with the roadsalt washed away by a nice 50 degree rainstorm in January, took the mustang out for a spin- its been sitting outside. the car stinks, the windows fogged up, inside the trunk even dripping from condensation...passenger floor all wet. oh no- popped the hood to pull the cowl vent off in the dark, just happened to see something with the flashlight I'd never noticed in the daylight- those frickin rubber drains are RIGHT THERE behind the valvecovers, down about halfway...just pull them thru, they come right out. guess the pine needles this fall found a new home, the drivers side was plugged solid with them, passenger side quite a few...thought I'd share a couple pics, now that I see its a 30 second job to clean them out...

just open the hood with a cool engine and reach up thru them, if they feel like theres anything in them, just pull them down diagonally, they come right out, and then the hole is big enough to reach up inside and feel around too.they pop right back in- they are really thin/soft rubber- and pull them straight down till they click back into position.

I'd read someone in here said they left theirs out, I see why now, they are high enough its doubtful any water would ever get in there...

now just got to get the thing aired out and dry, smells like a wet dog in there...floor wet, SJB dripping, yuck.
just gonna leave windows/trunk open in the garage with the mats out/carpet flipped up for a few days...guess I shoulda checked these more often- will from now on

 

Good info , I'll have to check it out since I don't like removing the cowl. If you're not careful when you put it back on you can get leaks around the rubber grommets it snaps into.

 

Great info thanks for the pics man! A guy that fixed a leaky sunroof in my old charger told me to take those out. Wasn't sure what he was talking about but he told me it was a really common problem with the S197s. Now I know! Thanks man!

 

just a follow-up on drying out the car- both floors were wet, looking it over, it appears water ran in thru the fan, down the firewall/carpet- but hits the wire harness and followed it to the SJB and under the carpet where the three tabs are that clip the harness to the floor.
the passenger side has padding all the way up to the dash, it wouldnt dry out, even with it propped up/fan blowing and a 'orion' dehumidifier running in the garage for 4 days... I ended up cutting(ouch) the passenger pad at the harness holes(as it was bone dry above them) took it out, squeezed the water out of it rolling pin style with a pipe, then sat it backside to the dehumidifier fan. drivers side has a plastic pad- just propped it up with fan blowing in, it dried overnight.

moral of the story, pull and clean those rubber drains often, its a real mess otherwise. I really dont think the firewall pad would EVER dry if not pulled out, it was sopping wet after 4 days...closed vinyl top layer prevents evap from above, and one sided from below just wont cut it.

still think Mustangs have the absolute cheapest crap carpet ever put in a vehicle, love the car, but man ford cheeped out on that carpeting at least it dont smell anymore and still looks good

 

Howdy Tim. I think I'll check these out on my new car. I've been pulling pine needles from here and there since I bought the car. I'm sure the car was garaged except while under the pine tree at dealer.

 

A ford dealer recommened to cut the tips of them to allow a bigger opening for debris to fall through. I had a few leaves in mine, but LOTS of built up dirt. But that was 5 years of driving built up.
He also said he just takes them out and leaves them out.

 

the wet floor was usually a bad seam sealer application as i understand it...but if the drains are open, you would probably never know if the sealer was right or wrong.

our driveway has a row of big pines along it- man i hate those trees...needles/sap/pollen.. mines pretty clogged up twice a year with needles

 

The rubber drains may keep mice,rats etc. from getting in from the engine compartment. I had a mouse build a nest in a van once and did that stink, furthermore it was hid up under the dash and really hard to find. One day I opened the hood on our vw and their sat a rat warming itself on the intake!

 

my 06 is sitting out, mice got into the airfilter...I checked it every couple weeks, this past weekend when I popped the hood the battery blanket was chewed on and airfilter was shredded...glad I checked before driving! had only been 2 friggin weeks since last checked/driven.

anyone with a winter parked car, check that airbox! inside or out, they can tear some stuff up in a hurry.

 

Here's a good video that shows the other spot where water can get in.

 

theres another spot too- the black plastic door/window molding has double sticky foam on it- both sides of mine had 'oozed' out over the years, water gets in there and can run down the a-pillar like a downspout.

mine though was still spilling in from the fan housing due to the goofy clogged drains. thx for posting the video, next time I pull the cowl cover I'll glue those plastic clips down

 

Many thanks for this tip regarding the rubber grommets. I pulled mine out and six years of mud, seeds, and more came flying out on both sided! I ran the hose from the top and was able to clear the muck out and clean these flap like grommets. I too had a water leak but mine was coming from the passenger side window molding which had failed.