Member Since: 01 Jul 2020
Location: South Staffs
Posts: 69
Swimming pool (water) in the passenger footwell - temp fix!
Went to the car the other day, and found this latest treat...
Click image to enlarge
Opening the door was even more impressive! It was like Niagara falls!
Fresh off the back of changing the engine, and the car had been sitting for months without any water getting in at all! So obviously my first thought is - I think I've something up when putting the engine back in... turns out I haven't! And its just a massive coincidence.
What seems like hours of searching the forum- I found many many many many posts with similar problems - all different causes. By process of elimination, running water over various parts around the front of the car, starting from low, to high, including around the scuttle panel, a-piller and checking the inside after each go, it was clear it was the sunroof drains.
I couldn't find many pictures of where the actual drain is in the passenger footwell - and now I know why! because its a right pain to get to!
So I thought I would add my experience here!
Took the glovebox off, (remove the pins for hinges), took the panel off under the glovebox, side panel, bonnet catch, lifted the carpet up... geeez does that absorb the water... need to get the Henry out...
Then your faced with this, and seriously you still can't tell where that drain exit point is, until you remove the CJB ( Central Junction Box?)
CJB
Now the tricky part, contorting your hands to remove the 6 wiring plugs, 2 of which you can't see yet until you've undone the two nuts holding it in place. I took all the front/bottom ones out first - you're then able to move the box around a little to get a good angle to get your hands behind it to unclip the rear two wiring clips.
And there she is!
So in the meantime while I wait for my parts to arrive, I've employed this fix.
It will at least stop the footwell turning into a swimming pool.
I've ordered part number EEH500120 which hopefully has the elbow on it!
Hopefully these pictures help someone else too!
Soul destroying part is - I have to take all that out again to do it properly - but it beats draining rain water out of the car everyday! 2008 Disco 3 HSE TDV6 - Gone
2001 Disco 2 V8 - Gone
Other non-LR cars and motorbikes.
9th Oct 2020 5:11 pm
NavyDoc
Member Since: 11 Jan 2009
Location: Perth
Posts: 143
Excellent write up. I’m sure it will come in handy soon!
9th Oct 2020 5:22 pm
wallworkf1
Member Since: 01 Jul 2020
Location: South Staffs
Posts: 69
I'll try and add some more pictures when I fix it properly! I just couldn't put up with the amount of water making it's way in every day.
Plus my drive way slopes! 2008 Disco 3 HSE TDV6 - Gone
2001 Disco 2 V8 - Gone
Other non-LR cars and motorbikes.
9th Oct 2020 5:28 pm
motorworks
Member Since: 14 Nov 2019
Location: Usk
Posts: 401
I have done n/s on a couple of RRS's, but they have removable vents on both sides. For D3 n/s I would try unbolting the wing to access the problem, rather than the neck bending struggle inside the car.Chris
9th Oct 2020 9:47 pm
JackNorris
Member Since: 06 Jul 2012
Location: Beds/Bucks Border
Posts: 1877
Thing is, by the time you’ve done the wheel arch/wing route, your better off just going internal and committing to a replacement
First one took me 4 hours
Last one last weekend was an hour
Al depends how much the connections on the rear want to be a gitMY2023 Discovery 5 R-Dynamic 3.0
MY2020 Discovery 5 Landmark 3.0 - SOLD
MY2005 Discovery 3 V8 4.4 HSE - SOLD
MY2019 Discovery 5 SE 3.0 - LR Replaced !
MY2005 Discovery 3 S 2.7 - SOLD
MY2016 Discovery 4 Graphite - SOLD
MY2015 Discovery 4 SE Tech - SOLD
9th Oct 2020 11:16 pm
wallworkf1
Member Since: 01 Jul 2020
Location: South Staffs
Posts: 69
There's no way I could have done a proper job from the outside, there's not enough slack or wiggle room in the tube (on mine at least) to to get a decent connection - but I'm sure it is possible for others to do it that way.
Pleased to report that my footwell is drying up nicely! and non of the heavy showers have made it in over the last week!
Still waiting for my parts to arrive though so I can finish it properly.
In the meantime I've been driving everywhere with the heaters on full blast on the feet, and the carpet kind of wedged vertical for the massive bit of foam underneath to get dry. 2008 Disco 3 HSE TDV6 - Gone
2001 Disco 2 V8 - Gone
Other non-LR cars and motorbikes.
13th Oct 2020 9:05 am
Bungle
Member Since: 07 Apr 2015
Location: Wanborough
Posts: 254
Mine had the same issue (as I suspect most D3's with sunroofs fitted have). Bear in mind the carpets are heavy with a lot of insulation in places, the only way I could get mine to dry out was to take out the front passenger seat and the rear seats so I could lift the carpet, then I used a wet and dry vac to get about a gallon out from the wiring channels, left the carpet propped up for a few days with a dehumidifier running inside. ISTR that the LR official procedure is to remove all the seats and the carpet! Just running with the heater on the footwells will take weeks to properly dry it, or worse won't dry it out at all leading with electrical and rust problems.
