80 series swimming pool

[Chris]

My 80 seems to be filling up with water. Now I do know that the screen needs re-sealing, but I'm not sure that this is the only point of ingress. I did my best to dry it out the other day and with today's rain I have had standing water in the foot well again. The car has not been driven. I cannot see signs of water running down the bulked behind the pedals and that section of carpet doesn't seem as wet anyway. I know water can track all over the place, but are there any other known leak points on these? Having had 80's for only a relatively short time, I don't know. The sunroof drains are clear and working and the sills are not blocked. I found a lot of water in the cable tray under the scuff plate on the driver's side. That's almost a sealed trough. Is water coming through the door hinge? How would it get in there? To reiterate, it gets like this when it's standing and the amount of water there seems unlikely to have simply come from the top of the screen.

Checked passenger side which seems a good deal drier. I am going to a windscreen place whi say that they'll take the screen out for me and put it back in again properly.

Any pointers on possible sources of leaks that we know of?

Chris

 

[Chris5-7chev]

Hiya big lad gotta just be the screen IMO, if you've got the step and kick panel off then maybe you'll see evidence of
'drippage' in the relay area? I can, my screen leaks like crazy and that's where its viewable (when reining).
Chris S

 

[callum]

I would expect that its your sunroof leaking, letting in more water than the drains can cope with. It was certainly the cause with mine. The problem is your sunroof seal is now about 20 years old and has shrunk over time. The fix is a new sunroof seal. It comes with a free bit of glass and costs about £400 i think.

Assuming your not rich and can't afford to do the proper fix, the next best thing is to limit the water coming in. Putting some speaker wire in the seal (you'll understand when you have the glass out ) to push it out and expand it helps, as does lifting the glass on a few washers so it is sitting slightly tilted forward and not below the level of the roof. Finally a healthy application of red rubber greas around the seal helps to make the seal and limit the ingress of the water.

If you search mud, they speak of changing the little plastic bits at the front of the mechanism held in with a single screw. Over time, these warp and no longer sit flush. I changed mine and sealed them in, but i'm not convinced it made much difference.

Good luck!

 

[Chris]

Cheers Callum, but not the sunroof as far as I know. Had a watering can on there and it was dry as a bone. When I got it, the drains in the sill were blocked. I poked them with a tie wrap and they ran for 45 mins!! I have a roof rack on with wide slates so the amount of rain falling directly on the sunroof is limited. When it did used to leak it was the headlining that got wet. Not any more. I think the suggestions on greasing up the rubber etc are very valid and I have already done mine, maybe I should go and check I haven't left it open
But I shall most certainly go and give it another look. Nothing ruled out here.

I can't be sure but it almost looks like it's coming in down the door pillar. I certainly don't want it leaking into the relays etc.

Chris

 

[adrianr]

Chris i had a leak in mine from where the drain from the sunroof runs behind the kick panel on the drivers side into the sill.

 

[TonyP]

Its amazing how much water can actually leak through the windscreen. Withthe leak in LB's windscreen I had a constant puddle on the drivers side. Adding somesealant has helped, but has not resolved it completely. I think it's going to have tobe professionally removed and replaced.

I recon if your screen isalready leaking then this will most likely be your problem....

 

[Julian Voelcker]

Double check around the windscreen - when it is refitted get them to add extra sealant (ideally arbomast) between the glass and the rubber as well as between the rubber and the body.

Most common sources of leaks will be:-
Around the bottom of the glass between the glass and the rubber seal - more common when driving.
Around the top of the glass with water coming off the roof.
Around the sun roof.
The sun roof drain pipes can often shrink and pop off the fitting on the sun rook - check these.

One thing to watch, leaks at the top of the car can result with water flowing down the head liner and then drip down from the seam just above the grab handles which is deceptive.

 

[Chris]

Thanks chaps. Been out there with watering can and whilst I cannot say it's the screen fully, I can't generate water ingress anywhere else at the moment. Sunroof seems fine. I enlarged the drain ports in the sills and water pours out of those. Can't actually see tracks where it's getting in though. A split sunroof drain pipe would be a bummer. But I don't think it's that. I have taken the bung out of the floor pan just for now so that if it rains whilst I am away at least it won't build up again.

