Water leak above pedals

[andicapped]

well after doing all the work i did yesterday afternoon, i went out last night and...................................................




it's still leaking, it's wet through

 

[costa]

Andicapped Sorry to see you still have the problem. I have just had a thought. Have you pulled up the bottom left hand corner (viewed from front ) of the windscreen rubber seal and sealed the gap at the edge of the windscreen? I seem to remember a post somewhere on here when this was the culprit. I have just sealed the electric cover, bonnet release grommit and the weld seams round the drainage hole. Started to do the windscreen edge but have run out of Dum Dum sealant ( very good and easy to use if a bit messy ) so will have to finish it tomorrow. Will keep in touch.

 

[andicapped]

hi costa,

i've completely stripped the car this morning, outside and in. and left a hose pipe running (gently) on the windscreen.

i put a small amount of dye under the scuttle pannel where the water collects round the electrical box.(there's a reason for this)

the dye coloured the water under the scutle so if the leak was the i'd see green water coming through. well i left it for ages and ages, eventually it leaked and it was clear water, this was great news (sort of)

i narrowed done the leaking area to above the scuttle pannel, so it had to be round the window somewhere.

i then stripped the insde of the car and on the very righthand side at the back of the top part of the dash there is a large metal tube running horizontal. just behind and below it there is a vertical seal (slightly darker thsn the surrounding paint + metal.)

i left the hose running an watched it drip in from there. i've now sealed it so fingers crossed

hope that helps

 

[costa]

Hi Andicapped,

Thank you for your post. Sounds a real mission to me. When you say you stripped out the inside how did you get behind the dash to reach the seal you mention? Did you take out the A pillar plastic liner or is there an easier way to get at the seal? I can't think what the tube is you refer to.

Costa.

 

[andicapped]

okey dokey!!!!
the dash is in 2 sections top and bottom.
take the bottom half out, it's easy there are sever screws in the fuse panel and 2 screws on the underside (near the tray under the steering wheel on the side of the center console)

this panel then pulls off, remember to unclip the wire for the fog + dash lights

then undo the fuse panel on the very right side let it hang down and push it out of the way.

there are loads of fuses and wires under there, get as much of that out the way as possible, it's a royal pain in the arse!!!!!!!

if you pull the door seal off near the fuse panel you'll get a better view at what i sealed. have a look in the gap that this creates (use a torch) you should be able to see the darker coloured weld/seal i'm on about. there is a leak on that
leave a hose pipe running slowly, on the drivers side of the windscreen and keep looking at the seal, you'll see water coming from it

hope that makes sense, let me know how you get on.
i'll try and help as much as i can (it's really difficult explaining it)

 

[Neil_Ireland]

hi costa,

i've completely stripped the car this morning, outside and in. and left a hose pipe running (gently) on the windscreen.

i put a small amount of dye under the scuttle pannel where the water collects round the electrical box.(there's a reason for this)

the dye coloured the water under the scutle so if the leak was the i'd see green water coming through. well i left it for ages and ages, eventually it leaked and it was clear water, this was great news (sort of)

i narrowed done the leaking area to above the scuttle pannel, so it had to be round the window somewhere.

i then stripped the insde of the car and on the very righthand side at the back of the top part of the dash there is a large metal tube running horizontal. just behind and below it there is a vertical seal (slightly darker thsn the surrounding paint + metal.)

i left the hose running an watched it drip in from there. i've now sealed it so fingers crossed

hope that helps

I had water leak from that same spot. I sealed it up about a year ago but it started to leak again recently. I used a better outdoor sealant this time so fingers crossed it lasts

 

[andicapped]

hi mate,

yeah i've read your posts, i origionally couldn't find the leak as i beleive your leak was coming in above the accel pedal whee mine worked it's way along to the brake pedal. it seems that it's been leaking behind the carpet on the accel side and the excess was coming along and down above the brake pedal (behind the steering colum)

if this sorts it i'll be over the moon, even if it starts to leak again i'll know where it's coming from and it'll be a 5 min fix.

so fingers crossed

 

[Neil_Ireland]

hi mate,

yeah i've read your posts, i origionally couldn't find the leak as i beleive your leak was coming in above the accel pedal whee mine worked it's way along to the brake pedal. it seems that it's been leaking behind the carpet on the accel side and the excess was coming along and down above the brake pedal (behind the steering colum)

if this sorts it i'll be over the moon, even if it starts to leak again i'll know where it's coming from and it'll be a 5 min fix.

so fingers crossed

Yeah the leak in mine was around the acc pedal/bonnet release lever. It was a real pain to find where it was coming from

Hopefully yours is fixed now!

