Tracking down water leak

Post by **admwright** » 10 Jul 2007, 14:52

We have recently bought an 89 T25 and found that it was damp around the water pump. I removed the pump, dried it out and refitted. All seemed good, but damp was back. I checked the pump but no sign of leak there. As we have had some heavy rain recently I am wondering if it is getting in somewhere. The van has a sliding window behind the kitchen area (seals look OK), also vents for the fridge, could these be the source? Any suggestions on obvious places to look?

All the best
Andrew W.

Post by **Mocki** » 10 Jul 2007, 15:14

i'd opt for the fridge vent first, if the seal round the window really are good... try adding some food colouring to some water and dribbling it in..... only test to make sure its not going to stain anything first.....

worked for me finding a window seal that leaked years ago on a 4x4

Post by **Westy.Club.Joker** » 10 Jul 2007, 15:30

Check the window seal where it`s pressed onto the body side flange, make sure it`s not shrunk back from the corners leaving a tiny gap for the water to track through, mine had and it took me ages to find the problem.

Post by **Jones** » 21 Jul 2007, 06:58

I wouldn't dismiss the window seal just because it looks good, I had a load of water coming into the passenger foot well on my Westy

Took it to Autoglass who said it wasn't the seal and he didn't want to rip me off by changing it as it definitely, definitely wasn't the seal

So I sealed every other place it could be window washers, wipers, aerial still leaking

So eventually pulled out the windscreen myself changed the rubber with another genuine VW one and my Westy is now bone dry even after all this torrential rain

Cheers
Steve

Post by **phade** » 21 Jul 2007, 14:05

A quick general guide to finding leaks within the bodywork is to look for the following:-

- Check all window seals. If they are perished or frayed then replace them at once !!! From what I've heard go for the ones from Alan Schofield.

- Check the roof vent (lid)'s sealant. If it's peeling off then remove the roof vent lid (and it's surrounding frame) and reseal it. Use PU40 (polyurathane) sealant. Do not use bathroom sealant since this will fall off and the water problem will re-appear.

- Also check the fridge vents for rust, water leaks. If there is any serious rust around the fridge vents then it may become pretty expensive since that panel may have to be replaced.

- Another common cause for water leaks is at the bottom of the windscreen. If it leaks around there then it should be fixed as soon as possible.

I hope this helps.

Post by **Bowton Lad** » 21 Jul 2007, 16:12

Andrew, have you checked the water supply pipe connection to the tap?
Water could be leaking there & slowly trickling down the outside of the pipe until it reaches the body of the inline pump before dripping onto whatever is underneath ie. cupboard shelf etc. What about the condition of the supply pipe?

Have you checked the condition of the waste pipe from the sink & all it's connections?