Check Plenums ! **NEW MEMBERS TAKE NOTE**
 

As above, if you haven't checked the plenum since that last bout of heavy rain across the UK then do so, ASAP.

Despite having had a recent full service by my regular mech - who knows to check the plenum drains - only a month or so ago. I've just found 1/2 an inch of water in the bottom of the plenum. I only checked as every time I've put the A/C on recently I've been getting a slightly off smell for the first 20 to 30 seconds of cold air before it clears, I had wondered weather the pollen filter had gotten damp: it looks like it must have got wet at the bottom. Evidently those last heavy rains had managed to wash some debris down to block the drain and start filling the plenum. I'm glad I checked it now.

The following links to the 'Spyhole mod' how to (I really should get around to doing this).

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...d.php?t=100130

Maybe another member who know a good link can link to an explanation/how-to for how to check/drain the plenum?

Just make this a job , as i do weekly, when checking levels...:}

A very good article on the Reason Why you check plenums is shown here and contains photo's of how to do it.

Done yesterday ;) and checked pretty much weekly with the spy mode :)

And that's why I should get around to doing the spyhole mod, as at the moment it's once a month at best (still only takes 15minutes though).

Thanks to the guys who've posted the right links.

Just checked mine....

As dry as a camels **** :D

Although Ive just ordered a pollen filter as the one in there is a bit pongy lol

This is an ideal tool for doing the job. Mine's always in the boot. Also avalilable from the likes of B&Q, Wilko etc. Cut the twirly bit off the end.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Drain-Wast...item2c71037b5d

Chad.

Plennum chambers
 

Just done mine on the Tourer, it was at least 4" deep with leaves blocking the outlet...i havnt done them for a few weeks.....glad i have now...thanks for the reminder...:}:}:}

The Plenum Spyhole Mod is a great idea to clear the drains on V6 and Diesel models. The easiest way to check them is to shine a torch along the plenum floor under the brake Servo on the drivers side.

A timely reminder. Yeah, dry as a Pharoahs sock. I didn't do the full mod because the grommet sits a tad awkwardly on the curve of the cover. I drilled a 9mm hole and found it sufficient for the drain unblocker, then put a small piece of tape over it.:shrug:

I'm glad the reminder has helped someone, I couldn't remember seeing a reminder for a while so figured I'd best do it (remind people) this time.

I've just done mine. Lots of **** in there, but otherwise dry :bowdown:
Pollen filter was stinky though so I've replaced that.

I know a few people like working on their own cars, but don't like getting underneath a raised car (even on stands etc). I'm not one of them, but I managed to clear the drivers side from underneath in no time with the car on the deck. I must have got lucky because I stuck my hand up around where I thought the drain plug would be, and hit right on it! A bendy aerial off of an old car up the tube, back out and job was a good'n! So it can be done, but probably much easier in most cases to get he car in the air...

Had the pollen filter out today trying to trace smell when using aircon - did spyhole mod at the same time - pollen filter dry as a bone as was plenum this time and didn't smell either, :shrug:, so I've treated the aircon with the foamy stuff again (4 years with the 820 never touched the aircon and no smells :confused:)

Good call ! will have alook tomorrow......thanks for the reminder..

and remember to check your sunroof drains as well, I didn't. poured last night. Daughter splashed her feet when she jumped in the passenger side.

net curtain rod, now clear and running, approx. 3 pints of water removed, carpet now drying

Checked this morning and all good and dry and the drain is clear......

Mine stays dry and unclogged, but then I have the 'Jules' Plenum mod (about £10), and the 'Spy-hole' mod by Arctic. We also live high up, above the tree line and my car is always garaged at night, so not much leaf debris.

Roverite.

This is a nice little modification. It allows you to rod the drain below the ECU without removing the splash shield.

Plenum Spyhole Modification

Just giving this thread a bit of thought, especially with the Autumn months ready to fall upon us.

Checkout Jules shop for his own design Plenum Guard. It's a great bit of kit, no leaves can pass it and it looks like it was a OEM fitting.

The picture shows a drain plug in the position that you would expect a grommet to be fitted to, even though very little water actually runs though it, I feel it's better to be in place.


http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/u...4/e471f262.jpg

Wow, it appears I've been honored by getting my thread stickied! :D

Well it's an important issue with our cars, especially this time of year. :)

Had mine done today at the NANO meet :-) What a great bunch of lads.

i checked and dug out the plenums before the rains started but neglected to check my sunroof drains. flooded out the passenger side before i got to them. Really advise if you have a sunroof check your drains before its too late. The culprit in my case was the one under the glove box. It hadnt been cleaned out since new. I cant get over the fact they used tape to make the seal waterproof instead of doing the job properly:shrug:

Spyhole mods are free at Nano meets as Steve of the Arctic makes up a number of covers with the holes pre drilled and you just swop yours for one of them, or it can be done for you if you are not sure how to do it

just waiting on a Nano meet in the NW. I suspect my car needs a bit of tweaking

Haven't checked mine since I bought the car in August.
Planning to this weekend now I have a new pollen filter to fit. Thanks for the great pics and tips on here, I finally understand what I need to do :}

PLenum is bone dry - help?? D:
 

I read through the guide and it was a great help, as it turns out the car I bought (2003 2.0L ZT) already has the spy hole method installed. I flashed a torch in and the plenum is dry as a bone.

