Rover 75 - the old boot leak problem

[Phil th Barrow]

This is how it was for me.

When you say its dripping from th U panel half way along onto th carpet behind th rear wheel arch i presume you mean here. (See arrows)



To cure this i applied Captain trollies creeping crack cure (CTCCC) This ideally needs to be done on a warm dry day with more than one application if its still drawing in (It has a capillary action). I give it 20 mins to cure before second application. Th next day i painted th seam and lifted th rubber to make sure th top of th seam was coated too.



You must if it was anything like mine do th window rear trim fasteners along th bottom of th window too. I used a hyper dermic syringe to get th CTCCC exactly were i wanted it. Firstly between th rubber base/clips and th panel. Then for good measure make sure th center of th top of th clips were th push threw piece is. You must coat this, as it can leak there too. See center post here.



Now this raining in problem on my car was very strange to say th least. It would rain in if i parked it in th drive on a up bank slope. But on th flat at work it didnt. Please dont ask why as i never got to th bottom of that one.

Lastly; im sorry to say i found boot leak cures were best done as a summer job.

Good luck.

[Edward Huggins]

Brilliant, Yes in your top (Blue) pic that's exactly where the drip is forming. Many thanks for your attention to the detail on this. I hope it will have helped others as well. Now to try to effect a cure!

[Parisien]

Left my MG ZT 2002 down to my mechanic last week ( with a ten point list from Al Cramb off an FB group) a number of hours work later, over night rain, wet drive and hosing it's now drier inside than a grand aunts talcum powder dispenser!

P

[ceedy]

Had that tiny drip in my Diesel for ages , since 2005 ..
was just enough to leave a small damp patch on the boot carpet,

did all the screen bits and bobs and light seals with no effect



Finally sorted it by dripping captain Tolleys around and along the Near side boot hinge and fixings , and along that body seam mentioned before



Finally a dry boot after all this time .



C

[Edward Huggins]

The story so far. I've been at the Boot leak again and think I may have found the answer (or part of it) as the bottom edge to the rear windshield rubber surround has hardened and perished. Whilst it looks OK superficially, when I prodded it searching for ingress, I realised that it had hardened and cracked. I've ordered a Black Silicone Sealent, far better than the Black (Wood) Frame Sealant I have been using.

BUT, here's the thing....I went to use the car this morning after it had been stood in the drive for some days, only to find about 1/2" water above the carpets in the RHS front and rear footwells! I can't see how or where this could have run in from the boot area/spare wheel void - so I'm wondering if this has dripped in from the plenum void under the front windscreen. It's never happened before. Have honorable Members here had anything like this?

[rab60bit]

Originally Posted by Edward Huggins

The story so far. I've been at the Boot leak again and think I may have found the answer (or part of it) as the bottom edge to the rear windshield rubber surround has hardened and perished. Whilst it looks OK superficially, when I prodded it searching for ingress, I realised that it had hardened and cracked. I've ordered a Black Silicone Sealent, far better than the Black (Wood) Frame Sealant I have been using.

BUT, here's the thing....I went to use the car this morning after it had been stood in the drive for some days, only to find about 1/2" water above the carpets in the RHS front and rear footwells! I can't see how or where this could have run in from the boot area/spare wheel void - so I'm wondering if this has dripped in from the plenum void under the front windscreen. It's never happened before. Have honorable Members here had anything like this?

Like me you're getting desperate The rear screen trim has no effect on sealing off the outside elements (the glass is bonded onto the rear screen body shell aperture), it's just a free standing (clipped) trim. I think you know the 7 or 8 bottom clips for the trim, with age, are a a source of boot leaks. I renewed all of mine (with the glass in situ) bonding them and the fixing pins with Sikaflex 521UV sealant (which is polyurethane based and uses an activator, silicon isn't really suitable for this sort of job) doing away with the OEM foam seating pads and washers altogether.
The vehicle has to be moved/driven but any water sitting/accumulated in the boot area ie not the spare wheel well, but the shell floor level immediately below the rear light clusters and the inside wall of the rear wings, can swill forward under the rear seat cushion and into the rear footwells. If your car was just parked and you have a sunroof the most likely leak into the front O/S footwell (same problem/fix on the N/S drain) is via the front drain tubes which are a two-piece rubber affair that MGR joined together just below the A pillar near the LCM (light control module) using a bit of PTFE tape wrapped around the outside of the upper tube as a stuffing to fit inside the larger inner diameter of the lower tube - it's rubbish and fails with age! It's all behind the side trim and carpet and the accepted fix is using a nylon serrated hose joiner (from memory one end is 8mm and the other 10mm) obtainable from Halfords for a couple of squids.
Another leak source is the heater matrix - don't go there unless you really have to - but you will be having other heater issues and you'll find the leak will probably be accompanied by a bit of a noticeable pungent smell too.

