I'm new to this forum - great forum and great information. Thanks in advance!

I have a 1986 Jaguar XJ6. Yesterday, I washed it and then it rained. When I went for a drive, water was pouring in on my feet and on the passenger side as well. I'm assuming that when I washed it, water was gathering somewhere under the hood. The only potential clue I have is that the chrome grill near the windshield (where the wipers mount) is really loose - maybe that grill needs to be sealed to prevent water coming into the cabin??

Anyway, is the source of my problem that chrome grill or are there firewall grommetts or some other area I should be looking at?

Thanks for your help!

 

As an update to my previous post, it appears that the water leak is heater related. Any advice? Would heater-related leaks leak on both driver and passenger side?

 

That chrome grill covers a plenum chamber for the heating/air con. It has drains to stop it filling with water, which can then spill into the heater assembly.

You can see the drains on the bulkhead if you lift the bonnet and look at the back of the engine. They are two rather large and short rubber tubes coming outwards from the bulkhead then dropping downwards, with the ends almost closed off. They are this way rahter than completely open to stop engine fumes from being drawn into the heater and hence the car, but it sounds as if they have got blocked up, so you need to clear them out, a five minute job, I would think.

Other thing is the plenum chamber could even be corroded thus allowing water in through rust holes; your car is 24 years old, after all.

 

There are two condonsation drains that where always plugged up on XJ40 models. Remove both side under dash panels to access the hoses off the bottom of the blower case. If not previuosly done pull back blower housing boot and remove filters and blow out drains.

 

Is a US 1986 XJ6 a Series 3 XJ6 or an XJ40. The cars are completely different. I assumed the car is a Series 3.

Notwithstanding this, both cars have a plenum chamber, and it is well known that early XJ40s suffered from severe corrosion in the bulkhead area, necessitating very expensive stripdown and welding to cure. I remember reading the articles in UK magazines about this in the 90s

 

Fraser, you got him sorted. The first XJ40's here were May '87 but labeled as 1988 model year cars.