But I'm still getting electrical faults;

the lights on my dash aren't lighting up when I activate the indicators/headlights etc.

The alarm doesn't sound when I open the driver side door and the lights are still on.

The lights don't flash when I lock/unlock the car using the remote on the key.

I'm not sure what else to do..

Any help would be hugely appreciated!

Please & Thanks

Water in the Plenum is just one possible fault when you have electrical problems, it is quite common, but easy to avoid (hence this thread). There are other reasons for problems, but in order to diagnose then it's best to start a new thread in the Technical Help sub-forum and take it from there.

As a start off, Have you tried disconnecting the battery for 30 minutes? If you haven't, make sure that you have your radio code if required and that the satnav (if fitted) is shutdown correctly. Sometimes a battery reset can fix electrical problems like this. If that doesn't work then start the new thread in Technical Help and you'll be sorted in no time (well at least close to identifying the cause).

:}Hi all

New member and already got some good stuff. Yes I cleaned out my plenums at the weekend and of course you would be right although dry in there completely blocked with shonet. Pushed a long drill bit through it and pile of muck on the road.

Thanks to you all for the guidance

Did mine over the weekend - had the car since July but never even heard of a plenum* until seeing it on here while looking for advice on a battery non-start.
It was about 3" deep in what seemed clean water - took about 10mins to drain.
Talking to the previous owner (who is a friend and had it from new), he'd never heard of the problem either - which I guess makes him and me very lucky.
I've also done the spyhole mod - the video for that is excellent and makes it so much easier.

So thanks to this and related threads.

*Edit:
I looked up 'plenum' in my Concise Oxford Dictionary and it defines it as "space filled with matter".
So I guess that covers it!

Windywet day under silver birch trees.
 

So, I had my bi monthly poke out of the drain as its been very wet/windy and I am not far from a whole row of silver birch trees. You know the ones. 75, killers with hundreds of spicky tiny seed pods. And yes, drain was running.... just, so managed to push through quite a clump of debris. First time I have had that much. So very pleased I did my Plems today !! Without the club I would never have known and for sure, by now my ECU would have been gurging away to itself. Thanks :bowdown:

I ordered my plenum shield wednesday,received it this morning.
Excellent service,many thanks Jules.
So thats my job for the weekend,do the spyhole mod and fit shield.
I've checked the how to,so feel pretty confident,just wondered if there's anything else i need to know before i proceed.
It's just that i can be a bit hamfisted at times!

Check Plenums ! (New members take note)
 

Shield fits one way and will take 90 seconds, the mod takes 5 mins to take the plenum out drill it and the put it back test and put the bung in.

I am useless at mods and I breezed through it.

Checked mine this morning but all clear

Forgive my naivety here but I have a question about plenums. I'm asking about my 53 plate 1.8t tourer. I've just emptied my plenum today, I had the tell tale sloshing sound when going around a corner. There was about an inch of water, now all gone. I emptied it by massaging and rodding the drain tube that sits nearest the drivers side, behind the brake pipes on the bulkhead box section. This and other posts makes reference to a plenum drain below the pollen filter on the passenger side of the bulkhead. My question is; does my car have one of these and does it drain the same plenum chamber/cavity as the one I've rodded already?

Yes your car has the drain below the pollen filter. That area contains the pollen filter and ECU, it is deeper, has it's own drain and is the most important of all. If the drain is blocked there is the possibility that the water can reach and penetrate the ECU the results of which can be terminal.

Thanks so much. Had to go out and check in the dark! Glad I did, no water but rubber drain was full of soil and grit. I've cleared it now, pollen filter looks dirty though, that will be the next job then!

The only time the pollen filter will look clean is before fitting, two weeks is enough to make it look grotty. Really should be changed annually, more often if high mileage.

should've also said change the pollen filter if it's been wet (by flooded plenums usually!) The smell of damp dog in the car is not appealing!

All I can say is thank you to the club who made me aware of this problem ..... Tonight I checked mine and the water was just touching the bottom of the ecu by a couple of mm ....
:bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

A narrow escape.

Checked mine the other day, using the spyhole and my usual metal coathanger, not a drop in there :).

