glovebox full of water!! early & late windscreens,differ

[telski789]

hi,i went out in my car last night,opened the glovebox and it was a swimming pool in there!! also the carpet both side was wet,its not the matrix,but what could it be? when i turned it from a 318is to a 325is i had to change the windscreen,now ive put an early windscreen into a facelift,seems to fit ok but do you know different? are they a different part no? ive lifted the carpets up and its solid underneath,so ive caught it in time! so help me stop it please!! im gonna do the hosepipe test in a bit,is it possible there could be a leak from the ducts on the scuttle panel? thanks

Tel

[A1BMW325iSport]

i reckon its your windscreen mate

[telski789]

hi mate,how ya doin? i hope it is my screen,thats an easy fix! as soon a i know for definite that the part no's are different i'll get another one,i remember struggling with the late rubber so i used the pre-facelift rubber and screen,how's your's coming along?

Tel

[A1BMW325iSport]

the hose test with head under dash is the only way mate, good luck with it, i bet its the screen though

mines coming on slowly haven't done much for about 5 months but this new yr has made determined to finish it now,

things left to do... new rear arches then full respray, fit rest of trim and bodykit

[telski789]

these things take time mate,you'll get there!

anyone know for definite if the early and late e30 windscreens are different??? cheers

Tel

[charlE30]

According to the ETK both early and late have the same part no's....

[telski789]

thanks,so i guess my best bet is to have the screen re-fitted profesionally with a new rubber. ive just taken my carpet up and there is water coming through,just doesnt seem enough to fill my glovebox like it did,as for the drivers side i think kits coming through the floor,looks like someone had mudflaps fitted and where theyve been taken off water looks like its been coming through the hole,again,the hose pipe hardly got any through,not enough to soak the carpet like it has though,but i suppose whilst driving it continuously forces it through....do you think i should take the carpet right out and use it for work this week with no carpet in so i can see the culprit? that way the carpet can dry out in the shed! thanks for your wisdom

[A1BMW325iSport]

carpet is a bummer to get out but if you can it will help it dry out much quicker, and give you a chance to find the problem

[E30Adam]

Windscreen fitting is actually quite a skilled job and I'm pretty sure a new rubber needs to be used each time.

It's bound to leak if you fitted it yourself and are not a trained window fitter.

[toptints]

hi mate... call me on 07974 022 779 if you like and i'll give you some advice. Was a windscreen fitter for 7 years. The part numbers are the same for all E30s except for the M3 as it is bonded. The part number in the windscreen trade is a (799 AGN) which is the most common - Green tinted.

[telski789]

ok! so ive taken the carpet out now,its in the shed hanging up,drying! the floor looks fine,the only water i can see coming through is a little trickle coming from the rubber which the headlight adjuster pipes come through (this is disconnected and not in use) and thats only because i poured some water around the back of the fuse box and servo to see if anything came through,with the bonnet closed there should be no way water can get to there anyway,the bonnet rubber is in very good condition and looks like its making a good seal.

i cant believe how wet the carpet is and my missus sprayed the car whilst i was inside,all round the door shuts and underneath and nothing! its gotta be the windscreen!

[E30BeemerLad]

telski, whilst you've got the carpet out take the glovebox out if not already done and get your head into the footwell and with a torch take a good look up the bulkhead in that corner, if possible get your hand up behind the dash and check there are no wopping holes in the bulkhead.

I recently discovered to my horror the reason why I had a nautical theme going on in my passenger footwell. It has rusted through underneath the fusebox and right in the corner between the bulkhead and inner wing.

Also, check the elephant snout if you haven't already done this and shine a torch down the vent on the front scuttle panel to check it isn't full of crud down there and blocking drain holes or amny standing water in there.

Hopefully you're alright but give that aread under the fusebox a thorough check!

[telski789]

will do mate,is it easier just to take the fusebox out or would it be immideiately obvious just by shining a torch down there?? i poured loadsa water down there and a small trickle came from around the rubber that the two headlamp adjuster pipes come through,but no where else,the wet spots are right in the corners on the floor as if the waters coming from the windscreen bottom corners and down. (though that doesnt explain the glovebox fulla water???) i'm gonna use it all week and keep an eye out,the car is solid all round,i want it to stay that way!! cheers

Tel

[telski789]

p.s. i took the glovebox out first...its in the spare room,trying to warm up!!

[E30BeemerLad]

I never managed to get the fusebox out as the looms are restrictive and I didn't want to start pulling wires out. However, lying on your back in the footwell, removing the bracket that the glovebox hinge attaches to and then feeling your way up behind the plastic panel up into where the wiring is may reveal a nasty hole, i managed to get half of my hand through! Mine also has a hole which can be seen if you put your head under the passenger wheel arch and look up to the top where the bulkhead is, meaning when the car is driven in the wet, water sprays up from the tyre and runs into the cabin.

This almost made me break the car, i have bought another vehicle and plan to get this sorted on the E30 now I am not using it.

You may find nothing, in which case get the screen checked out. You may be able to get a better view of things if you unscrew the panel above the glovebox where there are some relays and crap.

[telski789]

ive just been out,i already took that panel off,no hole where yours was (thankfully) ,the floor in mine is like new on top and underneath,so im sure its not coming through the floor,even the plastic and metal hole plugs look good. also i didnt use my car for 2 weeks over christmas at all and when i got in it i noticed that the carpet was wet and the glovebox was full,so its a standstill problem,i'm gonna have a brand new windscreen rubber fitted asap,hopefully that'll sort it! ive been told in a previous thread that the two screens are the same but im wondering wether the rubbers are different at all? i say this because i had to use the pre-facelift rubber with the pre-facelift screen,the late rubber seemed far too baggy on the old screen....weird...

[Emotechnik]

hi mate... call me on 07974 022 779 if you like and i'll give you some advice. Was a windscreen fitter for 7 years. The part numbers are the same for all E30s except for the M3 as it is bonded. The part number in the windscreen trade is a (799 AGN) which is the most common - Green tinted.

Not all E30 screens are the same!

Cab's are different, they have a thicker screen (stronger due to the body flexing) and it's a unique part number to the cab, most aftermarket windscreen firms will make their generic parts fit, but it's not quite right.......

So don't fit a saloon screen to a cab, as it 'could' crack or leak if you don't add additional sealing compound to the seal.

[telski789]

ive just been out in me car and there was no water on the floor,when i got to the petrol station there was loads,it was all sitting on the soundproofing stuff and the air vent pipes inside the dash! at least ive found the problem now,i'll be getting a new windscreen rubber fitted pronto!! cheers for all ya help. i wonder how long it'll take me to get off my arse and put the carpet back in?!! i think i'll leave it till the weekend to make sure the leaks completely stopped! ta

Tel