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        General >> Off Topic Subjects >> Water Ingress Gremlins Alert!
        
(Message started by: Mike H on Nov 9^th, 2010, 12:48pm)

Title: Water Ingress Gremlins Alert!
Post by Mike H on Nov 9^th, 2010, 12:48pm

As it's that time of year again and it has been wet a lot lately

Been staying up near Doncaster for a couple of nights, came home early Sunday morning, early enough it was still dark.

There was a lot of heavy dew, and I mean HEAVY. Squeegee and demist all the windows job while letting the engine start warming up kind of thing.

Out onto the A1 (literally just down the road from where I started), magic time of day as it happened, relaxed unhurried pace, hardly any traffic, watching the dawn come up, all of that.

After a bit noticed the ABS light was on.

Meh, can't be asked, keep going.

Then the airbag light came on. Meh, again. I'm guessing the extreme surplus of moisture is messing with the electrics. Hardly at all surprising in the circumstances. Just need to get the car properly warmed up to get rid of it.

Then, like a "brown out", all the lights went dim and the radio spluttered. Engine still working so I kept going.

Just a couple of secs later everything back to normal, warning lights extinguished.

So I'm guessing what with the vibration and so on some condensation somewhere had pooled together in a big gob, run over something electrical causing an almost complete short-circuit, then ran away. What me guv, never touched it.

Before this trip I had meant to soak the fuseboxes' innards and wotnot in WD40, but of course I forgot.

Still haven't done it, won't stop bluddy raining since I arrived home

Title: Re: Water Ingress Gremlins Alert!
Post by amigafan2003 on Nov 10^th, 2010, 5:15pm

I took the wife up to Windermere a couple of weekends ago and for an overnight stay for our anniversary. Leaving in the morning, first frost of the year (-2c) and go to start the car, it just cranks - and cranks - and cranks - doesn't catch at all. All electrics working on the dash so pop the bonnet, check normal fuses (fuel pump etc), try again - same. Must have tried five times to start it. Sit back in the car with a glum face. Have a discussion with the wife and decide to call the AA - this is about 5 mins later. One last go I think - brmmmm - starts straight up like it normally does. Hasn't happened again since. If I didn't know better I'd say the fuel pipes were frozen.

Winter - my favourite time of year but it doesn't half make our cars do some odd stuff.

Title: Re: Water Ingress Gremlins Alert!
Post by Nunnspoet on Nov 13^th, 2010, 10:15am

I'll second that. All of my Scorpios just do not like wet, cold, yuckky weather. Once warmed up everything returns to normal. The usual sympton is the ABSand the tractiion Control lights comming on. After a few miles I switch off the ignition and re-start. There is nothing regular about what happens, just randon ???

I too love the Winter, last Winter when the snow was about and flooding was everywhere in Lake District we drove all over the place in all sorts of "bad"weather and no complaints whatsoever from my Red Cossie Estate. She did run low on Autobox fluid and slipped her gears, but topped up at a very accomidating Garage at the foot of kirkstone Pass :). Still have not got under her to asses why she had low Autobox fluid as all was checked before we left Chard. Slapped wrist ::)

Mike

Title: Re: Water Ingress Gremlins Alert!
Post by Mike H on Nov 14^th, 2010, 5:12pm

Yep I rememebr last year doesn't do to let it stand about for too long, even the cabin gets damp. I remember one time it was just "running a bit rough", needed some miles with the heater on the dry out the insides. Just so happened I was going to do a reasonable distance that time.

Title: Re: Water Ingress Gremlins Alert!
Post by Simmo on Nov 15^th, 2010, 8:50am

MIke. If the cabin is getting damp have you checked the floor mat on the passenger side?. The cables from the auxillary fusebox run thriugh a large rubber grommet in the inner bulkhead and if that is misplaced and water builds up under the fusebox it will run into the cabin and in doing so it runs over the 'black box'up behind the glove box. The other item to cause severe misting is the pollen filter if it gets wet. Have you looked at that?. :)

Title: Re: Water Ingress Gremlins Alert!
Post by Mike H on Nov 20^th, 2010, 9:32pm

Don't think so it's just general condensation! Sometimes everything is damp including the steerig wheel, almost like dew.

New pollen filters a few months ago

Not noticed a damp floor

Title: Re: Water Ingress Gremlins Alert!
Post by Mike H on Dec 17^th, 2010, 5:02pm

Forgot to mention, no carpets are not wet.

Grommet(s) behind fuse box seem perfectly OK.

Yet again like Tuesday this week, dew everywhere, for example on the metal cap of the ignition lock even. The windows have to be mopped up with a towel. This is a frequent occurrence.

And now it's well frosty out, it's apt to go solid as well

Title: Re: Water Ingress Gremlins Alert!
Post by pedropedro on Dec 17^th, 2010, 6:13pm

maybe matrix sprung a leak..if you peer under the driver's footwell and look up you might see trace of anti freeze

Title: Re: Water Ingress Gremlins Alert!
Post by rich1 on Dec 17^th, 2010, 8:43pm

now , as you all know im no expert , but mike ive had this problem too . have you checked your sills? when it acccured on mine i double checked them , put some selant round the passenger front window and hey presto , no problems since!!!!

Title: Re: Water Ingress Gremlins Alert!
Post by TiberiuS on Dec 17^th, 2010, 9:55pm

Mike, you shouldn't be getting that much moisture inside the car - I used to leave mine locked for 2 or 3 weeks at a time in the damp weather and never had any problems with moisture, it would be dry as a bone when I unlocked it - and that's living under a mile from the sea on the east coast where we often get very humid weather.