Done mine and dried out the filter on a mild heat from a fan heater , then soaked it again in febreze and dried it again, no smells :)

The link at the start of the thread leads nowhere at the moment! Can we have a fix please as I think I should check mine!
Thanks!

I agree with all that has been said here but I have another tip to offer I bought a block of aquariam foam and cuut it to shape for drivers and nearside plenums its texture is loose enough to allow water to drain away easily but because it fits snugly no leaves have egress at all which saves a lot of worry and is simple to do, I think poundsavers do a foam block similar which would suffice

That's a brilliant idea. Sometimes its the most simplest ideas like that, that will be the most effective. I know what I will be doing this weekend :-)

Glad you liked it John, I will pur up couple pf pics tomorrow tpo show how simple it reallly is but its dark outside and cold ! now:D

first thing i done on my new ZT, good job too, the ecu was just starting to take swimming lessons!:D

Link now updated, no idea why it stopped working.

As promised couple of pics to show how simple it is to implement my foam idea to protect the plenums not rocket science but it does work very well for me
http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...6&d=1385140616

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...7&d=1385140632

Did mine 2 weeks ago when I serviced the car and changed the cabin filter. :}

Many thanks for the advice. After fitting new pedals and footrest yesterday (a job which at times I wished I hadn't started) I tackled this, and apart from half a dozen rotting leaves, finding it dry, but as the spy hole takes about 30 secs to do, I did that too. Thanks again.

Forgot to do mine - missus driving to work and car spluttered to a halt - everything worked except engine - tried everything and then thought about plenum drain, not sure if the 12 inches or so of water in there helped the ecu much - will send off ecu next week to ecu doctor (or any recommendations especially if power increase could be involved) for test and repair......hopefully car will then at least start and hopefully no other issues....espcially as car will now only be used for towing next year.

I would contact Marina Brian first before sending it off to the ECU doctor. :}

just done mine to for the first time, after reading these, Good job I did as the water was nearly up to the bottom of the ECU.

give it a couple of days to thoroughly dry out in the airing cupboard or other warm dry place and then give it a go before you do anything else. Who knows it may work fine once dry.

ecu flooded
 

left it for a week - unfortunately no improvement.
out of interest what is the box sitting next to ecu - a relay of some kind? this also needed drying out!
no comms from ecu on a friends diagnostic.
Have emailed Brian......

if it gets too expensive may have to sell her as is :mad:......as now only used as a 'spare'/ tow car...:getmecoat:

Oh well bad luck there with the ECU, but I'd think that Brian can get you sorted if anyone can. Your car is a Diesel yes? then I think the relay will be the glow plug relay.

PM sent ;)

Brian :D

I've been meaning to get round to doing this for quite a while. I think if my 190 passes its MOT tomorrow, I'll go and buy the bits needed and get it done. Hopefully it's not too bad as I can't hear any sloshing when driving, but I'm a bit worried nonetheless.

You don't need to buy any bits to check the plenum,just a pozi screwdriver to remove scrivet screw,then lever off the window clips,& remove cover.:xmas-smiley-018:

Then fit the aquariam foam as suggested earlier to block leaves and lett water run through then sllep better at night lol

Does this affect all models?

I'm not 100% sure about the v8 but certainly all other models 75 and ZT are affected, I don't see why the v8 would be any different.

Get checking, and then add the spyhole mod, and either Jules' plenum guard, some mesh, or aquarium foam to help keep the debris out of the plenum.

:xmas-smiley-007:

Hi George.
Did your car pass it's mot? and did you check the plenums, if not i suggest you do asap, also anyother member whom as not checked theirs, click the link, maybe the mods want to make a sticky of the reason why link ?
http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...t=plenum+check

As per your request Steve the above link has been stuck :icon_lol: With the recent precipitation it is a good idea :xmas-smiley-018:

Thread title slightly amended :xmas-smiley-018:

Thanks for the reply Avulon!:xmas-smiley-007:

It seems like a bizarre problem. The ECU is placed in the bottom of a bucket that collects water!

Sorry I wasn't clearer when I posted. When I said all models what I really meant was all years. I ask as I have a 2005 ZT-T 1.8. So it seemed odd that when making slight changes to the model that they wouldnt have either moved the ECU or at least provided better drainage. Surely these cars were just stopping on the road all over the place by the sound of this problem?

I have had mine for 4 weeks and though it has absolutely bucketed down in the last few weeks, I hear no sloshing and as much as I read this thread and look at the pics, I am still not really sure where Im supposed to be looking......Any experianced plenum drainers near Wilts? :icon_lol:

Anyway, Merry Christmas to y'all


John

It did pass :) Now that Christmas and New Years is out of the way, I ought to stop being lazy and get on with doing this. I've had a look around the house and shed and can't find anything which is long enough to unblock (I was looking for a long drillbit but couldn't find anything longer than approximately 12 inches, apparently you need something at least 24 inches long to unblock the whole thing?) so I bought a drain unblocker from eBay. Hopefully it'll arrive by the end of the week and I'll do the plenums at the weekend.

