L322 Bad leak into Drivers footwell

[awkwardbob]

Hi,

Whilst sorting through some minor issues with my 2003 L322 if had her parked up for a couple of weeks.

I got a shock when, after some really heavy rain, I found the mat and carpet in the drivers footwell completely soaked -not damp, saturated.

Door seals seem ok but I do get water when opening the door (same on NS) but not this much.

What might be likely culprits ?

The rubber lower finisher on the windscreen might not be stuck to the screen right in the corner and scuttle panel is a wee bit loose / rattly -could it be this ?

Or is the likely culprit the sun roof drain pipes ?
I had a look but does anyone have any advice on how to check / probe / unblock these ? (Or is there a guide ?)

Thanks again

Soggy Bob

 

[Mark Piercy]

The rubber strip on the lower windscreen plastic is just a finishing strip. One problem is the drains at either end of the body work under the windscreen and beneath the plastic tray. These can get blocked with leaves and debris. The water level then rises and finds an easy way into the interior.
This normally requires the wipers and the plastic tray to be removed, then clear the drains and remove the rubber drain tubes completely.
For the sun roof, open it fully and stand in the car through the sunroof and pour water into the surrounding sunroof tray and watch its behavior. Also check the upper front door pillars and headlining the area of each drain for damp forming. (one at each corner).

 

[Pug957]

Don't forget the AC drain tubes. They're easy to get at behind the side dash panel by your feet.

 

[awkwardbob]

Ughhhh….

I’m losing the will here. A few days of glorious weather and all dried out, one morning of rain and footwell drenched again.

The water seems to be getting in quite high up, just below windscreen level and I don’t have the time for prolonged investigations….

I also seem to be stuck in Trailer mode with the occasional ‘Check Trailer’ light warning and a CAM bus error on the EAS.

I’m a bit p*ssed off as I put it into a garage to have a coolant leak fixed and its come back with these new issues

The old 7N socket on the back was toast so i cut it off and refitted a new one as I thought it might be a short -but that’s made zero difference. Will try the trailer module when I get a chance and the Midgies will let me, but i wondered if all of this could be related to a soggy footwell and electronical grief ?

I need a bear

Bob

 

[awkwardbob]

Pics of the water ingress:

 

[Datatek]

Pics of the water ingress:
View attachment 345418
View attachment 345419View attachment 345420View attachment 345421

Any damp inside the car is likely to lead to electronic issues.

 

[Mark Piercy]

Any damp inside the car is likely to lead to electronic issues.

+1^

 

[Blob]

That is a severe leak isn't it? TO have the water splashing on the door panel like that it may as well have the window open!

I think you need to give it a bit of a hosing with a friend sitting in it.

Have you cleared the drains out? I've used compressed air to do it in the past, if you don't have a compressor, you can got the petrol station and used the tyre pump to some degree but the easiest thing is to just pour some water in around the base of the wiper and see if it drains away, if it pools at all you have a bit of a blockage. Both sides of the scuttle and I think there's one in the centre too.

I don't think the angles would be right for it to be the seal around the door mirror and even if it were, how would the water hit the door card half way down? It's mysterious but so bad it has to be big enough to find.

 

[awkwardbob]

I tried the scuttle panel and there is a load of gunk around the base of the wiper. Water is pooling there but does drain out under the footwell when I poured a cup of water in -slowly mind.

Perhaps the torrential rain is causing it.

I’ll start with the scuttle panel and work from there.

Would some fluorescent dye help ? -or am I over-complicating things

Thanks again for your help

 

[Blob]

If it's draining slowly, it ain't right. Put some water in there, hit it with the airline, then wipe your face and change your shirt etc. as you will be wearing a fair bit of muck! Ask me how I know... Or cover over it a bit with a cloth, you know, your choice and all that. The water shouldn't really pool at all, it should just run away

I think fluorescent dye will just end up dying your interior a bit. If you can, remove the wiper arms, (tip: put a bit of tape on the screen to help you line them up again afterwards) but they may well put up one hell of a fight to remove them from the spindles. If you can do that you can remove the scuttle pretty easily and then you'll see if you you have a big pool of water in there.

I can't shake the nag about how splashy the water seems to have been on the side of the dash, that's the bit that's really bothering me about this issue, surely it can only splash if it falls from a height. You haven't got a seal pulled out round the top of the door have you?

 

[Blob]

Did a little video for you on mine draining water, sorry about the wind noise.


Maybe a daft question but was the panel already missing from the side of your dash or is there water behind it? I don't think it's the scuttle panel that's causing your issue.

 

[awkwardbob]

Hi, no, I had the top of the dash out to fix the (original) stereo and then realised my fuel gauge is mid-calibrated so thought I might need to take it off again -so, lazily never popped it back on.

Door seals seem ok, nothing obvious. Unless something has gone wrong behind the a-pilled trim on the outside.

I’ll show you mine later but it doesn’t drain anything like that quickly.

I’m just shocked by the sheer amount of dampness -you could wring the carpet out like a sponge -and odd that it’s all happened seemingly suddenly

 

[Mark Piercy]

Did a little video for you on mine draining water, sorry about the wind noise.


Maybe a daft question but was the panel already missing from the side of your dash or is there water behind it? I don't think it's the scuttle panel that's causing your issue.

That's my thoughts also. I see this on many cars that come in through winter with either water ingress or excess humidity in the cabin

 

[Blob]

That's my thoughts also. I see this on many cars that come in through winter with either water ingress or excess humidity in the cabin

Years ago, I knew a guy that grew cress on the carpet inside the door shut of his mate's Marina as it was so damp in there!

Thing is, this one's got water splashing to about this height so there's no way that's coming through the scuttle and back that far to there. Sunroof drain and coming down the inside of the A-Pillar? It looks wetter than an otter's privates in there!

 

[awkwardbob]

I don’t think it’s splashing back up, I think it’s getting into the bit behind the dash panel and splashing from there onto the door. If my end panel was on, I think the door would be dry.

I’ll need to try it tomorrow -get inside with a camera

 

[Blob]

Pop the A pillar trim off while you're in there. One screw behind the plastic Airbag cap at the top, think it's a T30 and then pour a watering can over the top edge to the windscreen, do it all the way across the top of the screen as you'll be amazed how far water will travel.

Actually, start at the bottom and work up, that will help you. If nothing comes down the behind the dash when you soak the bottom of the screen then move to the top. After that, soak the sunroof and then open it to see if water is pooling around it inside. It won't seal tight, that's why they have drainage but if you have a puddle in there then you have an issue there also.

Is the headlining damp at all? the water will run across it but it may feel damp.

Is this side leaning slightly downhill? Wouldn't need to be much at all and it won't be the cause but it may help you to diagnose. Good news is that they're pretty much all zero cost tests.

You can remove the heater vent on that side for better visibility, it's simple but I find them bloody fiddly. You need 4 tiny screwdrivers to lever the detents out and a 5th hand to pull the vent out. Word of warning, once you remove the headlight switch, the lights may well be on. Just plug it back in if you leave the vent out.