p38 water in the boot

Right next up a job ive been meaning to get round too... water in the boot !!

its not mega, just builds up a bit over time to a couple of cms in the bottom of the wheel well, the carpets never get wet, no signs of damp or anything anywhere, and theres no rust or issues cased by the water yet, hence wanting to sort this

so whats the likley cause ? had a little look around today, the rubber seal on the bottom of the upper tailgate, has some splits in, but that over laps the bottom tailgate so presume its not that ?

when i picked up the prop the other day i asked him about it as he breaks p38s, he said its a common thing water in there they all do it and not to worry, but i want to get to the bottom of it ?

This is a common problem with the tailgate seal. Easiest way to mitigate is to drill a small hole at the bottom of the wheel well to let the water out.

Look in Rave technical bulletins for cure for this problem. Bulletin 0011 L8403bu Issue 1, date 18-03-98.

Yes I had this problem & fixed it. There was a service bulletin on what to do.

Basically, remove the boot seal. Then using an adjustable spanner/wrench bend the boot flange outwards by 5mm ish. It may appear abnormal, but trust me. Refit the seal & this should cure a leaky boot.

There's loads of other threads on here. Try this one as well http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f31/p38-spare-tire-well-collects-water-17422.html

wammers said:

Look in Rave technical bulletins for cure for this problem. Bulletin 0011 L8403bu Issue 1, date 18-03-98.

Click to expand...

Hey Wammers you bet me to it:clap2:

I searched & followed your advise some time ago, but I could'nt find the Bulletin Ref.

keep it comming guys

eloteq said:

Yes I had this problem & fixed it. There was a service bulletin on what to do.

Basically, remove the boot seal. Then using an adjustable spanner/wrench bend the boot flange outwards by 5mm ish. It may appear abnormal, but trust me. Refit the seal & this should cure a leaky boot.

There's loads of other threads on here. Try this one as well http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f31/p38-spare-tire-well-collects-water-17422.html

Click to expand...

so what is the "boot seal" and this flange ? is that the seal at the very top above upper tailgate ? or the lower seal by the bottom of the lower tailgate ?

any chance of a human terms run down, the rave info in that link sounds a tad complicated without pics lol

The boot seal is one big shaped moulded rubber thingy that looks like a big 'O' when removed.

It fits over a metal flange that surrounds both the upper lower tailgate opening on the body of the vehicle. If you open the top & Bottom tailgate you'll see the seal all around the edges of the opening. Pull it off to reveal the flange. It's this flange that is bent out rearwards by 5 - 8mm using a wrench. Then the seal when refitted wiil be tight to both tailgates.

Hope this makes sense

eloteq said:

Hey Wammers you bet me to it:clap2:

I searched & followed your advise some time ago, but I could'nt find the Bulletin Ref.

Click to expand...

Tech bulletins. Index search > Body > Range Rover > 1998.

Here's a pic I borrowed

Found write-up on Bulletin 0011 L8403bu Issue 1, date 18-03-98

Water in the spare tire area

Check the rear channels from the sunroof, common problem.

eloteq said:

Yes I had this problem & fixed it. There was a service bulletin on what to do.

Basically, remove the boot seal. Then using an adjustable spanner/wrench bend the boot flange outwards by 5mm ish. It may appear abnormal, but trust me. Refit the seal & this should cure a leaky boot.

There's loads of other threads on here. Try this one as well http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f31/p38-spare-tire-well-collects-water-17422.html

Click to expand...

just a quick one, going to have a go at this tomorrow- do i bend the flange outwards all the way round ???? or just the top half or all but the bottom part or what ?

polsta said:

just a quick one, going to have a go at this tomorrow- do i bend the flange outwards all the way round ???? or just the top half or all but the bottom part or what ?

Click to expand...

Just down the sides. It's mainly the area where the top and bottom tailgates meet. When you put seal back on put some gas tape on the lip first it helps it grip. I put a little silicone under my seal about four or five inches either side of tailgate joint.

ok cool thanks, whats gas tape ? , and is it JUST the sides, and not the top at all and to definatly leave that ?

il take some pics etc, and give it all a good inspection and inspect the seal and tailgate hinges etc and have a good ol look and go at it

polsta said:

ok cool thanks, whats gas tape ? , and is it JUST the sides, and not the top at all and to definatly leave that ?

il take some pics etc, and give it all a good inspection and inspect the seal and tailgate hinges etc and have a good ol look and go at it

Click to expand...

Duct tape.

Got ya

Ok....had a good look today ,bent the flange out a bit either side-there was a bit of moisture by the join area,ive dried it all out,slight moisture around the right hand side area of the wheel well wall....

I noticed the upper tailgate had more of a gap on the right side also, so presume thats the cause ? Ive had a fiddle with the top hinges trying to ajust to get it right,but tricky on your own to get it perfect, then the lock catch with lower tailgate gets slightly out

Whats the best way to do it and get it perfect top and bottom ? im wondering if there is a best way to do it to get it perfect and how they should be ?

polsta said:

Got ya

Ok....had a good look today ,bent the flange out a bit either side-there was a bit of moisture by the join area,ive dried it all out,slight moisture around the right hand side area of the wheel well wall....

I noticed the upper tailgate had more of a gap on the right side also, so presume thats the cause ? Ive had a fiddle with the top hinges trying to ajust to get it right,but tricky on your own to get it perfect, then the lock catch with lower tailgate gets slightly out

Whats the best way to do it and get it perfect top and bottom ? im wondering if there is a best way to do it to get it perfect and how they should be ?

Click to expand...

Yeah the method is time and patience related.

il give it a tweak tomorow and ajust the bottom tailgate too, then out with a hose