Where in Wilts are you?

i only checked the drains a few weeks ago and the spur of the moment just had a look. after all i had only advised a new owner of one of our great cars to do it as a matter of urgency a few days ago.

To my horror found them blocked with debris with about 4 inches of water in there.

I'm now going to check them once a week minimum until i use one of the remedies ive discovered on here

Well for emergencies a old wire coat coat cut to length and ends bent over so doesnt jam anywhere will do nicely, but for longer term can I reccemend the fishtank foam I suggested in a earlier post cut to shappe it allows water access freely but stops leaves etc dead in their tracks. I have had mine in for over a year now with no problem in ECU area at all I would suggest washing to foam minimum once a year to get rid of the fine
dust etc that gets lodged in it. Hope thats of some help to you

Did mine today, and as expected, the drain was blocked and there was a decent amount of water in there. I tried to use the drain cleaner I'd bought from eBay, but it was too flexible to penetrate the first level of gunk. I managed to find a small and thin metal pole which got through the first layer. The water started pouring out at a reasonable rate:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...psyqwmanxi.jpg

I then got my drain cleaner, which I could now insert all the way down (and further) and once I'd done this, the water really started pouring out. The most difficult bit was putting the plenum cover back. I think I'll do the spyhole mod next time I check them.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...pscjlxpdgr.jpg

Glad I've got it out of the way with, with all the recent rain I was getting a bit worried, and rightly so given the amount of water which came out!

Plenum Spy Hole Mod
 

With the plenum spy hole mod in place it only takes a few minutes to rod and check the plenums do it at least once a week while you check your fluid levels, tyres, lights and mirrors etc evey Sunday morning is a good time check out the video cheers Arctic
http://youtu.be/9Hw2SMBPU48

Yup the v8 as well Artic did the spy hole mod for me. I have just checked mine to,day and found half inch of water on drivers :mad:side the central and passenger side were bone dry:shrug:. The drain is blanked off on the drivers side.

i too have water in the drivers side. has anyone any pics or suggestions showing how to get rid of the water there?

Do it now! I had about 2 inches in mine. http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru....php?p=1542886 I'm confused by my drivers side hole, it appears to be sealed ?!

The drain capability was for the driver's side was removed on later cars to save money

So where does that water go, into the ECU chamber?? That's a bright idea.

Project drive saving they removed the inner wing tube and put in place a rubber grommet :duh: wonder how much that saved :D you can replace as I did on my tourer ;)

I've just changed the pollen filter thanks to Arctic's how to and thought I'd better check the plenum. I rod it every couple of weeks but yet i still found this........

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...psbafaa844.jpg
Got twice this amount out of it :eek:
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...pscfe7f57a.jpg

So it's definitely worth doing.

Dave
get under the car and cut the tube end off at a 45 degree angle opening the out let so this may be avoided in the future Arctic ;)

checked mine today. passenger side dry. drivers side about half inch of water. how do i clear that. also the cover you put the spy hole in on the passenger's side, is there meant to be one on drives side as i have no cover on that side. also at either side right near the wing is a hole. drivers side has a grommett in it with i presume a tube. this was full of water. where does this go. passenger side was just a hole. another other plenums to check.

Mike get under the car and you can clear the plenum tube which is below the servo, the wing tubes also need rodding the water runs behind the wheel arch liner,

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...533#post743533


http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...77&postcount=1

and as always best place to have a quick look for how to' here
http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...ad.php?t=67019

nice one arctic cheers

No problem here to help if I can, did one myself today for a member caught just in time now he as the spyhole mod and a new pollen filter, Arctic
http://i40.tinypic.com/2pote9w.jpg

http://i42.tinypic.com/2gugiur.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/2dkz6oh.jpg

need a new pollen filter on mine, think in past the plenum has been full as the filter is black and mouldy all off it.

Sticky moved to here to try and free up some space in the general forum ;)

brill
 

ty for the advice not had my rover long it been standing for a year after its last mot ive done the mod cleaned out a birds nest llol plus i noticed the 2 side plugs were blocked as well cleaned them out im new on here but the advice ive seen on here is brilliant ty to the members for taking the time to share their wisdom

Possibly, but they do get dirty anyway, probably from damp air and dust entering the plenum chamber. It is worth changing them as per schedule anyway; you don't want to end up with Legionnaires' disease, or worse.

Roverite.

Is it possible to drill the spy hole from the top without removing the panel?

Something like this would do it....

http://www.micromark.com/RS/SR/Product/82977_R.jpg

But as the panel is easy to remove why spend the money ? ;)

Yes possible but I would not advise it, there is always the chance of it splitting or even you catching a loom wire, removing the panel gives you the added advantage of checking if the plenum is full of debris or not also, Arctic ;)

Thanks for the advice. Looks like I should remove the panel. I just thought things were best left undisturbed if possible.

