Kick-down is working now - a forehead slapping moment

[flutes]

So my kick-down has never worked, and it was way down the list of problems to investigate.

Found the problem, well two problems: a) I'm an idiot and b) the &$%#*& carpet was blocking the kick-down switch.  Correctly adjusted, works perfectly.  I can't believe I didn't check that before.

Unfortunately, what had me looking around the footwells was trying to find the source of a leak that has become apparent after the ridiculously heavy rain we had in Sydney over the past few weeks.  My carpets were soaked, the rubber underneath is damp, and while I suspect the sunroof I'm no closer to finding the source.  Grrr.  At least my kick-down works now.

[s class]

a.k.a. the "fun-button"

[Big_Richard]

if you ever take the dash off a w116, youll see that there are infact 49 thousand possible entry points for water leakage - no wonder people have such a hard time finding leaks 

[flutes]

MT after everything I've read about removing the dash that's something that I'd very much like to avoid if at all possible.

I'll do another post on the leaks - I did a bit of experimentation yesterday that leads me to believe it's not the rear door seals as I had thought but the sunroof.  What surprised me and is leading me to doubt that being the sole leak is that the front carpets were wet as well.

[SELfor50]

Remove the dash... you know you wanna!

Cause once you pop you can't stop.  Just hook in and get it cracking.  It's the only way to be totally confident that it's ok.

The sunroof does tend to flood the floor though..  cause the drain holes from the sunroof go down and if they've rusted some will go down the pillars into the car..  just takes prolonged rain to make it noticeable.

Cam.

[flutes]

Thanks Cam - that will my next course of investigation.

And yes s-class - it is the fun button!

[nathan]

the first things id check is thefront window seal. these are often the first point of entry for water if they are a bit old!

[flutes]

Nathan - the front windscreen seal is relatively new and in good condition but the driver's and passenger's window seals (the one along the bottom of the window) is very old/cracked.  Is that what you mean?

[oscar]

Hi flutes, funny about the carpet and kickdown but completely understandable.

Here's my favourite tip for leaks. (Though no one else I think has found the same  ).
Not taking away from windscreen, door seals and firewall issues...like TJ said there's a bunch of spots to point fingers at and this might be the last one to look for, but it's one I found in a couple of cars that's not obvious or easily found but I've a hunch it's more common than not.  This leak can lead to water in both front footwells which will run through to the rear footwells if there's enough rain.

Latest find http://forum.w116.org/interiors-and-exteriors/a-source-for-cabin-leaks/
Original find http://forum.w116.org/interiors-and-exteriors/leaking-cabin-found-the-problem-finally/

[flutes]

Oscar that could be worth doing.  There's a collection of leaves and other gunk that mysteriously get's underneath that grille and the mesh so it's due for a clean out.

I'm hoping the rubber in the front footwells (not the foam underneath the carpet) dries properly and mould-free.

[oscar]

I was going to say, take the carpets out and park the car in the sun.  Dry it as quick as you can.  That leak totalled my carpets and rubber in the early 90's when my dad owned the car.  The stink was incredible because it wasn't obvious that water was soaking into the rubber foam and carpet underlay.  So he eventually had to rip all that rubber out and then dry carpets out anytime the car got caught in a downpour.  The one saving grace following rubber removal was that rust didn't develop.

[TJ 450]

if you ever take the dash off a w116, youll see that there are infact 49 thousand possible entry points for water leakage - no wonder people have such a hard time finding leaks 

Haha. True, that.

Like Oscar said, once the water gets in there and under the foam, it's there for a long time. It would be a carpet removal frenzy for me.

I think it goes something like this:

Windscreen seal.
Holes in firewall.
Heater hose and wiper wiring grommets, visible through wiper grille.
Fuse Box-to-firewall seal (unlikely).

If the sunroof frame is leaking, you would have water dripping onto your lap as well.

Tim

[flutes]

Yeah the carpets have been out since last week and are fine (except the rear RHS ones - which was due to an old rear screen seal, now replaced).

What I'm worried about is the rubber that's attached to the floor.  If it hasn't dried by the morning I'll be out there with a hair dryer!

Tim - the sunroof itself isn't leaking but I suspect the drain holes, causing water to flow down inside the pillars and out at the floor.  The problem was more pronounced in the rear foot wells, but I think there was just so much water that it overflowed into the front ones as well.

[KenM]

Matt, I reckon you will find that your rubber mats are more than damp, I had a leak from my a/c and the mats under the carpet felt damp but I found when I pulled them up that they were absolutely soaking wet. You will never get them dry in the car, rip 'em out and hang them up vertically for a week, you will be amazed how much thinner and lighter they get. They could be hiding rust too, nice and humid under there.

Cheers,
Ken

[flutes]

Disaster.  Bloody rubber mats are still sodden as you thought Ken.



In the photo, the mat I'm talking about is the light grey one.  Around the edges, especially at the front, you can see where the water has risen and evaporated, leaving a white residue.

To get these mats up I'm gathering I have to remove the plastic box that (I guess) houses a wiring harness and the cable running diagonally which I assume is the hand brake.  Any comments / advice before I start breaking things?

Do I have to take the seats out to do this??