The complimentary indoor swimmingpool, advise?
 

After many years, my Rover has decided to join the club of those of us with an indoor swimming pool in the footwell.
All was bone dry this morning, but after the weekly wash there was a bit of water in the drivers footwell (LHD).

Although a bit of water can be nice with this warm weather, I really prefer the interior to remain dry.
I know I can find a lot if I take the interior out, but as the Rover is used daily I don't really have the luxury of having time to strips the interior.

So, would anybody know the best places the start looking? Maybe I can already inspect parts from the outside? Or parts without taking out too much of the carpet/interior?

To give you a headstart, the plenums are clean, open en dry. I don't have a sunroof and all the grommets I could find in the "bulkhead"(?? Is that the right name?) are looking fine without damage.

Although the car gets washed weekly, and it is used daily. I've never had any water in the footwells only in the boot (but that's fixed).
The only area that is wet is the LHD drivers footwell, all other area's seem to be dry.

I noticed it because the carpet next to the black triangle you can rest your foot on while driving (my dad calls it the 4th pedal) had a slight discoloration on the edge, the type you get when the carpet is wet. the rest is not wet on the top yet, but if you press it, you can hear to the noise you get when squeezing a wet sponge.

So nobody has a clue?

I looked underneath the car yesterday, to see if I could see anything special. There seems to be a grommet next to the steering rack, but it looks clean and undamaged. I also couldn't find any scuttle panel clips that where missing or broken.

If time permits me at all tonight, I'll see if I can take out the triangle with the bonnet switch, just to see if I can see anything behind it.

Also had a soaked carpet in the driver’s footwell extending to the rear, (lhd too), no sunroof, dry drains, but noticed that whenever it rained water collected in the recessed far left scuttle clip depression.

Off with the panel, siliconed the white scuttle clip retainers not a drop since. (Think it was one of Artic’s many helpful threads that pointed me in the right direction).

Regards

You say the plenums are dry, is the pollen filter dry? have you found that?

@Vitesse, I haven't tried that. I kinda wonder where the water enters the interior? Maybe I can find traces of the water if I look behind the dashboard?

@planenut, yes. I did the "plenum hole mod" and when I looked into the hole I could easily look all the way down through the plenum below the pollen filter. The pollen filter itself is dirty (already got a new one on order) but it is dry.

Never bothered to look inside, the pooling of rain water in the far left recess was evidence enough to investigate further. Arctic's thread here:https://the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/s...3&postcount=61

Regards

Just thinking aloud.

Is it possible that the seal around the windscreen is perished or split?

Thanks Vitesse.

I wouldn't rule the windscreen out. I would have to inspect it more thoroughly to be sure.

The other thing I'm going to check is the small screw in the wheelarch lining. I removed that screw to guide a wire for the exterior floodlight I installed. I put it back, and it looks to be very firm in place. But if it's not 100% tight, maybe water can get in via that place?

So I would need to inspect/seal the scuttle panel grommets.
Inspect the windscreen seals.
Inspect the screw in the wheelarch lining.

I was also thinking about removing some parts of the dash, and then get in the car while somebody else runs water over the windscreen and/or surrounding areas. Maybe I can see where the water gets in.

Are you sure the water is coming in through the front?

Have you checked the rear light seals are OK, it has been known for them to leak and the water to find its way back-to-front.

I did read about that when Googling the issue. All footwells are dry, accept for the driver footwell. The boot is also bone dry (thank god). All the water that has entered the interior is in the drivers footwell.