[Saga Lout]

Originally Posted by Edward Huggins

The story so far. I've been at the Boot leak again and think I may have found the answer (or part of it) as the bottom edge to the rear windshield rubber surround has hardened and perished. Whilst it looks OK superficially, when I prodded it searching for ingress, I realised that it had hardened and cracked. I've ordered a Black Silicone Sealent, far better than the Black (Wood) Frame Sealant I have been using.

BUT, here's the thing....I went to use the car this morning after it had been stood in the drive for some days, only to find about 1/2" water above the carpets in the RHS front and rear footwells! I can't see how or where this could have run in from the boot area/spare wheel void - so I'm wondering if this has dripped in from the plenum void under the front windscreen. It's never happened before. Have honorable Members here had anything like this?

I found many ingress places on my 75 when I first did it, there were a few you'd never think of.
The first picture is where the cables pass through the foam behind the mirrors, it was running down the inside of the door cards and dripping off and finding its way behind the edge of the carpet, as shown in the other pictures. There was leaks from the scuttle clips too, the picture of my ZT with the scuttle off shows how I've dealt with it, I stuck in the clips with windscreen sealer and then put foil tape over and onto the surrounding area, it's 100% sealed there now. There was also leaks where the scuttle meets the sides of the car and one under the top edge of the wing. If you shine a torch down by the windscreen pillar you'll see a hole where two panels meet, it was getting in there and I put some sealer on a stick and blocked it from the top. They can be hard to cure but seats and carpets out lets you see them all usually.

[Edward Huggins]

Thaks for all the detailed help in these many Post ands - now more help in Posts#26 and #27. I'm going to have a crack at this soonest. I shall eliminate any issues now about water slushing forward from the boot. I've had the rear seat squab out and can see no sign of ingress. By looking down into the void under the under the wiper motor I see some pooling, but can't as yet find a drain. The easy to rod drain on the passenger side is clear - as are all the drain holes under the side sills beneath all 4 doors. I'm dreading the removal of what looks like a one piece fitted carpet (with wiring harness under) and may ask for guidance on this later. But no point in touching that carpet until the leak is fixed!

[Saga Lout]

Originally Posted by Edward Huggins

Thaks for all the detailed help in these many Post ands - now more help in Posts#26 and #27. I'm going to have a crack at this soonest. I shall eliminate any issues now about water slushing forward from the boot. I've had the rear seat squab out and can see no sign of ingress. By looking down into the void under the under the wiper motor I see some pooling, but can't as yet find a drain. The easy to rod drain on the passenger side is clear - as are all the drain holes under the side sills beneath all 4 doors. I'm dreading the removal of what looks like a one piece fitted carpet (with wiring harness under) and may ask for guidance on this later. But no point in touching that carpet until the leak is fixed!

If that carpet is holding water it'll weigh about 200 pounds as they all do when wet, they don't dry out too quickly either. If I was doing that job again I'd lean underneath and knock out the floor pan bungs just before it rises for the back seat base. I'd get a drift and hammer them upwards till the water starts coming out.

[Edward Huggins]

Today, I removed the 3 poppers and took out the panel (fiddly to remove) on the passenger side under the windscreen. I found a drain hole very near to the MID-POINT at the FRONT of the BASE of the Pollen Filter. It was not easy to find/see on first inspection. There was much water. I rodded it, it was blocked, and a lot water came out with some force. With the help from Member's here I at last found this drain point so I hope that will help others. I've yet to find any drain hole on the Driver's side of the scuttle/plenum under the wiper motor. I'll see now (rain is forecast) if there is any more ingress and report back.