Floor wet, sunroof drains NOT clogged

[spyde25]

the tubes are one piece IIRC so if they are not leaking at the top then they should be ok. the drains for both sides just empty into the sills. remove the speaker cover and speaker on each side (central locking box on one side too) and see if the water comes out, might be hard to see but you can pull the tubes out with a bit of force and have them sitting in the footwell if you need to.

my money would be on rotten floors/bulkhead. even if the elephant trunk is clogged it shouldn't fill the car with water as the water can still get out the hole on the fusebox side. only if the path to that side of the heater box is clogged should water get in.

Will try this tonight and report back. Rainy seasons is going to be here soon.

[MC Hammered]

I had a seam between the fender and the body form a crack and water was seeping in and getting my passenger side footwell wet.

You can do a search and find my thread with pictures and see if that helps you out.

[spyde25]

I had a seam between the fender and the body form a crack and water was seeping in and getting my passenger side footwell wet.

You can do a search and find my thread with pictures and see if that helps you out.

Thanks, this thread will help even though its not the elephant drain. My carpet is wet exactly how yours is. will follow your troubleshooting tonight.

[nickso]

the drain pipes are more plastic than rubber. should be one piece though.

if you have a seam like that near the drains that could be the problem.

also if its rain water that's gettting in and not just water you have poured down the sunroof drains to specifically check them, i would be checking the heater box isn't rotten and letting water in behind the dash. i have some lovely pics of my one before i welded if they will help.

[spyde25]

the drain pipes are more plastic than rubber. should be one piece though.

if you have a seam like that near the drains that could be the problem.

also if its rain water that's gettting in and not just water you have poured down the sunroof drains to specifically check them, i would be checking the heater box isn't rotten and letting water in behind the dash. i have some lovely pics of my one before i welded if they will help.

Yes its the water i am pouring down the sunroof drains. It appears about 2 seconds later.

In regards to heater box that area is dry on the passenger side. It is damp underneath the gas pedal. I am not going to worry about that tell after BMW performs the SB on the heater (i was surprised to that they will still cover it).

[nickso]

Yes its the water i am pouring down the sunroof drains. It appears about 2 seconds later.

In regards to heater box that area is dry on the passenger side. It is damp underneath the gas pedal. I am not going to worry about that tell after BMW performs the SB on the heater (i was surprised to that they will still cover it).

fair enough, drains it is then. :)

whats an SB? i find some of the USA e30 lingo strange :p

[spyde25]

fair enough, drains it is then. :)

whats an SB? i find some of the USA e30 lingo strange :p

Sorry service bulletin or campaign was issued by BMW against a heating component on the E30 leaking coolant.

[CarsSuck]

SB is service bulletin.

I vaguely remember reading that the drain pipe can become disconnected if you try to clear it with too much air pressure or whatever. That would cause a leak in the A pillar further up.

I had a problem with the actual drain behind the front wheel, at the bottom of the fender. Stick a screw driver or coat hanger in there and clear out all the sand and dirt and shit.

[CarsSuck]

And im pretty sure those gaps in the floor pan seam are for draining water OUT if the car floods.

[Erik j]

There aer drain holes in the rockers, front and rear. They get pinched or clogged up. clean them out. Its in the pinch weld in the front and rear of the rockers.

[spyde25]

Fixxxeddd!!!

Well i have fixed it. will post pics of what i found tonight. The passengers side sunroof drain tube had chaffed so much at the first turn it had a 2 inch long hole in it. Replaced the whole tube and am drying out the car. Phew i always love fixing things.

[spyde25]

for those who wan to know what i did

I was fortunate enough to have the PO [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]garage[/COLOR][/COLOR] it so no real damage done on mine. steps listed below

Remove seat

Remove side speaker panel and speaker

Remove door threshold, the piece of black plastic that is in the door frame

Pull back carpet and air out and dry

Remove sun visor

Remove oh shit handle

Remove door molding

Pull down corner of headliner about 3 inches
You can now see the drain and the tube, feel around on tube as it enters in the pillar channel

If you cant feel a hole pour a small amount of water down the drain while watching the tube and channel area. It will be obvious if the tube is shot.

If tube is bad cut the clamp at the drain with a good pair of dykes

The hard part is removing the 30 year old stiff tube from the channel

You can pull it out from the bottom, reach in speaker hole and start working it out, will have to twist it some. The hold up is at the top where it enters the channel so you have to work it from both ends.

Best of luck.

P.S. i went to my local hardware and picked a new hose about 10 feet long and trimmed to fit. 5/8" ID.

One thing i forgot to mention is that i put a smaller hose inside the larger one at the bottom end and stuck that out of the drain hole. Just FYI

[rjcaptsean]

Grats on getting it fixed. But uh... pics or it didn't happen. :)

Actually I would just love to see the pics. I really need to get into mine and do the same repair I think. Water flows freely out underneath the rockers, but the carpet is still getting wet. Has to be a hole there somewhere.

[spyde25]

Pics!

Floor pulled up to dry out and pillar removed
Hose pulled out with visible hole due to chaffing at entrance to pillar channel

[Beije]

So what causes the chaffing?