Chris

 

[Justin_Elliott]

It may also be worth checking the firewall as per Paul (Bat21) post half way down here...

Whilst the Sunroof drain is not blocked - it could still be the cause - have you extended the sun roof drains? Mine still wet the carpet, until I did, as the sunroof drain was faster than the sill drain...

Hope this helps...

 

[joinerman]

Chris, i had the same problem, traced it to a hole/slot in the sunroof just back from the drains, in the first pic you can see with the roof lining pulled down a bit jus above the grrab handle on the A pillar a bright white line,it is in fact a slot & when it rains hard the drains can't cope & water gets in the slot onto the headlining & straight down the A pillar to pond on the floor, in the second pic you can see where i sealed it up with silicone,no probs since

 

[paulm]

Like joinerman, mine was leaking from the same area, filled it with silicone, as well as around the drain tubes themselves - no more leaking

 

[Chris]

Cheers JM. I shall look into this. Not heard of that one before. Just the sort of tip I was after.


Chris

 

[Chris]

And the winner is.....

Joinerman.

Finally got a round to looking in the lining. It has been raining so hard for so long that if I opened the door the rain poured in and I couldn't see any leak. The area in question had a plug of silicone around it that cannot possibly have been OEM. It was leaking then running down the door strip. I cleaned it up then filled it with sealant. Really tricky to get it in there. After a while I checked again and water was still coming in. Tried to seal the top side in the sunroof reveal. Still coming in. I don't have a visible hole like that. But the fixture does move a little when I operate the roof. So the filler needs to be flexible. I shall keep on at it. Clearly someone has been there before some years before me.

Chris

 

[paulm]

In JM's second photo there's a screw visible. I undid that and took the part out, gooed underneath with silicone then screwed it back down, sealing the underneath too. Seemed to do the trick

 

[Chris]

Ahh, did you now. That's handy. I am still not quite sealed. I have stopped a lot of it, but it's difficult to 'goo' upside down. All that does is hold the water anyway. I need to block it from the top. I have difficulty working around the roof rack unfortunately. But I shall give that a go Paul. Rained so hard here last night that at 1 O'clock I had to get the pump running as the garage was flooding. The drains couldn't cope. The road was a river. Drought? Hosepipe ban? Not here. Even the ducks are p***d off.


Chris

 

[Graham]

Hi Chris,
Is that for real, the rain? so much?
Hope your garage is OK and you haven't had any thing damaged.

Gra.

 

[Chris]

Absolutely hissing down Graham. Bouncing. Like monsoon stuff at times. We are drowning here. Rivers are full to bursting. It seems to have stopped just now and it's looking brighter. Managed to stem the flow into the garage in time. Got to get the drains jetted and some new guttering up.

Oh and finish sealing the car!

Chris

 

[Matt Wright]

crazy weather!?!? Make sure the lathe is nice and dry.. I've got some aluminium sun chairs I'd like made up please

I've been cycling 2 hours each day in the rain. Not happy!!

Glad you're making progress with the leaks. I'm going to check mine too.. Mine leaks

 

[Towpack]

Well, WYFKI! Backed the LC of the drive yesterday and got drenched in water from the sunroof. NEVER EVER done this before. Had a quick look in between cloudbursts and can't see anything obvious. It's as if the water is overflowing from the roof's drainage chanel on the driver's side 'cos it spills onto the internal sliding sunblind. The drive is quite steep and I park facing uphill. If I park facing downhill, no leak so I'm thinking (hoping) it's just a bit of crap blocking the rear drain. The front drain is fine and drains freely from the bottom of the sill.

 

[Red Oktober]

it appears mine is leaking at the sunroof as well on the passenger side ... there is a damp patch on the roof lining right above the passenger door and down the side of the screen and finally dripping out onto the floor.


thanks for the pics Mr Joinerman ...at least i know what i'm looking at