Dear all,

I am seeking advice - I have found a small water leak into the passenger's footwell in Jaguar XJ 351.

From my checks so far:

• I can rule out A pillar and anything above it I have removed A pillar cover and found this to be watertight with no signs of leaks, down the dashboard.
• I can rule out the cabin filter. The cabin filter and the housing inside are dry.

When checking the cabin filter, I have removed the trim under the glove compartment, I have found that the water seems to drip over the cables and connectors highlighted in the photo below. However, can't see past it even with a small endoscopic camera as there is little room to wiggle it further.



I have also checked the drainage under the bonnet and all seems ok at first glance. No obvious clogs or dirt, I have also lifted slightly and checked fitting of the scuttle panel and all seems to be the same as on the non-leaking side of the car.



Any ideas/previous experience of similar issues? From other threads I found no other leads besides what I was able to investigate so far.
Would greatly appreciate your ideas. Would removing the glove compartment reveal more or easier access?

 

Water in the footwell seems like a pretty classic example of AC condenser drain being clogged. Does this happen all the time or only when the AC is on?

I think i recall a Jag owner telling me once that his line was clogged, and the dealer actually just ran a new line down rather than replace the existing because that was easier.

Maybe check the drain hose and test with compressed air?

 

Yes it does point to the AC drain. It's in the right spot too.
Does the car put out water underneath with the AC on?
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A clogged duckbill isn't a common X351 problem, although it was a problem with earlier X150 models (4.2L XK/XKR models from 2007 - 2009 in the USA). The duckbill was redesigned for the 5.0L X150 models.

Try this with the engine running:
1. Turn rear seat climate control off.
2. Close all AC vents as tight as possible.
3. Set air to recirculate (inside air only).
4. Set temperature to maximum cooling.
5. Manually vary the fan speed between highest and lowest for several minutes. Hopefully, that'll cause the duckbill to open enough to release the condensate. Look for water underneath the engine.

This hack works best when it's hot and humid outside. Unfortunately, @manzana is in GB where it's definitely not hot and humid in December.

 

In addition to the above suggestions open and slam the door several times too. You want a burst of air pressure to try and blow the drain out. Might work, might not work. But it is cheap and simple to do.
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Just to let everyone know - the culprit was the windshield glue in the top edge section. Water would seep slowly. (possibly collecting above the curved top section of the windscreen and seep through the A pillar but on the inside of it, so not visible even with the trim cover off.

To diagnose, I had to cut away the glass panel between the windscreen and the sunroof and pour water in different places, with the headliner dropped. To cut away the glass panel, Jaguar manual specifies specific blades but I have been able to do this with a chef's knife. Later re-glued along with a patch-up to the windscreen glue.

Also please note the round hole in the photo - these are the famous Jag XJ 351 sunroof drain holes which cannot be easily accessed and cleaned unless the glass panel is removed. I did not find any debris there though it is rusting.

 

Thanks very much for reporting back!
That was a tough repair and I doubt I would have found it. The first time I have seen it reported too.

Now I know why I could NOT find any moonroof drain holes either! They are buried under that small glass panel. Which does not seem to have any purpose other than visual.
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I'm chasing an odd water damage issue on my 2010. The leather on my A post trim has split and on removing the trim the foam backing feels slightly damp, and it certainly looks like water damage, but there are no other signs of water ingress into the car, no damp in any of the foam or components inside the pillar, no wet footwells, and the car doesn't mist up. At a total loss!

Needless to say finding a leather Supersport replacement trim in Parchment is proving... difficult.