I got mine check by the amazing Mr Nick at Austin Garages. He even did a cool cheap mod - cut the drainage tube a bit! The tube gets thinner so easily blocked. Cut the tube before the thinner section and you should be safer.

Takes 5 seconds to slide the panel out without removing or breaking the skuttle panel !!!

Water in onside rear footwell
 

I have cleared the blockage in the so called plenum (for which thanks to various posts on how to do that). However it sounds as if I must have blockage to the sunroof drain(s) for water to end up in just one rear footwell. I think the other 3 footwells are dry. Can anyone point me in the right direction for instructions on how to clear the sunroof drain tubes?

Hi Simon.
Have a good read Arctic ;)

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...of+leak+solved

Water in footwell
 

Thanks your reply. This implies the problem is solved by clearing the tube running down behind the fuse box. Before I embark on this, there does not seem to be water in the front on-side foot well. Is it possible that there is another tube leaking direct to the area of the aft footwell? As I understand it there are 4 drainage holes from the sunroof of which that is presumably only one?

Appreciate your guidance!

Arctic has documented the rear drains starting at post #27 in that thread http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...+solved&page=3 There are four drain tubes in all one in each corner of the sunroof.

It's a job that i need to do before mine succumbs to the wet carpet scenario :eek:

Does the plenum issue affect MKII's. I thought the facelifted 75 and ZT had redesigned drain holes etc.

:}

Hi Del.
All R75 & MG ZT have the same issues and need checking regular in my opinion Arctic ;)

As Arctic says all are still prone to the dreaded blockage by crumbling leaf, I have rodded many for members who never knew there was a drain there! Several options for reducing risk of blockage include cutting off end of plenum drain at a angle to improve drainage, you can buy a guard from Jules to stop leaves etc entering on drivers side though on mark twos no drain on drivers side. My preferred option is to use the aquatic foam used in fish tanks shaped by cutting to size of gaps each end of the scuttle, the holes are large enough to allow water to drain freely but block all leaves and other debris twigs etc, since I did mine 18 months ago plenum chamber has been clean and no blockages. Hope you find this useful:D

Cigarette Lighter Cover
 

Is it possible to remove the cover on the lighter cover. I want to swap my light oak to walnut and I know I can remove the other covers.

Stubs

Look how much junk was in my plenum... Now it has one of Jules superb guards in to keep this stuff out.

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...8&d=1407094156

The whole unit pulls out once the two wires on the rear are disconnected,be careful though,the springs are easy to lose!;)

I'm a newbie, if your one too then you need to check yours !

Having read through a few of these very helpful threads I checked my drains today, well 2 of them.

Outside one was running fine, Inside one was blocked with 3 pints of dirty mulch & water. Having no tool I found an old tap with a flexi Hose still attached and hey presto or 30 painful minutes later whoosh one empty chamber.

Gave the Pollen filter a clean & service while in there too. (the wife has the hair dryer optional extra which comes in handy there)

Thank you.:}

plenums
 

Thanks for the useful info. Have just checked mine, being a first time owner. Chamber was dry but with some dry leaves. Used the top section of an old fishing pole, nice and flexible. I was surprised at the amount of gunk that came out.
Thanks again.

Plenum swimming pool
 

Really glad I read this last night, checked it tonight a found a swimming pool. easy to follow on how to clear so nice and dry now. But I will need a new pollen filter.

Hi Sean.
Do the spyhole mod it makes it easier to check ;) a lot of members will get caught out with these down pours after it being a dry September and the plenums are full of dust and small leaf particles which mixed with rain become sludge ;)

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...d.php?t=125864

Cleaned mine out today on the tourer and just in time by the look of it. I def dont want the ecu getting damp.

Thanks all for this information. Being new to 75 ownership would never have known to look. All done now.
Many thanks

Tony

Whats on the bottom of the drain tubes before you cut them off, some sort of simple flap etc?

They are like the end of a baloon or part of a ladies anatomy :0

Hi Gary
Do not get them mixed up with the A/C outlet tubes.

They will look like this below ;) cut them off at angle 45 degree but even cut of they can block up unless you have the leaf guard in place, these can be obtained from Jules, cheers Arctic

PS check out the spyhole mod too
https://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/for...d.php?t=125864

Cheers for reply, just fitted one of Jules shields yesterday and its caught a couple of leaves already!
Mines MkII so going to retrofit drivers side drain too, with the mesh mod to the grille I should be able to pretty much forget about drains LOL
Been married twenty-odd years so cant remember what certain bits of ladies anatomy look like, unless you mean ears?

