Well, we've had several days of rain here, and I have discovered that the passenger side dashboard leak is back, albeit much smaller. After paying the equivalent of about US$6-700 to have the windscreen resealed (removed and replaced) to fix this leak, I am not happy.
Sod getting the windscreen redone. There must be someplace I can shove some gunk in to block it. As the leak appears inside between the left edge of the dash and the black trim piece immediately beside it, I would like to try and remove that black trim piece, if it can be done without removing the entire dash (again, sod that). It is only a minor leak, and I don't want to do any major surgery. Frankly, the car's not worth it.

So any hints or suggestions would be gratefully received....

 

Hi Someday

There is a Notorious leak spot just under the Windscreen Chanel just above your 'Arrow' which says 'or possibly here'

Where it looks like there 'could possibly be' a bit of the Windscreen sealing rubber missing, I'll have to make a comparison with my own car

But what you are thinking of doing, would probably tend to keep Water in rather than keep it out

In other words I'm thinking that any sealing needs to be done outside rather than inside, as the Water gets under that Windscreen Seal and lays there till the Car starts to rot out

Not trying to be alarmist but that is what tends to happen, so I feel your problem is outside the car

 

Thanks OB. The reason for removing the side black piece is to trace the leak, so I can find the entrance. JEF did tell me there wasn't any rust under the chrome, so I can eliminate the A pillar as a culprit. The sealant would go as close to the outside as possible, which is why I want to see where it comes in, and not just caulk up the plastic trim, which wouldn't do any good. The finisher along the bottom of the chrome shouldn't allow any access for leaks, so I don't think it finishing not quite at the end is a problem. Though there would be some tiny gap between the chrome and the paint, I would be surprised if water could get in.

 

I think it is more likely that the water is coming in past the door sealing rubber, rather than through the windscreen. Also, if on the facelifts you have the drain holes in the top corner gutter trim that allows water to drain down the A pillar under the chrome trim. I would buy some gunk and block these off. It cannot be see as the gutter trim hides it.
As for the door seal, which because of the technology of the day are nowhere near as good as modern door seals, extra compression is the answer, but moving the door to get it is not. So what I did is to glue a strip of flat rubber trim along that entire seal from about the top hinge level up to the top of the A pillar. This gives extra compression, the door shuts more firmly and it works. This is the sort of stuff:
Door Seals, Rubber Seals, Rubber Extrusions, Window Rubbers UK | Seals Direct
If you have frameless windows, which I believe some facelifts do, the extra seal may not be an option though.

 

Thanks Greg. Yes, it's frameless (I'm pretty sure all facelifts are frameless, mine being an early coupé). Earlier, I experimented with blocking off the A pillar drain, but it didn't seem to make any difference. It may well be the door seal. JEF actually glued a slim strip of foam seal along the inner part of the door, where it presses against the rubber I'm pulling down in the third photo of my initial post. But it wasn't glued very well, and one corner is coming away. Possible culprit, though I'm not sure about the path.

 

Hi Someday

I've got you a couple of Photos which may be of help (or maybe not?)

The little plastic finisher with the rolled back edge, is something that I've found really helps to keep the water out, not that I ever deliberately take the Car out in the rain

But I always make sure that there is plenty of Waxoyl underneath it, just in case I get caught out in an unexpected rain storm

Although I think your main problem is with the door seal, where as you can see from the Photo, there is a great big block of rubber that is there to keep the Water out

Just wondering if this is missing on your Car?



Trim with rolled edge helps keep water out



Another view of the Plastic Trim



This could be the most likely cause of Water getting in (if this is missing)

 

Hmm. Big chunk of rubber in the third pic? Doesn't look familiar. Yours is pre-facelift, right? There might be some differences, but I'll take another look to see if anything looks like it's missing. Not right now, however, as it's raining....
(I can't worry about rain on my car, so she gets driven in all weathers. Well, not in snow, not yet.)

 

Hi OB. The rain cleared up, and I was able to take a closer look, and get some photos for reference. Incidentally, I didn't detect any water inside this time, for what it's worth. And oh boy is my car mucky. Spring rain is the worst: very dusty, dirty rain. I blame China.


The same angle as the third photo in your post, more or less. Instead of two sections, the black plastic is one continuous piece, and nothing appears missing on either side.


Urgh. What is this muck? It's soft, and slightly greenish. Mould? This is NOT the side that leaks, however. But the flashing at the bottom of the chrome still doesn't quite make it all the way to the edge.


Here we are on the leaky side. This shows the foam barrier JEF added just in case.


A good clean with a toothbrush (not the one I currently use) would be an idea, I think.

 

Hi Someday

That additional piece of Foam looks a total 'Bodge' and only reinforces my lack of faith in having any work done on my Car except by me

In view of that I would suggest that you start with a massive clean up, so that you can get all of that 'Crud' out of there

And then take 'Lady Mary' to a 'Body Shop' and then come back and tell us what they may have suggested as a way of fixing her

So that you no longer have any water leaks, as if the rust starts to eat in then it would get very expensive

(my car is a pre-facelift and no water ever gets in)

As an Aside: Car SOS did a full restoration of a 240z I only caught the tail end as I was rearranging the Cars in my Garden

Which at one point started to look like a main dealers forecourt

I'll have a look on Youtube and see if I can find the Video, as it 'may' have shown the rebuild of the Fuel Rail

 

Not only is it a bit crude, but it's not very well done as it started coming away pretty damn soon. However, aside from that one tiny one, there are no leaks at all that I can discover, and she has to put up with way worse weather than yours. So the situation's probably not too bad....

 

Hi Someday

Maybe you could get some better quality foam from somewhere and have a go yourself

P.S. That Video isn't up yet but I will keep a look out, as the restoration they did on that looked amazing

 

Video? Did I miss something in your last post?

 

Hi Someday

The Video was mentioned only as an aside:

CAR SOS (uk tv programme) did a restoration of a Fairlady 240z I only caught the tail end of it

But it 'may' have contained something about 'barbs' on Fuel Rails, I haven't seen it on Youtube yet

Though no doubt it will be put up eventually

 

Those Z's used the very same injectors as the XJS IIRC. Pretty sure I recall they came with ferrules too.

 

Ah, gotcha, OB. I didn't realise that was the name of a programme.

Hmm. According to THIS and THIS, the 240Z Fairlady fuel rail does not have multiple barbs. The resolution HERE is too low to be certain. But even if the injectors are the same, that doesn't mean that the fuel hose connectors are the same, right?