The only time I ever had a problem was after I bought the Jag and had to move the Scorp up the end of the garden under our weeping willow tree, had to cover it just to keep the stuff from the seeds on the tree from eating into the paint :-/

Never ever cover a car with one of those plastic Argos covers, when I took the cover off 3 weeks later the whole interior was covered in mildew and all the exposed edges of the paint had been rubbed matt, took forever to get it all clean again :-/

Is the car parked in the shade or in sunlight?

Bruce.

Title: Re: Water Ingress Gremlins Alert!
Post by Mike H on Dec 18^th, 2010, 1:16pm

Depends, about mid morning it gets sunshine when the sun gets above the trees opposite side of the road. Then after midday it's in the shadow of the bungalow. As the sun is so low in Winter time at the mo, no it gets b*gger all apart from a couple of hours, IF the sun is shining which it ain't at the mo. Just snowing.

Where we live tends to be just damp. Every time we get heavy rain the bottom of the garden floods. Everything in the shed gets damp and has to be wrapped up in plastic bags if you want to try and keep it dry. The "water table" is just a few inches under the surface practically everywhere I reckon. Also there's lots of bushes and things round about where it's parked on the front. I'm going to have to cut them right back, needs doing anyway (it's on the "to do" list). Next door (the other half of our semi-detached, and which has been empty 5 years), has got blackthorn bushes (it grows like wildfire around here like a voracious weed) towering over our fence, some council guys were around a while ago to "trim it", all they did was remove the bits that were actually leaning on the fence, what I really wanted was reduce the height by at least a half. So, looks like one of those cases if you want something doing...

What it really needs is a nice warm dry garage, which I haven't got. The "jungle conditions" are sometimes evident by the occasional sign of moss growing on the outside of the car. http://livinginthepast-audioweb.co.uk/kbf/surprised.gif

Given a reasonable drive to warm it up and dry it out properly inside then fine, then leave a few days and we're right back to where we were.

And of course at the mo any damp turns to ice hence the doors sticking shut.

Sorry that turned into a bit of rant

PS coolant level hasn't dropped in months so pretty sure heater matrix is OK.

Title: Re: Water Ingress Gremlins Alert!
Post by gozz on Dec 18^th, 2010, 9:43pm

A controlled conflagration would seem to be in order,reinforced by "if you want something doing" ! but do irrigate the fence 8)
GOZZ.

Title: Re: Water Ingress Gremlins Alert!
Post by PJDavis on Dec 18^th, 2010, 10:38pm

I don't suppose that the air vents are blocked in some way are they? Like the re-circulating switch has been activated so the car can't 'breath'. Just a thought. Try leaving one or both of the rear windows open a crack, (aye just a tiny wee bit) see if that makes a difference. I would say though, that I live in a fairly damp/wet area, and mine is sometimes steamed up a bit, but nothing 2 mins with the interior fan can't clear.

Title: Re: Water Ingress Gremlins Alert!
Post by Mike H on Dec 19^th, 2010, 1:23pm

A bit of "steam" I don't mind, but sometimes there's enough condensation to soak a small towel. Which I always carry in the glove box BTW.

on 12/18/10 at 22:38:41, PJDavis wrote:

I don't suppose that the air vents are blocked in some way are they?

Nope.

Quote:

Like the re-circulating switch has been activated so the car can't 'breath'. Just a thought.

Nope always use "external", unless I'm being "gassed" by the vehicle in front in a queue ;D

Like the "controlled conflagration" Gozz, done that before with this stuff! Or I could just heave it into the bushes on the other side of the road, done that before as well.

Title: Re: Water Ingress Gremlins Alert!
Post by Mike H on Dec 19^th, 2010, 1:37pm

"I have a cunning plan my lord." http://livinginthepast-audioweb.co.uk/images/misc/baldrick-2.jpg

I got a fan heater sitting on the back seat, it's brilliant for getting rid of the snow and ice. Leave it a bit longer to dry the inside more then try putting vaseline on the door rubbers.

Looks quite weird, you got a car sitting in snow that looks just wet. A conundrum for passers-by to puzzle over. ;D

Title: Re: Water Ingress Gremlins Alert!
Post by Tompion on Dec 19^th, 2010, 6:10pm

I’ve always been impressed by how clear the interior stays on mine, it sits outside in all weathers. I have ribbed rubber floor mats and at the moment water is laying in them from snow dragged in on people’s shoes but the windows were still clear this morning. I can’t think of anything you probably haven’t checked already, but here goes.

How wet is it under the carpet. If it is very wet see if you can detect greater dampness of the carpet by each door. I had an escort where water was getting across the door (window seals won’t stop all the rain) because somebody had torn off the plastic membrane behind the door panel. I’d always find water laying the wrong side of the door seal until I replaced the missing membrane.

Are the roof drains clear – pour water into the rear drains and make sure it runs out of the correct places each side of the boot, if it doesn’t it will be going into the boot - look up under each side of the bumper for the drain exit holes.

Check the air vents each side near the rear roof drains behind the bumper are clear – if you put the blower on high, with the windows and doors shut you should be able to feel air blowing out of these.

Check the re-circulating air flap closes when you turn off the ignition.

Make sure the aircon drains are clear.

Title: Re: Water Ingress Gremlins Alert!
Post by Mike H on Dec 26^th, 2010, 1:07pm

Carpets are not wet.

It's invariably parked slightly downhill so mostly (if not exclusively) comes out the front drains. Which it does.

Haven't tried the blower test trick, can do at some point. Although when driving it with no fan on, air comes in through the vents OK, so must be going out the back somewhere!

Don't have air con.

http://livinginthepast-audioweb.co.uk/kbf/th_shrug.gif

Title: Re: Water Ingress Gremlins Alert!
Post by Mike H on Dec 26^th, 2010, 1:23pm

BTW the fan heater trick works a treat, gets rid of the last vestiges of snow and ice off the outside of the car. Makes things a lot easier for later on.