Help! Water getting in

[BMWQT 0]

Hi people

Should water get in through the engine bay bulk head? I have two puddles on each side of the front floor area that have appeared after washing the car, and degreasing the engine bay.

Cheers

[Guest Andrew]

join the club - mine leaks through roll cage holes and ecu loom hole. I get huge puddles

[hybrid 1039]

join the club - mine leaks through roll cage holes and ecu loom hole. I get huge puddles

drive faster man ... rain doesnt get into sh*t if its horizontal

Edited November 29, 2005 by hybrid

[BMWQT 0]

but is it supposed too? I've just spent a small fortune on repairs to this area.

[Nic325i 0]

If you've been spraying the engine bay (or underside of car) it is likely to be coming through the ventilation system. Hard to explain without a picture, but there is a snorkel/elephants trunk type thing on the firewall which (I think) drains water from under the windscreen. Can either get blocked (pull off to clean with hose) or water can come back through it if you spray from underneath.

This thread has a pretty good explanation. Probably need to register as a member though (free).

[BMWQT 0]

Thanks for that! Interesting reading.

[kiwipetrolhead 1]

Hey, I used to work on Hondas (1990-1991) and we used to have lots of water leaks to fix. Even in brand new (NZ-assembled) cars. (The Jap assembled cars were much better with their quality control, but there was still the occasional one.)

The problem was some very small hole somewhere in the sealer between two panels. Sometimes a car only leaked when parked on a hill. Also, another common problem is water getting in around windscreens. This was most commonly due to rust that occurred when paint was scratched off during an earlier windscreen replacement job. The windscreen buggers were bad for that. I don't know if things have improved since the early '90s, since I've been out of the trade since then.

What we did to fix the leaks

---------------------------------

Pull stuff out (e.g. carpet, plastic panels, etc) from inside the car so that you can see up under the dash area. Then get a torch and look round while someone outside puts the hose on it. Test one small area at a time, and direct the water in different angles at each point. (It is surprising what a difference this can make.) You often have to be very patient and methodical to find some leaks. Sometimes it even required removing the outer guard to find the leak, but we always managed to find and seal them. It only takes the tiniest of holes, not easily spotted by simply looking. You could figure out where the leak was from when they water came in, even though you could not actually see a hole in the joint. But you seal it up, let it set and test. Yes, time consuming, but if you don't want your floor (or boot, as also occurred) to rust out then it must be done.

As for windscreen leaks, you have it remove and cleaned up the rust. Get a piece welded in if it is too bad, then put good rust inhibitor on or paint and refit windscreen. Again a time-consuming exercise to do properly. And you can NOT always rely on your local dealership to do the job properly. Sure, they might fix the leak, but if not treated properly and the time spent doing a good job (which seems to be a common problem in all the trades these days), then the leak will reappear within 6-12 months. What's the best rust inhibitor? That smelly fish oil product called "Fisholine". It's yucky, but it's the best I have ever found. Oh yeah, for the best paint to prevent rust and other damage in unseen areas, use POR-15 Rust Preventive Paint - it is absolute magic (http://www.por15.com/)

Good luck

Paul

[kiwipetrolhead 1]

About POR15, I know there is a NZ seller (or two), but I can't remeber who. But here's an Australian outfit who could probably help, if you want any of this excellent product - http://www.ppc.au.com

Paul

[Carl 3]

Pull up your carpets and check for rust on the fire wall as that's a big issue on the dirty 30's. If you got rust you'll spot it easily enough.

[Chris_guy 0]

try the "elephant trunk" its a little rubber overflow pipe thing on the firewall on the exhaust side just rip it off n clean it out if it gets clogged the floor will get wet

[speedyg 16]

Remove your glovebox and pull back the carpet to check for rust on the firewall. I did this the other day and found a couple of small holes. One is up under the dash near where the wires go through to the fusebox. Pig of a place to repair!

[BMWQT 0]

After some investigating I've found I'm missing an "elephant trunk". Water is also getting in through the heater assembly unit and I need a new rubber seal for around the bonnet. I cleaned out the sunroof drains a while ago and window wiper grills are all clear.

I pulled the carpet up some time ago and found a lovely surprise. Water had been leaking through two small rust holes behind the dash and under the windsheild... all lovingly repaired now.