Saggy Bum, and Damp around the feet
Discussion
Hi All,
No, this is not a post about an ill conceived choice of girlfriend,
Firstly
Owned my first Chimaera since early November now and have just started to notice the the old girl has a slightly saggy n/s rear end. I can slip in two fingers on the off side (between arch and tyre), but slightly less so on the near side. I whipped the wheel off today and can't see any seeping from the Bilstein damper..... is this just age? Are they easy to replace? Im guessing ill need to purchase some kind of compression tool?
Secondly
The car is a daily driver (in fact our main car) and the weather hasn't exactly been ideal lately in the endless rain and flooding around Reading > But i lifted the drivers side carpet today to find a damp/wet footwell. Not coming in from doors, or the fabric roof which has prooved leak proof..... and can't see any sign of where its coming from... no damp above anywhere in the footwell.... the only damp i can see is around the steering mechanism... but not really enough to warrant the amount of water i have? Can anyone shed any light? Where could this be coming from? Can it get in from above? Should i gander inside the clutch inspection hatch?
thirdly,
Still loving the everyday usability of my 95 Chim. I had an odd misfire which was cured with new HT leads when i completed the service.... and then some ignition failures no thanks to shoddy dizzy cap and rotor arm from clever trevor (They did kindly fully refund me though so no bad feelings).... all lovely again now. Gearchange, power, long sweeping curves.... and what a noise!
Slight leak from off side gaskets but gonna get cracking with that when/if this weather ever gives me a sunny weekend or take to a specialist.... and not really looking forward to scrabbling about under the car to change the gearbox, and diff oil, and lubricating the UJ on the prop. ow i wish i had a hydraulic ramp and a garage!
Anywho, i digress..... any advice on the above as usual would be awesome!
No, this is not a post about an ill conceived choice of girlfriend,
Firstly
Owned my first Chimaera since early November now and have just started to notice the the old girl has a slightly saggy n/s rear end. I can slip in two fingers on the off side (between arch and tyre), but slightly less so on the near side. I whipped the wheel off today and can't see any seeping from the Bilstein damper..... is this just age? Are they easy to replace? Im guessing ill need to purchase some kind of compression tool?
Secondly
The car is a daily driver (in fact our main car) and the weather hasn't exactly been ideal lately in the endless rain and flooding around Reading > But i lifted the drivers side carpet today to find a damp/wet footwell. Not coming in from doors, or the fabric roof which has prooved leak proof..... and can't see any sign of where its coming from... no damp above anywhere in the footwell.... the only damp i can see is around the steering mechanism... but not really enough to warrant the amount of water i have? Can anyone shed any light? Where could this be coming from? Can it get in from above? Should i gander inside the clutch inspection hatch?
thirdly,
Still loving the everyday usability of my 95 Chim. I had an odd misfire which was cured with new HT leads when i completed the service.... and then some ignition failures no thanks to shoddy dizzy cap and rotor arm from clever trevor (They did kindly fully refund me though so no bad feelings).... all lovely again now. Gearchange, power, long sweeping curves.... and what a noise!
Slight leak from off side gaskets but gonna get cracking with that when/if this weather ever gives me a sunny weekend or take to a specialist.... and not really looking forward to scrabbling about under the car to change the gearbox, and diff oil, and lubricating the UJ on the prop. ow i wish i had a hydraulic ramp and a garage!
Anywho, i digress..... any advice on the above as usual would be awesome!
Water in drivers footwell is a common issue. I had it with both of my chims when I first bought them but it's usually easily cured.
The inner aspect of the drivers wing serves as a drainage gulley for the windscreen and also houses clutch cover, brake reservoir etc. these are sealed with mastic/sikaflex and commonly leak if not reseated properly after a service. Check the seal around the brake reservoir, resell the clutch cover. This will cure most. Water can also drip through the rivets holding the "vin" plate on. Also check the door seal. Do a search of pistonheads via google - loads will come up.
The inner aspect of the drivers wing serves as a drainage gulley for the windscreen and also houses clutch cover, brake reservoir etc. these are sealed with mastic/sikaflex and commonly leak if not reseated properly after a service. Check the seal around the brake reservoir, resell the clutch cover. This will cure most. Water can also drip through the rivets holding the "vin" plate on. Also check the door seal. Do a search of pistonheads via google - loads will come up.
Additionally; Unless you have recently sealed the roof fabric yourself, do not assume it is water tight.
They can allow in a surprising amount of water though appearing to be dry.
Really they should be done at least once per year, especially if the car is regularly used, certainly twice per year if it serves as your daily driver or sits outside in the weather 24x7.
They can allow in a surprising amount of water though appearing to be dry.
Really they should be done at least once per year, especially if the car is regularly used, certainly twice per year if it serves as your daily driver or sits outside in the weather 24x7.
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