Glad I found out about the plenum drains last weekend,it was leaking into n/s footwell & when I took the covers off the water was 4"/5" inches up the pollen filter all the way across.great forum..thanks.

And don't forget to check them at every service - and much more frequent if you regularly park under trees!

Chek plenums done yersteday .... it was great time to do it :D

I had water damaged ECU which cut the engine twice, on both occasions with real risk of a serious accident. This was repaired by Big Russ who was very helpful and courteous. My gratitude to him is beyond words!

Aftert that I bought from Julian (Jules) his little kit blocking the gap on the driver side. Arrived very quickly, fitting is easy (go gently though...) and hopefully it will solve that flooded plenum problem.

:} checked mine last night in the wind and rain :D we'd had 3 or 4 days heavy rain and i could hear the water splooshing around when i drove home yesterday.

i'm glad i checked when i did :eek: my plenaquarium was pretty bad 3 or 4 inches deep at least, all clear now tho - and on my weekly check list ;)


so cheers all you guys on the forum here :} i'm a new owner, only had my car 6 weeks or so also its my first car. with the help and wisdom shared on here i feel i've learned a fair bit about the car in the weeks i've had her. cheers again


Paul...........

With all the rain we just had this weekend just been out and done my plenums by Mobile phone flashlight.... here are the before & after rodding photos!!!!

BEFORE:
http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...psbrlej6iw.jpg

AFTER:
http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...psyhj03scc.jpg


I'm glad I did!!!!:Snow:

Eurgh, hope you are fitting a new pollen filter :D

Oh yes...next weekend , got one in garage .... I reckon that probably the original looking at state of it....

Morning all,

After noticing water in the drivers side foot well, did my ns plenum last night - sure enough blocked and full of water.

Unblocked, and the water drained out.

Sponged as much as poss out last night...

Have had the heating on "Hi" , using the floor vents to dry it out more.

Driving in this morning, the foot well's got about an inch of "dirty" water, and the rear foot wells full again!

IN particular, the "bowl" under the drivers seat that the vent is in seems to fill up first - if I didnt know better I'd say the water was actually coming out of the vent? Is this even possible?

More likely (hopefully) I just havent mopped it all out yet?

FWIW, when I went to refit the carpet trim in the drivers door, the clips were "glued" in with black mastic - I removed this to refit the clips.

This is in the upper edge of the body (rather than the underside of the door), so I dont believe water can get in there?

Also, I've just had the "reinforced handbreak compensator" mod fitted - anything in there that could have been left off / undone etc, allowing water in?

The passenger side of the car is dry as should be.

I did the new gaskets in the rear lights last year, and the boots fine.

Just looking for some reassurance, or something else to check?

Ta, and Happy Christmas! :)

Quick thought...

I havent cleared my OS plenum yet - a mate said that as the "drainage area" went across to the other side ("full width") it would drain through the NS plenum I'd cleared...

Reading this thread, I see later models *didnt* go accross like this, so wont drain the OS through the NS drain?

Have seen lots of info on clearing the NS drain, but not for clearing the OS (those threads mostly say you only need to bother with the NS).

Can anyone point me at such a "how to"?

Think I'm gonna have to bite the bullet, get down in the rain and clear both plenums again... oh joy... ;)

Also, when fitting the "aquarium foam" mod - which area am I looking to fill, the whole area of the "plenum tank" behind the pollen filter?

Have you got a sunroof?

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...d.php?t=118622

There will be gallons of water under the carpet as the foam sound proofing is 2 inches thick in places !

Hi Jules - no, no sunroof (thankfully!).

Cars parked on a gradient, down towards the bonnet.

Sponged another 2 inches out this morning, but hopefully just the "remainder" gathering...

Will keep an eye on this in the coming days, and do the spy hole mod soon.

Anything else it could be?

Hmm, I think it's gonna take some sponging to get it all out then...

"We're gonna need a bigger sponge" ;)

Think I'm pretty confident the underlying issue (blocked ns plenum) is sorted, and that it's just a case of getting the remaining water dried out.

Out of interest, when I took the weather "trim" (?) off to get at the ns plenum, the "foam block" in the corner between the two weather strips is loose - i.e not glued down anymore - litterally just sitting there held down by the bonnet.

Thinking of using aquarium / silicon glue to reattach - any other suggestions?

Hi Charles.
If the plenum as flooded then that is where the water as got in, on some of the earlier models the centre partition will be there, if this is the case water can and will collect on the OS part of the plenum.

You need to get under the car and check both plenum tubes and cut about 20mm off each one, I cut mine at a45 degree angle this is not required it is just the way I like to do it link below.

Cut off the first little section in photo one in the link which is clogged up.
http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...ad.php?t=84865

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...ad.php?t=86684

Also have a good read through this link if you have not done so already.
http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...89&postcount=1

If I was you I would not glue anything in place and do not put anything into the main plenum chamber, purchase a jules plenum guard for the OS wing area.

