Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 14:04:50 -0700 From: Steve Bradley Organization: MindSpring Enterprises, Inc. Subject: Free foot washing My '71 Squareback seems to think my feet stink. When it rains, water pours in the front under the dash. I've left it outside by mistake and found up to 3 inches in the floorboard. Does anybody have this prob or know what causes it? Steve B. --------- I found that when the fresh-air intakes on the cowl get clogged, water will overflow into the car. Solution is to remove the drain hoses, there are two behind the radio, and clean them out. Then feed put the hose into a bucket and flush water into the vents. If the water does not drain then gently poke something into the vent and try to move the leaves or whatever is in there around and hopefully it will start to drain. =================================================================== Tim Fink \ / \ / 69 Squareback (New 1776cc Motor) \ \/ / 79 Dasher \ /\ / 81 Diesel Rabbit \ / \ / 67 Fastback \/ \/ =================================================================== tfink@hubcap.clemson.edu =================================================================== Date: Mon, 14 Oct 96 14:20:00 PDT From: Toby Erkson Subject: Free foot washing: long reply... Pull back the trunk liner that wraps around the fresh air intake plenum (the box that sits in the trunk below the intake vents in front of the windshield). Check for rust -- this was an area where I had water leaks into the trunk area. *Fixes: Weld in a new metal patch or cut out the old and use fiberglass. Make sure to primer both sides of all metal... Use rust converter on small rust or as a temporary fix until you can repair the metal (rust converter, for those who don't know, can be found at any auto store -- it is a liquid chemical that you brush on rust and converts the rust to primer! Coolest stuff since duct tape and the 13mm ratchet. Read the directions.) In a pinch? Clean the area well (use the rust converter, too) and apply RTV (a silicone sealer found at any auto store, but don't use the stuff meant for engine gaskets!). Check the seals around the fresh air box itself. This will require disassembly. While you're at it, you can scoop out all of the crap that has accumulated over the years and check all of the seals. There should be a screen at the top to help keep stuff out. Also check the very bottom hose that allows water to flow out, make sure nothing is blocking it. *Fixes: RTV the bad seals if you cannot directly replace them. Be sure to mold (contour) the RTV like the seal. Use something like Armour All(TM) to freshen the seals. Check the whole front firewall for rust patches & holes. Water can seep in the smallest of holes. Also check all of the grommets in the firewall (like the one for the speedo cable) making sure they are whole (as in 'one piece', not as in 'holey' :) A good check is to open the front hood, then crawl in the front footwell areas and inspect the front firewall -- if you see light, you're looking at a problem! *Fixes: See above; replace grommets. How old is that window rubber?! Water can leak through old rubber, down the firewall and onto your toes (and wiring). *Fixes: Replacing any of the window rubber is very simple on the VW -- all you need is yourself and someone who is tall enough to push on the selected glass from the outside (i.e. your average 6 year-old could help). So, replace the glass! It should be about time for a new windshield (I replaced my stock one last year and, boy, was there a difference in visibility!). Can't do it right away? Grab yer RTV with the nozzle attached, this time the clear stuff (it comes in a variety of colors, including clear), poke the nozzle in between the rubber and the glass, and start squeezing, moving the tube as you go. What you're doing is making a bead between the glass and rubber. The window rubber will squish on the RTV as you move. Once done drawing the bead you will likely have some of it squish out onto the glass itself. Just take your finger and carefully wipe it off in a long, even stroke (this is called making a 'fillet', very similar to a 'fillet weld'). Try to seal both the inside and outside. Any leftover RTV can be easily scraped away with a razor after it dries. Speaking of rubber, how's about the door and window seals? Bad seals, even when the car is at a standstill, can leak water into the body, especially if there's a good wind blowing. *Fixes: Again, new rubber. I know, I know, it's expensive, that's why I haven't replaced mine yet. But, you can use the