Given how awkward it is to remove I believe when the D3 was built the first thing on the production line was the CJB and then they built the rest of the car around it.....
14th Oct 2020 9:20 am
wallworkf1
Member Since: 01 Jul 2020
Location: South Staffs
Posts: 69
Yes - obviously you've got no chance of drying it without draining the swimming pool first, or pushing most of the water out of the foam.
Now with my car its parked on a slope - front pointing down - containing the majority of the water to the front passenger well.
I initially drained the majority of the water using a VAX/George (Henrys green cousin/brother..), then using a suction line from an air compressor, with a small tube (usually used for bleeding brakes/fluids etc...) to get under the wiring loom down the side of the car. All the time squeezing more water from the foam, an then going back to it every now and then with George.
This is how I've left it while wait for parts, also been propping up the foam to create an air gap towards the seat to help dry it.
When I've finished I'll be getting the carpet cleaner out to ensure there's no lasting smells! It doesn't seem bad at the moment.
The foam and carpet are drying out nicely (hand underneath the carpet right up to the seat/nav disc unit to check! also quite a rise in height there - further helping to keep the water forward.)
I've also been parking the other way round - rear pointing down, and have checked for water making it to the back. There is non - so all good.
Like you say Bungle - I may get the dehumidifier on the job too 2008 Disco 3 HSE TDV6 - Gone
2001 Disco 2 V8 - Gone
Other non-LR cars and motorbikes.
14th Oct 2020 11:33 am
disco4ever
Member Since: 23 Dec 2013
Location: under the car
Posts: 402
put lots of newspaper underneath the carpet. It sucks the water out of the water soaked foam and carpet.Achim
own garage certified LR tech
Disco 2 TD5 MY 2001 - gone but still driven by another owner
Defender 110 TD5 driving me bananas with all faults
Disco 3 TDV 6 HSE MY 2005 gone @280.000 km
Disco 4 SDV 6 HSE MY 2012
14th Oct 2020 11:39 am
aja4x4
Member Since: 14 Apr 2019
Location: Westbury
Posts: 2459
I lifted the carpet and used a wet vac on one i was repairing, as soon as the channel was dry it would fill back up again as it drained from the rear and the foam padding. I ended up with about 4 litres.
14th Oct 2020 11:47 am
matgriff
Member Since: 16 Sep 2019
Location: Newcastle Under Lyme, Staffs
Posts: 171
I got so fed up of water leaks from the sunroof(s) of my Discovery 2 Td5 soaking me and the Mrs every time it rained I vowed to never buy another car with a sunroof. Luckily I found my D3 and it didn't have any..... I guess that's only one source of possible leaks avoided though 2005 TDV6 SE Auto
Cairns Blue
14th Oct 2020 12:09 pm
oldstout
Member Since: 03 Apr 2016
Location: North East England
Posts: 247
Great write up and pics!You can't educate pork...
10th Dec 2020 12:34 pm
motorworks
Member Since: 14 Nov 2019
Location: Usk
Posts: 401
I found the same n/s problem in a Disco (recent purchase) parked for a few weeks. Decided to try the external approach, headlight out and wing off (easy enough), remove windscreen pillar cover (note airbag underneath) cut the pipe and remove.
Refit pipe with a push connector. In this case, trimmed and re-used the original end fitting. Refit cover, wing and headlight. I would use the same method again.
I extracted most water with a George, then sponge. Car is in the workshop, so left an electric dehumidifier running with windows closed to completely dry out interior.Chris
27th Dec 2020 10:26 pm
paul123
Member Since: 22 Mar 2020
Location: norwich
Posts: 230
i have just cured mine it was the clips holding the outside a pillar trim on . the rubber washers go hard and stop sealing it . replace the clips with a drop of sealer on each .2005 discovery 3 tdv6
1971 200 tdi 2 door range rover
300tdi defender 90 in bits needs lots of work
28th Dec 2020 9:03 am
aja4x4
Member Since: 14 Apr 2019
Location: Westbury
Posts: 2459
motorworks wrote:
I found the same n/s problem in a Disco (recent purchase) parked for a few weeks. Decided to try the external approach, headlight out and wing off (easy enough), remove windscreen pillar cover (note airbag underneath) cut the pipe and remove.
Refit pipe with a push connector. In this case, trimmed and re-used the original end fitting. Refit cover, wing and headlight. I would use the same method again.
I extracted most water with a George, then sponge. Car is in the workshop, so left an electric dehumidifier running with windows closed to completely dry out interior.
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something up when putting the engine back in... turns out I haven't! And its just a massive coincidence.
