puddles in my box section!

[duddlebug]

This is my first post (of which I'm sure there'll be many).

I bought a friend's Morris Traveller on Sunday, who had mentioned the carpets in the rear footwells were getting wet. I drove it to North Wales in the most torrential downpour and the carpets were indeed wet when I checked them yesterday. That led to much head scratching whilst trying to find the source, and I have now discovered that I have puddles inside the box section underneath the back seat, which I think are slowly releasing water into the rear footwells.

So some questions:

Most urgently, how do I get it out? Should I drill some drain holes?

Should there be any drain holes in the floor to keep this section dry? (Or is this an unusual problem?)

What's the likely cause?

The wood on the traveller needs stripping, treating and varnishing, and a couple of sections (probably n/s cant rail and front pillar) will probably need replacing. Is this likely to be allowing the water access to this area of the car?

I don't suppose this is doing the metal above the spring hangars much good, as well as the floor itself, so I need to get this sorted as soon as possible. Any advice appreciated!

[ASL642]

Water getting in under the rear seat. Check your side windows. As these are sliding check what state the felt that the glass sits on is in. Is it damaged. Are the windows properly shut. Lock behind the rear seat halfway and the bolt just behind the driver's front seat.

Outside the waistrails have drain holes (verticle) Are these clear?. If they're blocked this may cause water to run down the panels and collect inside and drain into the box section. Use a thin piece of strong wire (knitting needle or wire coathanger) to clear them.

Finally what state is the underside of the car floor in. If it is holed water may be splashed up from the road - especially in v. wet conditions.

Wet rear carpets. If the carpet in the rear footwells is wet this points to the windows not closing firmly, you may need to replace all the window felts that surround your rear windows. If they are very old they get "thin" and let in water.

[bmcecosse]

Rusty sills - window leaks etc etc - there is no limit to where water can get in. Remove the carpets - and get inside the car while someone plays a hose over the car simulating rain to look for leaks. If nothing obvious - it's likely coming in from beloe via sills etc. Also check the cover plates are present/correct/well sealed under the lower wood sections just behind the B pillars on each side.

[duddlebug]

Thanks for the quick replies!

The underside looks solid. No obvious holes or gaps. I'll give the whole area a more thorough check, and have a good look at the cover plates. My drive home after collecting the car was a very, very wet drive. I've rarely driven any car in such conditions, so water could've got in anywhere. It wasn't the ideal conditions for a first drive in a Traveller with a leak and wood problems!

The windows could well be the culprit, along with the drain holes in the waist rails. The sliding windows don't want to open, and the runners and felts will be old. As mentioned the wood needs work, and I need to decide just how far I can afford to go with that in the short term, but I'll take a good look at the windows, runners and felts.

In the meantime, what's the best way to get the water out? There's a lot there!! I've taken a picture, which doesn't really show the extent of the water, but there are puddles just sat in the section that'd I'd like to drain out!

[frame][/frame]

[ASL642]

Have you got access to a Vax cleaner? Something like that. Remove the usual dust bag etc and set it up for carpet shampooing. It will suck out all that water. Also check the roof rubber - front cab to back roof? What state is this in is it leaking onto the rear seat and going down the back of the seat? Can you get the car under cover to dry it out. Open all the front windows - not the doors or you will drain the battery with the interior light.

[duddlebug]

I don't have a Vax. I'll ask around...

I'm planning on clearing a space in my garage before I go on a week's holiday on Friday. So it can sit and dry out for week while I'm away. I thought this would help me assess the wood properly, so i could make some decisions on how far I want (or need) to go in the short term. I may have to take a longer term view....

[bmcecosse]

Urgently remove all wet carpets and hang them up to dry. Soak up water with sponges and cloths - and yes get it under cover and leave windows and rear doors open.

[duddlebug]

Thanks to both of you for the advice. As I mentioned, this will probably be the first thread of many... Plenty of wood questions to come next, I'd imagine.

Would drilling some small holes in the floor under the box section be a bad idea? A small hole under each side that I could maybe stick a bung in once the water's drained out? Or seal up again?

I'm not sure where the lowest point would be, mind you.

[bmcecosse]

I wouldn't drill holes - just another starting point for more rust - sponge on a stick will get it out!

[ASL642]

With that anount of water he'll be there for ever!

[bmcecosse]

In that case - get a syphon going!

[duddlebug]

In that case - get a syphon going!

Haha! I thought about that, but I once had a bad experience with a header tank in my loft... never again...

I used a sponge cloth, rolled as tight as I could and kept dabbing it through the holes (I wish they were just a little bit bigger), and draining it into a bucket. Collected quite a bit of water on each side! (See photo)

[frame][/frame]

I started off with the seat folded up, but it just got in the way, so I removed it, the wooden bar, and the carpet against the box section. The metal looks solid, but the carpet was sodden where it folded onto the floor.

Amazingly the metal looked OK inside the box section, so I don't think this has been a problem for long. There seems to be evidence of waxoyl in there, so that has probably helped. Everything got a bit sticky too.

[PaulTubby]

well done being patient and gettint the water out the way you did, atleast the area you working on looks solid. Its going to be a case of trial and error but you can and will get your minor water toght, i recently had a saloon and when i bought it, it came to me and rained, and i had 9 water area leaks, all sorted now, was mainly the door seals, windscreen rubber front and rear and quarter light seals, bootlid seal etc etc .....

[millerman]

Just drill holes, two in section each side of transmission tunnel, then plenty of waxoil into interior until it runs out of holes (that prevents edges of the holes rusting)

It works, I've done it

[bmcecosse]

And when you drive in the rain - the holes will allow water to come up into the box section..... and the Waxoyl will be washed away - and the rot will start......

[millerman]

Blimey

[bmcecosse]

I know..... had too many Minis in the past with terrible water ingress problems........