Leaking bulkhead, what could it be?

I got into my car the other day after a bit of rain, and true to form my carpets were wet only the passenger side. But the strange thing was i saw drops of water rolling down the vertical bit of carpet near where the bonnet release handle was. Now as i have a welded up wing where the aerial used to be, could the water be running down the drain channel on the roof and ending up down the wong into my car anywhere. Sometimes there is so much water there i have ruled out the rear clusters. I also thought i saw some coming in behind the B-pillar. How could this be???

I've had to rip out the sound deadening under my dash where the carpet ends and found a hole there. The sound deadening was sodden anyway, could it be there?

I'm thinking of stripping the carpet and interior to see where its coming from, as you can imagine the carpet could do with changing anyway? Is anyone else pulling there hair out about leaks???

     

Hi leroy

Leaks can be a pain (are!) but sometimes quicker in the long run to strip interior to find them - it's a quick enough job to take seats and carpet out and you can get a mate to hose car down and see where water comes in. Some pointers for leak 'hot spots' are;

1. Check drain tubes at each end of bulk head tray under bonnet (the bit where wiper motor is. If they are blocked, water will over flow in to heater matrix/blower and on to floor.
2. Bulkhead -  if any of the grommets are worn/broken, also clutch cable can pull through bulk head causing leak
3. If any rust under lower corners of windscreen (scuttle panel) could well end up coming down A-post on vertical piece of carpet where you mentioned.
4. Sunroof drain tubes - have you got one?

Hope this helps - strip out interior - also lay talc powder down in areas where you think water is coming in - you'll soon see it become wet!

Cheers
Andy

I've just been trying to sort mine today, at first I thought mine was coming in round the windscreen seal, but wasn't sure, so as a test, a bit like Hairyarse's talc powder but less messy! I layed some newspaper down against the bulkhead and poured lots of water down over the windscreen, and waited to see where the paper got wet.

you can then try to follow the probable trajectory of the water, and work out, or prbably still see, where the water is coming from.

mine turned out to be running down some wires I had (stupidly, looking back on it) pushed through a slit I cut in a grommet.
As Hairyarse said there are several places/possiblitys so just try to be thorough, its quite likely to try your patience though!

best of luck

I sorted this out the other day, after stripping the interior right down i found the water was leaking via the sunroof drainage tubes. At first i thought they were blocked but on further investigation the tube had been disconnected from the sunroof, all i had to do is get behind the headlining and reconnect it!!! :mrgreen:

That had leaked from the sunroof down the a pillar and into my footwell ever since i owned it and to think it was something as simple as that, i could kick myself!

Anyone else with the same problem as me, check this first and you can have a bone dry mk1 no matter what the weather.

 :mrgreen:  :cheer:  :starwars:

I know it is a bit messy, but remove the dash in order to find leak, my leak from coming from my window seal
 See here http://www.vwgolfmk1.org.uk/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=10506
It was runing down into seal and down pillar onto dash and onto the fusebox plus dripping and wetting the passenger carpet.
Best wishes bud, hope to get to find problem fella

Mine had been leaking again - simply the grommet around where the bonnet release cable goes through bulkhead - easy fix!

Mine had a bad leak after rain, turned out leaves were blocking the drain tubes in the bulk head tray, its ok now, but I decided to strip the interior down to bear metal and give the whole car a full respray because the water didnt do it any good, I need new soudprofing because that was nasty, anyone know were I can get an original set, if not I'm gonna have to make some new ones? Cheers James

http://www.newtoncomm.co.uk/index.jsp  :wink:  

Discount if you're a member 8)

Hairyarse said

http://www.newtoncomm.co.uk/index.jsp  :wink:  

Discount if you're a member 8)

of the forum or club lol?

club  ops: