Botang's hole - Page 5

Zip · #41 19th September 2016, 07:45 PM

Right....decided to tackle and fill botang's hole. Which was a lot less difficult than everyone has lead me to believe, but that clearly isn't the problem.

Got some Mr Muscle in my grocery delivery which I will try on the main scuttle drain tomorrow. Failing that I'll get some bent brake pipe and hose.

Sucked as much water out of scuttle and carpets as I can with the VAX.

But....question? If I knock up a small enough fitting, can I shove a pipe through the front and rear vents inside the car and try and suck out the remaining water with the VAX? Or am I going to damage something in there? Some major sloshing still going on. Or, if I disconnect and clear the orange drains running through the cabin either side of the transmission tunnel, will everything drain out on its own? I suspect I know the answer

Thanks,
Mark

moltuae · #42 19th September 2016, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikkiJayne

How high does the water in the scuttle have to get to get in to the AC?

Wouldn't it have to be almost full?

I think a few inches is enough. Acceleration and driving will do the rest.

Last time it happened to me, unaware of the blocked drain, I visited a car wash. As I accelerated away, a mini Niagara Falls soaked my feet and carpets in a gallon or two of water. Not my my most pleasurable of driving experiences but certainly memorable.

Zip · #43 21st September 2016, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zip

Right....decided to tackle and fill botang's hole. Which was a lot less difficult than everyone has lead me to believe, but that clearly isn't the problem.

Got some Mr Muscle in my grocery delivery which I will try on the main scuttle drain tomorrow. Failing that I'll get some bent brake pipe and hose.

Sucked as much water out of scuttle and carpets as I can with the VAX.

But....question? If I knock up a small enough fitting, can I shove a pipe through the front and rear vents inside the car and try and suck out the remaining water with the VAX? Or am I going to damage something in there? Some major sloshing still going on. Or, if I disconnect and clear the orange drains running through the cabin either side of the transmission tunnel, will everything drain out on its own? I suspect I know the answer

Thanks,
Mark

Back to the top...any ideas please?

Thanks,
Zip

HPsauce · #44 21st September 2016, 01:47 PM

I've read something online (in Audipages maybe) about sucking water out through a thin pipe fed into the rear vents, but I didn't do that.

Basically I just sorted out the various drain blockages and took out all the (easily removeable) carpets for drying.
Then I set the ventilation system to "floor" and maximum fan, closed all the front and pillar vents, opened the rear centre vents and just blew it out over a few journeys. Towels to catch the spray.
Lots of gurgling to start with but it all went fairly quickly.

Finally I used silica gel bags over a few weeks to really dry out the inside. As noted in another thread (ages ago) I actually weighed the bags so that I knew when they were dry (just sat on the boiler all day) and how much water they absorbed (typically overnight).

steamship · #45 21st September 2016, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zip

Or, if I disconnect and clear the orange drains running through the cabin either side of the transmission tunnel, will everything drain out on its own?

Back to the top...any ideas please?

Thanks,
Zip

I know when I had this problem, I was amazed by how much water came out when I took off one of the orange drains. I suspect that there is probably still some debris still lying in the A/C tray, but I never thought of flushing it out at the time. When I refitted the orange drains, I cut about 2mm off the bottom of them to make that sort of cross-seal slightly bigger. My car sits out 24/7 and I've got big fir trees, and it's amazing how those needles work their way into the car.

HPsauce · #46 21st September 2016, 01:54 PM

I did the same on the seals.

But I now pay most attention to the big scuttle drain, testing and flushing regularly with hot water and detergent. No problems in ages (fingers crossed).

My personal opinion is that these (dirty) drains overflowing into the a/c condensate tray is the main cause of problems as any dirt can easily block those smaller drains.
In theory the a/c drains will only ever see totally pure water condensed from the a/c system. Reality is rather different.

moltuae · #47 21st September 2016, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zip

Right....decided to tackle and fill botang's hole. Which was a lot less difficult than everyone has lead me to believe, but that clearly isn't the problem.

Got some Mr Muscle in my grocery delivery which I will try on the main scuttle drain tomorrow. Failing that I'll get some bent brake pipe and hose.

Sucked as much water out of scuttle and carpets as I can with the VAX.

But....question? If I knock up a small enough fitting, can I shove a pipe through the front and rear vents inside the car and try and suck out the remaining water with the VAX? Or am I going to damage something in there? Some major sloshing still going on. Or, if I disconnect and clear the orange drains running through the cabin either side of the transmission tunnel, will everything drain out on its own? I suspect I know the answer

Thanks,
Mark

Sorry, didn't see your post when I replied further back; I think we posted at the same time.

In my experience, the sloshing is mainly water in the ducting (under the arm rests) that runs to the rear centre vents.

What I did was pop the rear centre vent out and poke an absorbent cloth down there to soak up the water. Those cheap J-Cloths that come on a roll are ideal because you can tear off a strip long enough to reach the bottom. Just twist the cloth to make it semi-rigid, poke it down the ducting, pull it out .... then, as they say, 'rinse and repeat' (or just tear off a new dry length) until your cloth comes out dry.

The orange drains are worth doing too of course, if you think they may be blocked.

Architex_mA8tey · #48 21st September 2016, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zip

Back to the top...any ideas please?

Thanks,
Zip

Take a look at this thread and maybe give the bottle and pipe idea a try?
http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3192

Zip · #49 21st September 2016, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Architex_mA8tey

Take a look at this thread and maybe give the bottle and pipe idea a try?
http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3192

Now that looks like a bloody good idea...!

Thanks for quick responses
...wish me luck.

Zip

Zip · #50 22nd September 2016, 10:43 AM

Couple of updates:

Managed to shove the thin shampoo tube that comes with my VAX in the air vents at the rear and took out another 200 ml or so of water.

Did the Mr Muscle drain gel flush on the main scuttle....bloody miracle stuff! Poured some water in first, then the full 500ml dose of cleaner....then waited. Was a bit sceptical, but after about 10 mins, a raging torrent flooded out of the underside of the car....result. Just rinsed out with boiling water afterwards.

Taken the passenger side transmission tunnel cover off and drained out about 500ml (!) from the drain on that side. Easy to do,as I had that side out when I installed my Dension 100 years ago. What should I stick down through the orange tube to clean it out? Seems very soft and fragile.

How do I get the drivers side out? Do I need to drop the under steering wheel cover?

Thanks,
Zip