 

[costa]

Thanks guys,

I will finish the sealing I am doing first and then tackle the seam you mention. I will come back if I have any problems but your explanation andicapped will make more sense when I can get my head under the dash.

Costa

 

[costa]

Hi andicapped - did you have to remove the plastic liner which fits between the door and throttle pedal? I seem to remember that Neil Ireland had the same problem but can't recall what he said about this plastic liner and whether there are any clips which break etc.
I am still sealing all round under the scuttle panel and then just windscreen to do before I tackle the next step.

Thanks, Costa.

 

[PSX]

Thought I'd add my two cents as I've just discovered soggy carpet in front and rear drivers' side footwells.. There were some droplets on the corner kickpanel immediately below the bonnet release, so does sound like it's a windscreen edge/fusebox (scuttle)/bulkhead leak... and to make both front and rear footwells totally waterlogged this must have been going on for some time.. (my windscreen completely ices over on the inside - this is what triggered the search)

Will report back with how I get on (bathing one's shoulders and hair in a soggy footwell?) Car is a 2005 LCR225, pretty disappointing to find a leak like this..I thought my 1995 Cavalier was bad for the leak in its boot, in 2004!


Alex

 

[Neil_Ireland]

Thought I'd add my two cents as I've just discovered soggy carpet in front and rear drivers' side footwells.. There were some droplets on the corner kickpanel immediately below the bonnet release, so does sound like it's a windscreen edge/fusebox (scuttle)/bulkhead leak... and to make both front and rear footwells totally waterlogged this must have been going on for some time.. (my windscreen completely ices over on the inside - this is what triggered the search)

Will report back with how I get on (bathing one's shoulders and hair in a soggy footwell?) Car is a 2005 LCR225, pretty disappointing to find a leak like this..I thought my 1995 Cavalier was bad for the leak in its boot, in 2004!


Alex

Sounds like what I had, scuttle plastic box plus the seam in the bulkhead leaking

 

[andicapped]

PSX ---- yep sounds like the same leak in the bulkhead seal, you'll be amazed at how small the hole it. if your carpet is wet in the back too them i can guarentee that your doors are leaking, i had the same problem but the back was wet before the front started leaking and it was the doors that had gone i'm not a 100% sure mine has stopped leaking yet, i'm just about to go and check as it's been raining for the last 2 hours

costa ----- i've removed all the plastic that is in the drivers footwell, i'm not sure you need too but i did it so i could lift the carpet and dry it out a bit. i also shoved some newspaper under the carpet, it soaks the water up and also stops it smelling so bad

 

[PSX]

Many thanks for the tips guys - have ordered some Seal Cord at £30 inc VAT from the local dealer at an undisclosed length, so I'm thinking I'd best try to do all 4 doors as well, when I can.. It would certainly make sense for the right rear door to also be leaking looking at the amount of water in there (stepping on the carpet without mat down causes water to break the surface). If anything I'd say the rear is worse than the front.. Off to B&Q to buy a heat gun after work, and will lay down some kitchen towel overnight.

Alex

 

[andicapped]

a wise idea doing all 4 doors. i've only done the drivers side and "touch wood" i've not had any problems on the passengers side.
i've just checked my car now and it seems to be dry (ish) it's probably still drying out from when it was soaked, hopefully the condensation inside will start to reduce now it's drying out.

i've also discovered (and this will save you loads of time) if you remove the fuse cover (right side of dash) the fuse panel and pull the door seal along the hinge part of the door you can shine a torch in there and can see the leak (my sound deadening carpet is just covering the bit where the leak is but you might be able to see it. doing that took me 5 mins.

 

[costa]

Thanks andicapped for all your advice. I have just finished sealing the bulkhead etc. and now have to put it all back together. Then move on to the leak area you had.

 

[PSX]

So I spent last night scouring the car to try and find positively where this water is coming from. First couple hours were spent just drying the carpets a bit so I can be sure any additional moisture means the leak is still 'live'. Following this, poured buckets of water directly down the glass on drivers door and drivers' side passenger door - all of this appeared to drain straight out of the three holes on the bottom of each door.

