HOW IS THIS WATER GETTING IN ?!!

[SharkyTVR]

After Fabsil-ling of the hood, fitting of rubber "elephant ears", re-sealing of the brake fluid resevoir, and re-sealing of every last gromit in the engine bay, I found a good 2 pints of water swilling about the driver's footwell this morning. Aarrgh! It was absolutely Pi%%ing down last night, so it was a pretty tall order for a Tiv to keep that out. But only seems to let it in when stationary.

But this time I noticed that the little well where the leccy-window switches and air vents are was sopping. So, it must be getting in there through the vents themselves. So, where would that point to as an entry point? Anyone? Help me before I go

[M@H]

Hmmm.. tricky one.. getting water into the centre like that is a neat trick. I wonder if your windscreen is leaking somewhere around the edge and its running down there (has it had a new windscreen fitted at some point?) saying that having been under the dash top that would be pretty hard... either that or somehow (!!?) you're getting water in between the windscreen frame and the roof panel (where the little peg is) and its dripping in. (can't see how mind you !)

I'd suggest sitting in the car for 15 mins next time its bucketing down..

Bad luck

Matt


>> Edited by M@H on Wednesday 2nd November 20:29

[Paul (93 Chim)]

Sharky,

What do you mean by the fitting of rubber "elephant ears", are these the bits that sit under the targa hood near the hinges?
BTW Hope you get you're leak sorted.

Paul

[M@H]

Paul 93 Chim said:

Sharky, What do you mean by the fitting of rubber "elephant ears", are these the bits that sit under the targa hood near the hinges? BTW Hope you get you're leak sorted. Paul

Yeah they are.. they are stuck to the bottom of the fibreglass hoop under the fabric, and the "ear" protrudes into the door close gap.

Matt.

>> Edited by M@H on Wednesday 2nd November 20:45

[hut49]

Could it be getting in down the wiper spindles?

[Parrot of doom]

Bogroll, sellotape, and 10 minutes:

Tape the bogroll all around the dash, doors, seats, and inside of the hood.

Then let loose with the hosepipe, with the doors shut.

Then see where its getting in.

Oh, and don't forget to check the seals on the clutch and brake bits in the offside wing (under the bonnet).

[Cavey]

Are the grommets around the washer jet hoses well seated in the scuttle panel? One of mine had a habit of popping out. Cured by adjusting the hose slack with the sliding clip on the wiper arm so the hose didn't pull when the wiper moved.

[tahiti450]

SharkyTVR said:

But this time I noticed that the little well where the leccy-window switches and air vents are was sopping.

I'm not sure about the exact layout on the chim in terms of heater box etc but usually the inlet air is drwn in from the base of the screen (where the mesh is on the chim). The heater box will noramlly have drain tubes to allow rain water out which falls in from above and so prevent water from filling the ventilation system. These drains can get blocked with debris / leaf mould etc. Thats the only way i can think youd be getting water out of the vents. Otherwise it may be that there's a screen leak and the water is just percolating down via the dash .

>> Edited by Big Al. on Thursday 3rd November 17:46

[SharkyTVR]

tahiti450 said:

I'm not sure about the exact layout on the chim in terms of heater box etc but usually the inlet air is drwn in from the base of the screen (where the mesh is on the chim). The heater box will noramlly have drain tubes to allow rain water out which falls in from above and so prevent water from filling the ventilation system. These drains can get blocked with debris / leaf mould etc. Thats the only way i can think youd be getting water out of the vents. Otherwise it may be that there's a screen leak and the water is just percolating down via the dash .

Thanks, good suggestion, I will take a look this weekend. For the moment, I bought a £55 outdoor car cover which is water-resistant (not waterproof) from ebay. It actually keeps the water off the car sufficiently so that nothing got in last night. But it's a pain in the hole to keep putting on and off!

[mongoose]

Had similar issues with my chim.Water up to the pedalsmisted up gauges,etc.Turned out to be the windscreen.i proved it first,by peeling back the carpet from the bulkhead,and getting mrs mongoose to pour kettles of water over the screen-soon saw it running in.Trying to repair the seal did no good,so a new screen was fitted and no probs thereafter.

[aaandy]

Even if you fix it, but have to leave it outside, I would get a hood cover from Leven Technology. Not cheap at £150 but if the car is kept outside it is worth every penny. Protects the hood from the elements, but also comes down far enough to cover the top of the bonnet and tops of the doors. Should make it totally waterproof. But have faith, once you find where it is coming in from and have all other bases covered you should be Ok. They can be water-tight so don't give up.

Once you get used to it, it only takes a minute of so to get it on and off so not too much hassle.

[TheMason]

Sharky & All

Greetings from me on my first post - I was looking for some help on another matter, but found your post. I too have had the same problem for some time, which I have got round by garaging my TVR when it has been wet. However, when recently faced with a hugely expensive repair bill for my lovely Chim, I sensibly decided to sell my 4 year old Honda HRV, which has only ever needed a bulb replacement :-)

However, I digress somewhat.... Now my TVR is my only motor I need to solve the problem, and I think I have found the source of the leak. If you look carefully at the door seal on the drivers door, you may find it, like mine to be loose. Water runs off my windscreen, and also from the hood and through the gap at the front of the door, all past the door seal. My door seal is detached from the leather/fibreglass towards the front of the door by the hinge, and water has been running down the seal, onto the inside, and filling the footwell. It was not obvious to find, as the carpet at the side of the door has remained fairly dry due to the way the water was leaking through.

I hope this helps you find your leak - I can't think where else it might be coming from.

Now for my plea for some help. Does anyone know what I should fix it with? All of the spotty 17 year olds in Halfords predictably didn't have a clue, and I don't want to wade in with Wickes bathroom-grade mastic, or Industrial Strenght Araldite for that matter.....

>> Edited by TheMason on Friday 4th November 19:54

[tattoodrob]

sharky,i tend to agree with m@h as i think could be coming from top of windscreen where roof slots in....pour some water on top for a few minutes then have a look.....dont know how to cure it though!!! i dont have a problem with mine but i still bought a water resistant cover which being breathable saves misting up underneath it.it saves you getting birdcrap on car and also nosey oiks who would like to have a closer look.it is a bit of a pain putting on /off but when you aint got room in the garage you have to do these things....hopefully stops jealous people from keying down the side(maybe).good luck and let us know how you get on,rob