Independent Renault Forums banner

FIX for water Ingress via Scuttle Panel

14K views 4 replies 2 participants last post by  mord 
#1 ·
hi all
after suffering a waterfall through the polen filter and into the passenger footwell this week(after going round a corner a bit hard) i decided enough is enough:baseballbat:

here is a cheap easy fix to prevent future water ingress.

parts needed:

A Renault car (but might work on other makes as well:d)
A spare rubber bonnet strip from the top edge from between the scuttle panel and the engine bay.
some waxoil, needs to be fairly goopy fluid, not mastic or black underseal type stuff.
and a hacksaw

Unclip the rubber guard from your car (no your not chopping this up), then undo the scuttle panel screw clips and pull up to allow access to the are under the panel.

Take the rubber strip, insert one end in under the panel, loop it and make sure the end point it on the top edge of the air intake, clip it on and work way round the edges (may need bending till the inner metal coil snaps, you will feel it when it does.)
Work round to the front and back accross till you get the other end and as far as you can bend the long strip.
Try to guage how much more you need to get the strip to meet the other end.
(or you could just measure the circumference of the hole and then cut to or just over length).
Refit and work onto edge making sure it fits snuggly(adjust and cut down till it is good fit.)

Once happy with fitment remove and apply waxoil to slot in rubber strip, then refit.

The waxoil is needed to prevent capilery action from drawing water into the airvent and to prevent corrosion on the edge of the vent.

Job done, you still need to check the drainage plugs once a year or so, but the risk of wet feet is almost elliminated.
As you can see i didnt measure mine (which is why its a inch short), just wrapped it around by touch. The 5foot length of strip is a bit unweildy trying to get looped and stuffed in under there, as there isnt much room to see whilst you are up to your elbows under the scuttle panel.

Pics are of 2002 laguna II. with rubber bung culprit of wet interior hiding in the far right on the last pic.:baseballbat:

I have enough strip left to make another one. :cool:

hmmm possible little earner on the side there :rolleyes:
 

Attachments

See less See more
5
#2 ·
No need to go to all that trouble. If the incoming water reaches the level of the pollen filter inlet then the drains are blocked BIG-TIME. Your idea may prevent water getting inside the car but what about all the other aspects of the wiper system.
In my Lag II just lifted the front edge of the scuttle panel poked around with a strightened out coat hanger whilst gently pouring in some water. I soon discovered whilst the drains were clear the speed of flow was insufficient to allow the water away quick enough. In other words the outlet flow couldn't match what was coming in.
Off came the the rear wheel arch liners of each front wheel. The outlets were completely blocked with crud gathered up from road debris and dirt. There is a one-way valve type thingy on the end of each outlet - designed to discourage vermin from climbing up. Once these were removed and the area thoroughly cleaned the water poured in disappeared like the perviable sh&& or a shovel.
Raising the level of the pollen filter opening is similar to raising the height of a dam at times of flood when the more effective answer is to have more efficient sluice gates. Check the lower end of the drains you may be surprised at what gathers in there.:)
 
#3 ·
well i drove off the driveway, lots of left turns and the odd right and i constantly heard running water (it had been raining the previous night) i thought it would go away, till i went round a roundabout and water poured out from the back of the passenger dashboard:eek:
good job i had no passenger, or she whould have raised merry hell about her soaked shoes:crazy:

at the least the mod should stop any water that wont normally drain thats sloshing about from deciding that the polen filter is a good exit.
 
#4 ·
The fact that you can hear water sloshing about would point to blocked drains. Adding the extra seal to the pollen filter has only been an attempt to cure the symptom and not the cause. I would recommend you check the drains as ingress of water will seriously affect the efficiency of the pollen filter. Both restrictive air-flow and water ingress ain't good for the heater blower motor.
Whilst I have no direct evidence of a link on any Renault where the ballast resistors on the heater motor have failed I have also seen a very dirty pollen filter plus a poor service history for the pollen filter. Remember the heater motor relies on a good flow of air to keep it cool.:)
 
#5 ·
the pollen filter was replaced in January, and remember this car has been sitting in various garages (covered & uncovered) whilst being repaired for the last year, so it hasnt really gone anywhere.
yes the drainage plugs were a little bit gunged up and have since been flushed out. they were also done last year when the car was overhauled after i bought it.
i only definatly heard the sloshing after pulling the first left then right after leaving home, i then expected the cornering to have put enough weight of water moving to the wings to be enough to pop the bungs open...
unfortunatly it didnt happen and i wound up with a puddle in the footwell a mile further on.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top