And the leak goes on

[quarryman]

Right, so I read all the posts about leaks into the drivers footwell.
Had a good rummage around the windscreen seal, took off the wiper arm, the washer jet housing etc etc. Even the aerial support and sealed underneath.

There is rust evident under the seal, but not the critical rusting that others seem to have experienced. mind you having said that you never know do you until the screen is out. Anyway, this is not an option at this stage - as I don't have a garage, or the funds to rip it out and start again.

The puddle in the footwell has receeded, and at the last inspection my sealing (with loctite superflex) seems to have helped.

It looks though like I might have to lift up the leading edge of the seal and pump sealant underneath? There is still water getting in somewhere!!!!
Very frustrating. It looks like it must be seeping in from the bodywork side of the seal, then channelling down the side where it presumably overflows and drips onto the footwell?

I'm not sure how many more wet rainy evenings i want to spend with a headtorch trying to fathom this one out, so 'sealing advice' would be appreciated with pics if poss!! Thanks y'all.

[eatcustard]

I have spent many a day looking for holes in my mini footwell.

It will be probably a pin hole size one.

Keep looking

[mike_gee32]

I sealed the screen on my old van after 2 attempts, I also didn't want to take the screen out so did a fairly thorough bodge!

If it's not the middle of summer warm the seal up with a hairdryer or hot air gun so it's nice and supple.

First get a small (4mm ish) flat screwdriver and scrape all the old sealant from under the seal, right from the top of the screen down both sides and along the bottom, I dug absolutely loads of dried old cack out. Have a really good rummage and dont worry too much about pulling rusty metal out, at the end of the day if it's too far gone you'll have to pop the screen and do some welding anyway. The better you do this stage the more chance of success, you cant get a decent seal with old dry 10 year plus old crud in there.

Get some vactan or similar in there to try and slow the inevitable spread of rust, hold the seal up with a credit card and use a small paintbrush to get loads in. Let that go off for a bit.

Next get a big tube of silicone sealant, the type that goes in a caulk gun, trim as little off the nozzle as you can and, starting at the top, start filling under the seal, get the tube in as far as you can and move slowly round the seal, only moving on when the silicone is seeping out from under the seal. Once you've gone all the way round get some cloths (and wear latex gloves) and moving from the glass outwards press the seal down. You're trying to make sure there are no air bubbles in the sealant and if there are any holes in the bodywork the sealant goes through them sealing as it does. This should also seal the seal against the bodywork. LOTS will probably come out as you do this, so be prepared with cloths and bags to put them in, silicone seal is nasty sticky stuff when you've dropped it on your clothes and drive.

Let this go off for a day if poss without moving the van or getting it wet, this might not be strictly necessary but the first time I tried this I had to use the van a couple of hours later (in light rain) and it still leaked - doing it in the evening and letting it go off overnight the next time and it was fine.

Get the hose and have an assistant spray round the outside of the screen while you watch under the dash, if all has gone well it should be fixed. If not scrape it out again and have another go, using more sealant, the lower corners will hold an amazing amount it's no wonder they rot there. I think I used most of a tube in the end.

Mine was great for 6 months then started weeping again, so I sealed the glass to rubber interface with some creeping crack cure I got from a caravan place, I ran an old credit card round between the glass and seal, then starting at the top lifted the seal stuck the sealant bottle tube in and gave it a good squirt while moving round the glass.

That was done about 6 years ago and the cab floor is still dry as a bone. I've just got a new van which leaks much more that the old one did (and I've stuck a screwdriver through the metal in a couple of places) and I'll be doing this again once it's MOT'd while I save up for the body shop.

[R0B]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CAPTAIN-TOLLEYS-C ... 0378951343

[mike_gee32]

Thats the stuff.

[quarryman]

What an absolutely superb piece of advice - exactly what the doctor ordered. I will be doing exactly as you did as soon as this long promised good weather arrives.......
I'll try and post some pics to help the next in line.
Cheers!