ol' RTV or go to an auto store and buy some general adhesive backed weather-stripping to replace/modify whatever you've got. I used 1/4" (I think) adhesive weather-stripping to replace the rear hatch seal, the used black RTV to seal both sides of the weather-stripping. Some slight trimming was involved, and I think the neighbors thought I was a little weird, opening & closing my hatch continuously while looking at it from every angle. But, hey, it's sealed! Other: How are your footwell heater openings? These can rust (read: expensive to repair) and collect water. How? When you drive, water gets splashed/sprayed up into them. Generally, the water prefers to pour out inside the cabin, not back outside where it belongs :) Look for other holes on the floorboards and UNDERNEATH THE BATTERY! Water could splash in and enter the cabin through a leaky rear kick panel or heater duct (hey, rust is to VWs like termites are to wood). Good luck, I hope you can find the problem. Luckily, it can be patched quickly! Toby Erkson modified '72 Squareback air_cooled_nut@pobox.com --------Response---------- ----------------------- Hey, thanks for all the replys! I checked out my drain hoses and, sure enough, that was the problem. Now I've get another prob. When I was peering into the fresh air intake on the cowl, I saw copious amounts of rust **inside** the intake. How do get to this area to remove the rust and repaint? Steve B. Steve, If you are talking about the part on/in the cowl, two options come to mind, both would involve removing the plastic air box underneath. 1. Sand or bead-blast inside the cowl opening and imediately paint (or at least seal) the stripped area. If the metal is not too far gone. 2. If the metal is GONE. Find a good one to cut and weld into place (Uggh.) Try the first option, you might get lucky. Big Al awpresley@earthlink.net --------------------------- Date: Wed, 16 Oct 1996 11:42:59 -0500 From: "Alan W. Presley" Subject: No more foot washing! Alan W. Presley wrote: > Steve, > If you are talking about the part on/in the cowl, two options come to > mind, both would involve removing the plastic air box underneath. > 1. Sand or bead-blast inside the cowl opening and imediately paint (or > at least seal) the stripped area. If the metal is not too far gone. > 2. If the metal is GONE. Find a good one to cut and weld into place > (Uggh.) Try the first option, you might get lucky. > Big Al > awpresley@earthlink.net OK. But how do you remove all the sand/beads after you blast? There's no where for it to go. Steve B. ***** Steve, If you mean in the car, use a canvas bag held in place by a helper (wearing gogles) or duct tape it in place, or just vacuum it up later. It's a messy job, you'll probably have to vacuum later anyway. But it beats cutting and welding. Keep in mind, you MUST remove the plastic air control box before you blast or you might as well install a drain by the pedals! Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996 19:44:44 -0500 To: type-3@umich.edu From: jadney@vwtype3.org (Melissa & Jim) Subject: Rear water leaks If you are getting water inside the back (above the engine) then I suspect your problem is elsewhere. Two possibilities: 1) The plate that the FI computer is mounted to is improperly installed. This black rectangular metal plate is located (under the vinyl trim panel on squarebacks) on the "wall" above and to the left of the engine hatch. I find this incorrectly done on 100% of the cars I work on for the first time. There are two screws that hold the top of the plate in place and two spring clips that MUST be slipped over the OUTSIDE of the metal panel to hold the bottom of the plate snugly in place. If you've never done this before, it will take about a minute to figure it out. Don't assume that the fact that it was last installed by a "professional" insures that it was done properly! Of course the rubber seal must be in good condition, but I've never seen a bad one. 2) You are missing a plastic plug that should seal a rear fender attachment bolt access hole at the base of the "D" pillar on one side or the other. The hole is about 1" in diameter and needs to be plugged. I've never had water leak in through the rear vent louvers on the 71-3s. My foam rubber, however, is nearly as shot as yours. I suppose you might also have some problems if the drains under the bottom were plugged up. Jim --------------------------------------------------------------------- Jim Adney jadney@vwtype3.org Madison, Wisconsin ---------------------------------------------------------------------