Another one to add to the list :O - L322 water ingress !

Hi Guys,

haven't posted a thread on here recently.... Rangy has been behaving herself

I don't know if some of you remember but last year I had a minor issue that involved my car thinking it had crashed ! so the BCM (body control module) will go into crash mode, unlock all doors, turn on all lights including the hazards

It made you look a loony whilst driving along and it done it all of a sudden !


Either way, the fault cleared itself before i could find the cause.


However.... winter 2013 has made the fault return ! - same as before but this time its been doing it for 3 weeks now every time you turn on the ignition. plus iv had a few weird airbag / SRS warning lights / random fault codes...


I starting investigating... can only be one of two things.. a faulty BCM or a faulty SRS ECU... gathered it must have something to do with the airbag system due to the random SRS faults iv been experiencing lately.


Anyway, ordered another module. stripped out all the center console today to get to the bugger buried deep inside.

Upon reaching the old ecu i have found all the carpets in the center console to be soaking wet ! and once I removed the SRS ECU it came out dripping wet in my hand ! - the connector was also badly water damaged, just so lucky no connector pins had corroded off !


This may be the problem !!!

SRS module wet = all sorts of airbag warnings including sending the crash mode signal to the BCM, in turn making my lights and hazards come on.

really surprised it didn't make any airbags deploy ! rather dangerous :S



cut a long story short, replaced the unit and refitted new one once i had dried the interior. new one was then fitted in place after being wrapped in shrink film to keep it dry.



all my issues are gone for now, but i need to source where the bloody water is coming in ?? im guessing somewhere from behind the dash. it looks like its been going on for a while.


im thinking windscreen ?!? / drain holes / vents ?? any ideas guys ?

think the early L322's had issues with the windscreen seals ...

thanks guys




some pictures of the damage:

I seem to recall windscreen sealing issues too....

Mind you, taste it, if it is clean - rain water...bitter/sweet is coolant! The X5's suffer heater leaks, and considering the L322 is an X5 in better dress...maybe related!

Ooooh looks ugly hippo, you need a manicure:hysterically_laughi

Saint.V8 said:

I seem to recall windscreen sealing issues too....

Mind you, taste it, if it is clean - rain water...bitter/sweet is coolant! The X5's suffer heater leaks, and considering the L322 is an X5 in better dress...maybe related!

Click to expand...

ahaa im not tasting that ****e !

deffo not coolant, been keeping an close eye on coolant levels since changing my rad earlier this year.

cossiedreamer1 said:

Ooooh looks ugly hippo, you need a manicure:hysterically_laughi

Click to expand...

shut it doggy !

workers hands those are

2.0_hippo said:

ahaa im not tasting that ****e !

deffo not coolant, been keeping an close eye on coolant levels since changing my rad earlier this year.

Click to expand...

Aircon or Sunroof Drains??

Whats the carpets like along the transmission tunnel and under the centre consol beneath the gear lever?

Wow, even better water leaks than a P38

acc said:

Whats the carpets like along the transmission tunnel and under the centre consol beneath the gear lever?

Click to expand...

It's all damp along the whole centre console under the gear stick etc..

Which leads me to think it's coming from the windscreen and then running down the back of the dash onto the centre console

I would get the hose out and test the windscreen surround.

2.0_hippo said:

It's all damp along the whole centre console under the gear stick etc..

Which leads me to think it's coming from the windscreen and then running down the back of the dash onto the centre console

Click to expand...

Ellis

Have a look also to see if it is coming through the bottom of the heater box.

I would look at the fan intake below the pollen filter there are 2 big rubber seals where it pushes on , I'd check if there is any water in the footwells under the carpets as water does run to the lowest point , wife had a megane on which the drains had blocked under the windscreen scuttle the water ran down the inside of the A pillars and soaked all the carpets and sound proofing had to take the lot out to dry it properly. But I've seen another car (vectra ) where drains have blocked and the water has overflowed through the fan into the passenger side.
good hunting and at east you've found it.

i've often wondered if my strange immobiliser issues are caused by water ingress under the centre console as i think the ECU for it is under there also

could it be the cables and wiring for the transmission passing through a grommet under there, i should probably know but i dont?

thanks for your help guys
Much appreciated


Will have a proper look when I get time. But quickly today I felt the front drivers and passanger carpets and those were pretty dry but the center console area felt damp.


Not sure if it's related but I remember when I had bought the car there used to be some gaffa tape stuck onto the plastic just above the pollen filter under the bonnet. I took it off as I couldn't see what it was there for?? Do you reckon this could be anything to do with how the water is tracking down the centre console ?


Cheers

holidaychicken said:

i've often wondered if my strange immobiliser issues are caused by water ingress under the centre console as i think the ECU for it is under there also

could it be the cables and wiring for the transmission passing through a grommet under there, i should probably know but i dont?

Click to expand...

Not sure if the immobiliser ecu is under there

I know the airbag ECU is and I think the gearbox ECU is also there

2.0_hippo said:

thanks for your help guys
Much appreciated


Will have a proper look when I get time. But quickly today I felt the front drivers and passanger carpets and those were pretty dry but the center console area felt damp.


Not sure if it's related but I remember when I had bought the car there used to be some gaffa tape stuck onto the plastic just above the pollen filter under the bonnet. I took it off as I couldn't see what it was there for?? Do you reckon this could be anything to do with how the water is tracking down the centre console ?


Cheers

Click to expand...

Sounds like a good place to start, you rarely see Gaffa tape if it's not there for a reason in my experience.

holidaychicken said:

i've often wondered if my strange immobiliser issues are caused by water ingress under the centre console as i think the ECU for it is under there also

could it be the cables and wiring for the transmission passing through a grommet under there, i should probably know but i dont?

Click to expand...

Datatek said:

Sounds like a good place to start, you rarely see Gaffa tape if it's not there for a reason in my experience.

Click to expand...

Hmmm could make sense. Couldn't work at the time, just someone's bodge !

Maybe it's tracking down through the pollen filter and through the blower system ! Eeek

2.0_hippo said:

Hmmm could make sense. Couldn't work at the time, just someone's bodge !

Maybe it's tracking down through the pollen filter and through the blower system ! Eeek

Click to expand...

Just like a P38 then

2.0_hippo said:

Hmmm could make sense. Couldn't work at the time, just someone's bodge !

Maybe it's tracking down through the pollen filter and through the blower system ! Eeek

Click to expand...

Hi Ellis

Pollen filter was my thought when I suggested the heater box area. The pollen filter looked like an area for problems when I serviced mine back in April.

Alan

I do believe the EWS immobiliser/key code ECU is under the centre console cubby box I seem to recall.....