Leaking Freelander 1

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Old diver

Well-Known Member
Posts
432
Location
Dunfermline, Fife
Completely taped and sealed all roof joints and around glass roof and windscreen, night of rain and one and a half inches of water in passenger footwell. Not coolant as not losing any. HELP.
 
Is the windscreen an LR one, or is it a replacement?
If it's a replacement, then it sounds like it's not been sealed correctly.

Or it's coming from the heater plenum, caused by blocked drainage channels.
 
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leaking sunroof glass pane, maybe they corroded in the front corner sections, as here below only solution is a new sunroof panel, not cheap £150 plus. Fixed my problem
 

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Thanks for your reply. My sunroof is just two removable glass panels, which I completely taped off, put the hose on it for quite a while and no leak. I have put pieces of witness paper around all the openings and they are dry, as is round the windscreen. I will have a go at the heater penum tomorrow, weather permitting.
 
Hello Nodge, I removed the plastic grill in front of windscreen and all I could see was two corrugated pipes and an open topped box going into car, both dry. Where are the drainage channels please? I’m at the stage now of taking jig saw and crowbar to the dash board to see where it is coming from. Another couple of inches in footwell this morning.
 
Hello Nodge, I removed the plastic grill in front of windscreen and all I could see was two corrugated pipes and an open topped box going into car, both dry. Where are the drainage channels please?

I can't remember the exact location, as it's over 5 years since I've had an FL1 scuttle panel off, but I'm sure the drains are towards the outer edges of the intake plenum. Maybe careful of a small amount of water in the plenum area will help you identify the exact location of the drains. Unfortunately I work on a variety of different vehicles, so they all blend into one in my head. :/
However there will be a way for water to get out from below the plastic scuttle panel, or it would drain through the heater intake, which is where I suspect it's coming from.
The 2 corrugated pipes entering the plenum area are for cooling the engine and gearbox control modules.
 
When I had a major leak in my 2006 TD4, it took me some time to trace the source.
In my case it was to the right of the pedals, driver side of the bonnet lever. I took the cover off (don't know name) and there are holes in the side panel. Inside is a small sponge.
It was sticking out of the hole just enough into the cab behind that panel to allow rain to fill the sponge and fast trickle down onto the carpet. I pushed this fully in and made sure that it couldn't move again. Over the week that it took me to dry out the car after removing the carpet I monitored the area every time it rained. I never had a leak again.
I know this is a long shot but perhaps worth a look.
 
I can't remember the exact location, as it's over 5 years since I've had an FL1 scuttle panel off, but I'm sure the drains are towards the outer edges of the intake plenum. Maybe careful of a small amount of water in the plenum area will help you identify the exact location of the drains. Unfortunately I work on a variety of different vehicles, so they all blend into one in my head. :/
However there will be a way for water to get out from below the plastic scuttle panel, or it would drain through the heater intake, which is where I suspect it's coming from.
The 2 corrugated pipes entering the plenum area are for cooling the engine and gearbox control modules.
Hear what your saying, but it all seems dry in there. I will get the glove box off and have a look behind that. Where the water is gathering there is a plastic panel that seems to go up to glove box and if I press it, water pours out the bottom, but that could have just been siphoned off the floor. Not caring about damaging it anymore, want it to last the winter, then it’s gone. Pity really because mechanically I can’t fault it.
 
Where is the heater drain?

The heater has a drain, so that condensation on the AC evaporator can drip outside the vehicle, this is visible coming through the bulkhead, about level with the gearbox bell housing.

If you feel behind the heater assembly, you can feel the drain pipe.
It is possible that the AC drain is leaking, and dripping into the vehicle as the ice drips off the evaporator, after you've stopped driving it for the day.

Although if the floor gets wet after rain, then it would appear rain water is getting in, and the heater is the only place that can happen.
 
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If there's water in the pollen filter, surely this means the water must be coming in through the heater intake at the scuttle, suggesting the drains from the scuttle to be blocked?
 
If there's water in the pollen filter, surely this means the water must be coming in through the heater intake at the scuttle, suggesting the drains from the scuttle to be blocked?
I haven’t had the pollen filter out yet. The grey panel runs up the forward bulkhead from the floor and it looks as if it covers wires, when you press it water runs down. Don’t know if water is running down behind it or if the foam on the back has siphoned it off the floor. Had front left hand pillar cover off, dry behind it. Grill in front of windscreen been off, dry underneath. Going to take passenger seat out to lift more carpet
 
These photos may help with John's subscription of front scuttle panel & plenums above.

Remove the top centre scuttle three of screws/ or grommets,
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1

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2

Lift the inner scuttle tray.
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3

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4

Air duct.
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5A
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5B

These are the drain holes make sure they are not full of leaves and any debris, if they are water could then fill up and run into the air ducts.
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6
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7
 
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Excellent pics, thanks very much. Did all that. The seals that go against the windscreen were well gunged up with green stuff that came off nearby hedges. ( now replaced with wooden fence). Cleaned them all up and refitted. It rained all last night and this morning, no water in footwell, so here’s hoping that was the problem.
 
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