendy bit of plastic a few mm wide. If you have too much water sitting on your spoiler / bottom of your hatch, then it can leak around the hatch frame if the bond is failing.

My car is almost perfectly leak free now after some new latch pin grommets. Refitting the light clusters and removing the bodge-up silicon sealant that was there, in favour of proper light cluster fitting double sided foam tape from a body shop helped a lot too.

Good luck!

PS: I kept my carpet out for a few weeks while I was diagnosing the specific leak points... You might also want to make sure the bungs in the bottom of the driver's side cubby hole (opposite the battery) are clear and can be removed if water does build up. Ditto the spare wheel hole (this one is a pinch-bung that can be squeezed from below if water gets in the wheel well).

Cheers for the advice guys. I know it's not the spoiler drains as I cleared them the day I got the car. I also made sure the latch drain tubes were connected and the drains cleared. It must be the light cluster seal. I did see some water running from under the light cluster before so it's pretty much certain it's the light cluster. I'll have to source some double sided sealer tape as suggested.

Thanks again.

Where abouts are you in Herts? I'm 99% sure I'm going to be visiting my folks in WGC on Sunday so happy to drop by with some leftover tape (any excuse to drive my car about the back roads and talk to another car nerd for 10minutes!)

Sorry Chris I only just saw this post. It must have been buried by a load of other new posts so I missed it. Would have been good to meet up. If you are down in Herts again let me know. I am in Hitchin so on your route to WGC via the A1M. Not hard to get to from the M1 either via Luton.

The saga of my watery rear quarters continues. Fixed the upper hatch seal. Resealed both rear light clusters but realised the water is coming through the hatch pin seats. I pulled out the rubber seals intact and gave them a clean. It was rust central under there so I cleared out the rubbish but didn't have time to do more to the hatch locks so put the rubber seals back in. I'll have to do more another time. Got to say the design of this hatch is truly rubbish.

I can't disagree! Anything that needs a pair of rubber tubes to drain the water through the floor of the boot is not a good design.

What did you use to seal your light clusters? Mine are 99% water tight but not quite perfect.

I didn't change the main big tailgate seal but did do the pin grommets and they seem pretty solid now.

Chris

I used 8mm butyl body panel sealant cord.

Got in from wayside adhesives via eBay for £9.99. It was really good stuff and was a doddle to fit. Time will tell if it leaks at all. It won't be the sealant. It would only be my technique applying it. I ran all the way round the cluster in one piece and butted it up well in the bottom corner.

When I get time I will pull out the rubber pin seals and the take out the latches an clear it all out so it drains better. I might try to run some rubber compound accross the bottom corner of the hatch area on the body to stop water running down the sides and settling under the back lip. If I can direct water outwards down the side of the car and do something to direct water running through the spoiler drains the leaky area may stay relatively dry.