Title: Windscreen water leak
Post by: Martin Tyas on May 06, 2011, 11:26:58 am
It's been a while as I have been so busy with work but still have my JE0K.
I recently experienced a small wet patch on the right hand side floor mat. The first time it happened was after a heavy overnight frost followed by a quick thaw next morning and I wondered if it was just condensation that had formed and found the lowest point to drip from the roof lining as the car was parked facing down a slight slope.
But it happened a couple of times since. I had known of cars with a sunroof experiencing similar as a result of the drain holes from the sunroof gutter being blocked ~ but my Espace doesn't have a sunroof.
So armed with a jug of water I poured small amounts on the roof and door seals in various places to find that the water ingress was from the top right hand side of the windscreen. The screen is the original from new and so it seemed very strange that after 9 years it should suddenly start to leak.
However further investigation, and after lifting the windscreen seals, revealed that the screen was still securely bonded to the roof panel but it appears that it is the bonding of the GRP roof panel to steel shell that has failed and allowing water to get underneath and then drip from the roof lining.
So, it means removing the wipers to remove the scuttle panel, mirrors off, seals out and then try to get the screen out intact otherwise that will also require replacement once I have re-bonded the roof to shell.
Thinking back I can only put it down to having hit a pot hole in a road I hadn't travelled before (a remnant from the lack of repairs after the heavy frost damage to roads this past winter) as there was quite a loud bang but I put down to the suspension bottoming at the time but it now appears that it produced enough body distortion to detach the roof panel.
Martin
I recently experienced a small wet patch on the right hand side floor mat. The first time it happened was after a heavy overnight frost followed by a quick thaw next morning and I wondered if it was just condensation that had formed and found the lowest point to drip from the roof lining as the car was parked facing down a slight slope.
But it happened a couple of times since. I had known of cars with a sunroof experiencing similar as a result of the drain holes from the sunroof gutter being blocked ~ but my Espace doesn't have a sunroof.
So armed with a jug of water I poured small amounts on the roof and door seals in various places to find that the water ingress was from the top right hand side of the windscreen. The screen is the original from new and so it seemed very strange that after 9 years it should suddenly start to leak.
However further investigation, and after lifting the windscreen seals, revealed that the screen was still securely bonded to the roof panel but it appears that it is the bonding of the GRP roof panel to steel shell that has failed and allowing water to get underneath and then drip from the roof lining.
So, it means removing the wipers to remove the scuttle panel, mirrors off, seals out and then try to get the screen out intact otherwise that will also require replacement once I have re-bonded the roof to shell.
Thinking back I can only put it down to having hit a pot hole in a road I hadn't travelled before (a remnant from the lack of repairs after the heavy frost damage to roads this past winter) as there was quite a loud bang but I put down to the suspension bottoming at the time but it now appears that it produced enough body distortion to detach the roof panel.
Martin
Title: Re: Windscreen water leak
Post by: BrianM on May 18, 2011, 05:58:48 pm
You could try a sealent. I have had one in the past that was a watery solution that dried sticky. Several applications were needed to seal a leak. If you could get some it may provide you with a temporay solution.
Title: Re: Windscreen water leak
Post by: Martin Tyas on May 22, 2011, 11:56:17 am
I had thought about that Brian but didn't really want the hassle of trying to remove it again once I got around to doing the job properly.
The windscreen surround trims are bonded to the screen with that thin double sided foam tape used for so many trim fitting applications on vehicles these days but it just butts up to the roof panel. The very small gap where the trim meets the roof is where the water is getting in initially and so as a temporary measure I have used 20mm wide adhesive tape across the joint between trim and roofline and taken it the full width of the screen. It's done the job so far ~ and survived motorway speeds.
Martin
The windscreen surround trims are bonded to the screen with that thin double sided foam tape used for so many trim fitting applications on vehicles these days but it just butts up to the roof panel. The very small gap where the trim meets the roof is where the water is getting in initially and so as a temporary measure I have used 20mm wide adhesive tape across the joint between trim and roofline and taken it the full width of the screen. It's done the job so far ~ and survived motorway speeds.
Martin
