Just when you think you are out -- it pulls you back in!!

Okay, so, managed to cure the leaks from the a-pillars. Now I get a very wet left leg (UK RHD). not coming from the footwell vent however, but coming from the panel below the steering wheel. The sponge back is soaked.

I have checked all drainage previously and all seems okay. I am a little concerened as my floor is wet also. Not the carpets but the floor pan and the vinyly lined sponge cover...

I guess this is a dash out job?

 

My guess is windscreen seal. Check if the blower is wet though, as it just could be from that area. Windscreen seal: start by squeezing sealer all the way round the screen/rubber interface of the bottom half of the screen. Bitumastic sealer is good and cheap. Push the nozzle under the rubber and go all round squeezing the gun. Clean up afterwards with rag and white spirit. Do the rear window between body and chrome strip (ie cover the existing seal in that gap with the bitumastic sealer) while you are at it!

Remove the carpets and the underlay and dry them out. Dry the floor and treat it to some rust killer and a waxoil coating, or some other coating. By and large the floorpans rust from the inside out, I believe, and damp carpets are the ideal rust incubating material.

Greg

 

mefoote, how did you fix the leak from the A pillars?

 

I agree that the windshield seal is a likely culprit.

You might wanna get up under the dash with a can of WD40. The dampness (or sometimes outright wetness) can play hell with the electrical connections :-)





Just to verify.....

You checked all four drains? Two at the base of the air intake plenum below the wiper grille and two evaporator case drains that come thru the florrboard?

Cheers
DD

 

A pillar leak:
Seemend to be coming through the bottom corners of the windscreen, and dropping next to the dashboard.
Taking off the a pillar cover showed and overlap between the a pillar and the joint for the front section. filled with Silicone.

Check the wiper grill drains they were fine, and the evap case drains were bone dry, no moisture around there either.

also sealed the joing between the windscreen rubber and the car metal work, but not the rubber and windscreen itself.

Agree with the WD40, as the moisture sometimes drips from the joint between the footwell vent and the heater controls.

haven't managed to get under the car yet to see if the evap drains are fully clear - but imagine that if they were blocked, then water would come out of the drain connections? Or would it build up and overflow elsewhere....Doesn't sound good if it did.

 

It fills up a flat tray beneath the aircon unit and then slops over the side and down the tunnel side to the floor - about where the footwell vents are...

The drain pipes are hard to see, but from underneath they are each sdie of the bellhousing/gearbox, but do not poke down very far at all. A thick wire poked up usually results in a wet arm as the blockage is cleared. You can just see the last inch or so of the drain poking down in the top middle of this photo:



Greg

 

I think you can see from the windscreen pic that the corner seal isn't quite as tight as it should be? I have sealed that area, but are you now saying that I should re-seal between the glass and the rubber?

 

Yes, exactly so. And unblock the aircon drains, in case they are to blame.

Greg

 

Many Thanks for the help regarding windscreen and condensate drains.
resealed between the glass and rubber over the weekend, to the masts out to dry, sealed the back window and checke condensate drains (clear).

So, as it was a lovely day on sunday, and the big cat has not had so much cosmetic attantion for a while - she got some!!

The passanger door card was re-done by myself a whle back and seems to be okay.

P.S. Cats can scratch!! - removing the windscreen chrome top piece left me with numerous cuts and bruises!!

 

Congratulations, loveely looking car, now for a wet day and a real test!

Greg

 

Okay, so far so good.
I am still getting condensation on the inside of the car, but I think this is due to some residual water somehwhere and the fact that I don't think my window channel seals are quite tight enough.

Now the weather is getting a bit brighter and warmer, I plan to go through the wiring of the car, and starting by taking out the interior. From what i have seen so far this is seems fairly straight forward (love the old school srews and bolts rather than plastic clips).

Any suggestions on particular points to look for? So far my only issue is a cigar lighter that doesn't work (although it used to) and the rear window de-mist.

Once all out I plan to treat the interior, maybe add some ambient LED's an generally tidy up.

 

Dirty, loose, and corroded connections and ground points. Considering the water leaks, "corroded" might be the most likely of the three :-).

Unplug connectors and relays to clean the terminals. Clean the fuses and fuse clips as well.

Do this from bumper-to-bumper and you've pre-emptively solved about 80% of the much ballyhooed "Lucas, Prince of Darkness" problems. Repeat every 20 years.

Cheers
DD