You could also do this below as a belt and braces
http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...6&postcount=19


The scuttle screen panel can also leak.
http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...3&postcount=61

The spy hole mod
http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...1&postcount=21

Sorry lots of link but quite a few members will get caught out with this really wet weather we are having, and there is more to come, good luck Arctic

Thanks Arctic - been doing lots of reading on this, will def order the guard for the OS and the out-feed pipes as you suggest.

On "another" site, I see that there's 3 plenum drains

- under the plenum cover, ns
- to the right of the plenum cover, ns; looks easy to access?
- Under the brake servo, off side

Do all models of the 75 (mine's 2003 ROVER 75 CLUB SE (MANUAL / PETROL)) have the 2nd drain as above, didnt notice that on mine last night?

Hi Charles
All the R40- 75 MGZT models have the four plenum drains, one in each top wing, one under the servo and one to the right of the ECU, after the project drive the OS was filled with a rubber bung instead of a tube to save money ? you can remove this and add the tube if you so wish Arctic.

Charles the only way to dry the carpet is to lift the wet side footwells
If you can't take them out completely or soon enough the car will smell musty !

Carpet "may" appear to dry up from above.
But the mould and rot will set in soon enough unless the foam soundproofing is completely dried out underneath. 2 inches thick and holds gallons !!!

If you don't want to remove carpet completely, then lift the affected side of the carpet (remove trims etc)
Place several dry towels under the wet foam and let them soak up the moisture. (car can still be used as long as pedals are not fouled with anything)
Repeat this process each day for 10 days !

Carpet will then be approaching 90% dry.
There's so many 75's about now stinking of mould


If water is found in a front or rear footwell carpet, there will be gallons sitting in the foam sound proofing underneath which is 2 inches thick in places.

If front RH footwell is soaked then the Rear RH will be also.
Water travels front to back or vice versa. (it cannot seap left to right because if the central floor pan tunnel)
So a RH boot leak for example can end up in the RH front footwell after the car has been parked downhill.

Remember water will always find the lowest point.
If you are unlucky enough to have wet LH and RH footwells, there will be 2 or more leaks to trace .

Look for witness marks like a limescale trail if the leak has been there for a while.

Known places for 75ZT leaks are:

Lower Plenum drains blocked, water enters via the pollen filter into heating ducts.

While oval scuttle clips below windscreen.

Missing grommets in bulkhead.

Front sunroof drains come adrift.
at bulkhead. Duck bill ends blocked which need cutting off.

Same applies to Rear sunroof drains. Water enters the boot.

Rear light rubber gaskets split.

Side trims on rear wings.
(2 holes behind each trim need sealing with silicone from the inside)

Cabin exhaust ducts in boot below carpet level. (Seal round edges with silicone)
Rear bumper removal is the most effective as these vents need sealing from the outside.

Drying out process:

Dehumidifier will be futile I'm afraid!

If removing carpet is too big a job for you I suggest lifting the carpet edge up
and use 2 old towels, one under each footwell.

Allow them to blot the water up and then hang towels to dry.
Repeat this about 20 times and the undercarpet foam will then be reasonably dry.
Make sure you find the source of the leak otherwise you'll be back to square one!

Good luck
Jules


PS for Arctic
Steve it was some of the very early cars which had a separation in the plenum area :xmas-smiley-008:

Fitted 2 plenium gards today, mine and a chap I work with - amazing what you can do in the works car-park when the boss has taken a days leave for "Christmas shopping".

Hopefully tomorrow - IF ITS DRY - we will silicone in the bottom of the plenium guards.

[/QUOTE]

Hi Jules
Rectified the old grey matter not engaging :getmecoat:cheers Arctic

When I bought my 75 the other day I took a screwdriver with me. The dealer didn't know anything about the plenum check, so I showed him there and then - the plenum was clean as as whistle and dry as a bone :Snow::Snow:

The only reason I knew to check it was in reading these forums and making notes about what to check on the car, so as a thank you, I've paid my £10 subscription and will be buying one of Jules plastic thingys .. .

Ali.

Hi Ali.
You need to do the spy hole mod now you have purchased your car, and if it as a sunroof check the sunroof drain tubes also.

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...d.php?t=125864

Spy hole mod
http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...1&postcount=21

Pre - Rainy season plenum checks
 

Well it'll soon be April the official rainy season here in the UK although it's already been very wet since Christmas. Time for checking your plenums before the torrential downpours of April.

:shower:(April showers!)

So glad I found this! That explains what the sloshing sound is when I go around corners... :eek:
And there was me saying 2 days ago that I'd never had any problems with the car!!! :duh:

Update: This was super-easy to do and the old girl was full of water but she's dry again now! I didn't have a plumbing rod so I used a long metal rod for holding a rabbit run together. Worked fine (took over half an hour to drain though). Now for the spyhole mod...

