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| Thread ID: 98919 | 2009-04-12 23:57:00 | My car is leaking | Greven (91) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 764426 | 2009-04-14 10:37:00 | Make rain squirt windscreen with a hose, do as the yank says taste the water on the floor you sure will know if it has antifreeze in it. | prefect (6291) | ||
| 764427 | 2009-04-14 11:16:00 | Remove the trim along the bottom of the door aperture (stick your fingers under it & pull it off) there may be a plastic nut holding the kick panel on. Pull the carpet up a bit & stick your hand in the yuk & then smell it. If it's musty, it's just a fresh water leak (most likely rainwater) The reason it takes so long to show in cars is because the carpet has a plasticised backing. If it's slimy & stinks like a dank cave then it's probably antifreeze. If it is antifreeze, take it to your local mechanic & he'll pressurise the system & the problem will show pretty quickly. If it is the heater core, you'll be looking at paying for a days work. If it's rainwater, the best way to find the leak is to remove the carpet (big job if you haven't done it before) & lay it somewhere it can dry out, it'll take a few days. Remove the boot carpet & side trims, make sure the floor is dry, then get someone to hose it with a shower type spray (imitate heavy rain) while your inside looking for the leak. Pay special attention to the back lights. It's not uncommon for water to flood in because the car has been crashed at some time & the seal strips around the outside of the lights were not sealed properly when they were fitted (2nd hand parts). Check the doors & make sure it's not dripping inside. If it is remove the offending door interior trim, check to make sure the plastic water/draft sheet is sealed properly. I've also seen leaks because non standard door speakers have not been fitted correctly I know the back lights sound far fetched, but if the car is facing downhill & it rains, the water will run all the way to the front & sit right under where the pedals are. It's very common Have fun |
Phil B (648) | ||
| 764428 | 2009-04-14 17:09:00 | I've ripped up the carpet & soaked up as much of the water as I can . It is slowly drying out with the heater turned off, but we haven't had any rain either . My work shares a carpark with a mechanic, so I'll see when he will be able to take a look at it . If he can't look at it this week, is it likely to be OK to drive if I keep the heater off & keep an eye on the radiator water level? On or off, the system always gets pressurized, so leaving the heater off will not be a decent indicator of watertight integrity or leaks . The problem with a coolant leak is that the law of hydraulics applies here and you know how much pressure the radiator cap retains, right? Well - the same amount of pressure appears in your entire cooling system and the hose or core can carry away and bathe the interior with scalding steam or hot coolant . It doesn't always happen as manufacturers have taken certain criteria to heart (lawsuits and $$) and kinda designed the plenum to dump the coolant on the feet and not your face . Unfortunately, the defroster also gets it's air from that same heater plenum and the default condition of the controls is set up so that defrost is always available even if the controls fail and at least some steam and pressurized coolant will fog the windshield so fast that you will not be able to see through it, and that is not conducive to safe driving . BTW: Auto manufacturers have pretty much solved the old water intrusion problems of days of yore and they don't use the old gum rubber windshield gaskets and now use a liquid urethane plastic instead . It rarely fails, or allows water to get into the interior of vehicles . You can search for a leak there - but I doubt it's the culprit . |
SurferJoe46 (51) | ||
| 764429 | 2009-04-15 10:05:00 | Get a torch & have a look in the footwell heater vents, sometimes you can see inside enough to see if there's any staining/evidence of water. Check under the bonnet to see if all the grommets are properly fitted in the holes in the firewall. Any aftermarket wiring on the car? If there is make sure the entry point into the car is silicone sealed & the wire goes upwards before going through the firewall. Any water on the wiring will run away from the point of entry. I had one a little while ago that had a slit in the original loom, probably the result of previous repair work. Water got in & worked it's way through the loom right down to the ECU by the heater. It got in & fried it. If you still can't find it, take it to the mechanic. He'll know where to look & have the gear to test things properly & most likely find it in a matter of minutes, especially if your carpet is already removed |
Phil B (648) | ||
| 764430 | 2009-04-16 01:01:00 | I believe it to be a Japanese Mazda 626. We have one. PJ | Poppa John (284) | ||
| 764431 | 2009-04-16 09:30:00 | The mechanic is going to look at it tomorrow. Thanks for all your help | Greven (91) | ||
| 764432 | 2009-04-17 07:38:00 | The windscreen is leaking. The mechanic can't fix it so he told me to take it to Smith & Smith to get the windscreen resealed. | Greven (91) | ||
| 764433 | 2009-04-17 08:21:00 | Hi Greven. Out of curiosity - what did the mechanic charge for the examination and advice? | Scouse (83) | ||
| 764434 | 2009-04-17 23:57:00 | Hi Greven. Out of curiosity - what did the mechanic charge for the examination and advice? $50 |
Greven (91) | ||
| 764435 | 2009-04-18 00:11:00 | I suppose he put a hose on the windscreen and then looked up under the footwell with a light and said the water is coming through the windscreen seal. Take it to a windscreen place fifty bucks thanks very much. I want to be a mechanic. |
prefect (6291) | ||
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