To check the drainage holes were clear I removed the lower lip exterior seal from each door and poked a cotton bud through each hole. The water that was there was muddy/waxy, and disturbing the seal did not release anything like the quantity of water I might have expected had the door been filling up with water. In fact - no water was really released at all.. Small holes have also been cut (cleanly - so possibly from the factory) immediately below each hole in each of these seals.

I moved on.. Re-seated the pollen filter a second time - the filter is bone dry and the scuttle only slightly wet after dousing the windscreen and scuttle with another couple of buckets. A small amount of water collects at the drivers' end of the scuttle above where the bonnet release cable goes - again, nothing like the quantity I would have expected to cause such waterlogging. Refitted the weatherseal on the scuttle a little better and hoped for the best - to explore this properly or seal the scuttle fusebox will require removing wiper arms, which I've heard is a pain.

Into the interior.. 3 screws on the front/underside and around 4 around the fusebox, plus the bonnet release and kickpanel, will allow the lower dash to be pretty easily freed - looking in, a couple of drops had landed on the carpet corner below and right of the accelerator pedal. Looking up inside the corner of the car I tracked the bonnet release cable to where it enters the cabin - the small cotton pad at this point was damp but not wet. Fishing around some more (and avoiding the wiring box with nice fat 30A connections), I found a piece of black cladding towards the wing which was soaked through but not dripping. Water does pour out of the wheelarch when applied to windscreen/scuttle, so I am presuming there is a drain hole (which is clear and allows water flow), however I think I would need to remove or disturb more of the components beneath the steering wheel to investigate much further (and disconnect the battery before my wet hands go near the wiring box).

Long and short of it is - I can't find a source appearing to leak as heavily as to cause the amount of water ingress I am suffering and so I am beginning to suspect that the leak was fixed before I bought the car in September and not yet dried - or that water had been cascading through the pollen filter and making its way to front and rear via the heating ducts. Latest most likely candidate for the right rear carpet is actually an exterior door seal rather than the interior one (the sills are dry when rained on with the door closed).

Next step is to hose the car whilst I am in it to try and trace the leak at the rear. I think bonnet release is a likely candidate for the front leak, but again need to target the area to see what quantity really comes through.

Pictures coming later


Alex

 

[andicapped]

psx----- you have the same leak as me and many others have. you mentioned following the bonnet release cable back to the bulkhead from insidae the car, this is almost the right area.
the "fat, box like fuses" are on 2 plastc pannels, undo the 2 bolts that hold this on and move them out of the way so you can get a better loook behind and up towards the bottom corner of the windscreen.
also remover the fuse panel on the end of the dash (lets you get a better look)
where you found the wet padding (i'm now guessing) try and look above and to the right slightly, it's better to look between where the fuse panel was at the end of the dash and the vertical door frame (take the door seal off) the leak is on the dark grey coloured seal there, i'm 99.9% sure thats where it'll be,

and a constant drip will absoulutly soak your carpets in a short space of time, so dont be looking for an obvious hole, it;s really just a bad seal. keep a hose running on that side of the window for a bit and you will see the water drip.

i sealed this and now mine has made it through 2 nites of heavy rain and a good soaking from the powerjet and it's dry

 

[PSX]

Thanks for the advice andicapped, I will go back and take a closer look. Reading this thread again, especially:

it seems that it's been leaking behind the carpet on the accel side and the excess was coming along and down above the brake pedal (behind the steering colum)

..makes me realise my leak has to be the same spot - whilst I was out last night I specifically remember looking at a drip on the end of the brake pedal and studying it before I took out the dash..

The rear is concerning me more than the front in terms of volume, at the moment. I can't work out if it's coming from the centre pillar side or the back of the rear door - will test this with hosepipe once I'm done stripping more of the interior.

Is it wise to disconnect the battery before disturbing that distribution block above the pedals? And will I need to reprogram the electric windows afterward, etc?


Thanks,

Alex

 

[costa]

Hi Guys,
I have now sealed everthing I could find under the scuttle panel and also down the driver's side of the windscreen and where the wiring goes from the door into the car. Of course it's stopped raining now but yesterday I ran the hose pipe all over the windscreen and upper bonnet area for a good five minutes or more and there was no leak. However, I still remain to be convinced I have solved the problem until the rains return. If it leaks then I will follow andicapped's advice and take out the fuse panel etc. Will keep you informed as to progress.