I've got the Jules Mod on the O/S, the Homebase Gutter Mesh Mod on the N/S, the Spyhole mod and a rodding tool made out of a pipe bender, some plastic tube, a boot lace and and old lavatory handle and my lovely new pollen filter is as dry as dry can be despite the recent deluge.

My friend, on the other hand, has none of these but he DOES have a very shiny car with a parboiled ECU.

Glad that my timely reminder helped someone out :)

You just need a ballcock system in there now to drain through and added gutter sized drain pipe ;) . Much preferred to poached ECUs though lol.

Oh, and if anyone says it only seriously affects the diesels then good luck when your mother / wife / or worse mother in law gets an impromptu foot bath when you pull away suddenly ..... only half kidding really, but the smell of damp dog from a wet pollen filter can be rather unpleasant.

Just to let you all know that its not just leaves etc that get "attracted" to the drain holes in the plenum. I checked mine the other day to find a bit of plastic from one of the retention clips on the plenum access covers lodged in the drain hole under the ecu..

thankfully it had just been restricting the drainage, not blocking it..

After this afternoons downpour went out to check, and my car is parked currently offside to the kerb, partial flooding of the roads, so popped the bonnet, with a torch one can see down past the wiper motor looking through the offside grill - oh horror, I can see water down there.

Grabbed my equipment, phillips, long nosed pliers, old tailgate support (my clearing device) and opened up the nearside, carefully extracting the top panel and spotting the clips that try to escape. Looked in the bottom and it's clear and easily drained, so then realized that due to the camber of the road, any water remaining in the chamber had pooled on the offside - phew.

For those that might not have done it, this took me all of eight minutes.

From the underside cut the end of the driver's side plenum drain off at an angle (one below servo)

Then rod it through from underneath.
We do this on every owners car we MOT.
Much easier to do on ramp but not vital.

Plenum drains from both sides then and doesn't matter which camber you park on ;)

checked
 

just to say thank you very much for this very useful info. i followed advice and cleared the drain hole i did have water in there and gunk so thanks again
jim barker

Thank you
 

Having had problems with the autobox whilst in France (it would only drive in 4th and reverse in the emergency program) I searched the forum and came across your advice regarding the plenum check. I followed the very clear directions and water poured out of the drain hole. The ECU dried out and the gearbox now functions perfectly. Brilliant. Please note; I had the car washed by a high pressure hose team the day before the defect occured.

ive checked them
 

thanks for the heads up me being a newbie I picked up car yesterday checked them today. it's a 02 reg 1800 tourer they seemed be a hole with a grommet and short drop no pipe length but vacuumed it out blew the pollen filter out with the air line poured some water in an it came out quick so at least it shouldn't t fill up . So is it as it should be? over to those who might know regards digger

How do I get to the drivers side plenum I hear you have to go from under car but where is the pipe please

Near the steering rack area.
They are obvious when you see the 2 lower tubes (one either side) poking downwards

We give every car we MOT a prod and cut the ends of both drains if they have not already been done ;)

Do not confuse them with the 2 AC evaporator tubes which dangle down the subframe much further


http://i55.tinypic.com/2mwb8us.jpg

Gunna go jack drivers side up and see f I can find it Thanks a lot Jules I'm up in Conway hopefully next week if I have time I'll pop in and meet you m8

Checked this last night. No water down there,but the hole was very clogged up. A very easy and relatively quick process. As a new and first time ZT owner, the advice is appreciated.

I have been out this evening and taken off the passenger side cover. The actual area was very clean, but there was still water in there. The pollen filter is a mess, and gave no clues, but the actual cover is broken and clips marked, so I do think someone has been doing this up until not long ago. The water wasn't terribly high, and I was quickly able to free it so far with a shotgun barrel cleaner of all things! However, the ECU loom sits right on top and I dare not go any further down with that, so I finished the job off with a coat hanger. It's a ll clear now.

I checked the driver's side, and the bottom was damp, so draining the passenger area had drained this also. Phew!

Now, a question about the ones near the wings? When I poke down them, I eventually get resistance? is this correct? Where do they end up?

Also, can I get to the lower driver's side without jacking, or do I need to wait until the car goes into a garage? I know they're all important, but I'm assuming the ECU one is the most imperative?

Thank you so much for your wonderful advice to a lady owner! I'm off now to join properly! :)

Excellent work Kitts and welcome to the club !!

Might I suggest you order one of these to stop all that debris going down the huge gap in the first place :smilie_re:



Jules Plenum Shield
http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...ad.php?t=68328

When poking through the outside ones, i.e. those nearest the wings, they go inside the wings and what you feel is probably the wheel arch liner. Just tap it to find out.