E30 Zone

[/b]HI I SEEM TO HAVE A SWIMMING POOL IN MY PASSENGER FOOTWELL AND REAR FOOTWELL ANY IDEAS WHERE ITS GETTING IN GETTING VERY ANNOYED NOW AS CARPETS STINK. CHEERS FOR ANY HELP

Hi - had similar problem in my 320i (only a paddling pool though, so no diving!) Was told by dealer "top of door does not make good seal with shell after years of use - wind down window and bend window frame in to make good seal" - hmmm, not sure about that one? Obvious check is the various rubber bungs in front bulkhead - any missing and in come de water. My problem turned out to be two metal plates in the rear passenger footwells. The actual floorpan has two large holes, c. 150mm diameter, which have a metal plate fixed over them. (Not easy to see if the insulation goo on the floor is in the way.) when I took the carpet out of the car when changing the dashboard, I found the two blanking plates had turned to rust-dust, and literally fell apart when poked with a finger!
Water was splashing up from below, getting in to rear footwell, and flowing in to the front footwell when you hit the brakes - from where it could not escape. The foam-type insulation under the carpet soaks up litres of water! 2 minutes to pull up carpet in rear footwell - underneath of carpet will be wet and red if you've got the same prob. I had.

cheers i will give that ago ,i had wondered if it was coming in around the bulk head or my matrix might be leaking as i have to top up coolant every couple of weeks?

Kerian..

Remove the carpet and hang it up to dry be careful it will be very heavy..
Then use a hose to check for leaks my Sport had a very small leak coming from the bulkhead behind the dash above the glovebox i wouldn't have found it with the carpet in!!

Another place you could try is the very bottem part of the front wheel arch , if your motor has ever had mudflaps the usual way to connect them is a bolt through the inner arch into the car , dont know if BMW are responsible for this but i have 3 e30's and they all are suffering from the same thing , it may look sound down there , mine did but a little prod with a screwdriver told a different story !

Just a thought

Jibbers

CHEERS FOR THE REPLIES I'LL TRY THESE OUT AT THE WKEND

worst comes to worst drill a hole in the floor so the water can drain out i no its a really bad bodge but if all else fails then its worth a go

the bending of doors trick is real

dealers do it to brand new cars.

however ur problems are far more likely to be caused by a blocked drainage hole, by the scuttle probs

I HAD THIS PROBLEM ITS NOT THE HEATER MATRIX ITS THE HEATER VALVE UNDER THE GLOVE BOX.SEE IN YOUR HAYNES MANUAL CHAPTER3,11.17.YOU WILL FIND WHEN YOU REMOVE IT,IT HAS COME APART WHERE THE BRASS RIVETS HOLD IT TOGETHER,DRILL THESE OUT AND REPLACE THEM WITH SOME SMALL NUTS AND BOLTS,BUT MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THE SPRING MECH INSIDE BEFORE YOU RE ASSY.IF THIS IS YOUR PROPLEM ITS VERY AWKARDS TO DO.DONT PUT ANY MORE WATER IN AS I DID NOT REALISING THE PROBLEM.HOPE THIS HELPS.SUBJECT TOTHE CONDITION OF THE OLD ONE FIT A NEW ONE.HOPE THIS HELPS

CAPS ARE FUN


I had a paddling pool also on the passenger side, similar cause to jibbers's post,.

The culprit in my case was a rusted glovebox stud right where the firewall meets the wheel. Easy to find, just take your glovebox out, pull up the carpet and inspect for any rust and/or water marks.

The other one to check is that your drain holes on top of the firewall aren't blocked by leaves or whatnot as they can backup and come through the air vents - so i'm told.

I had a similar prob in my touring what it turned out to be was the rear inner guard had a hole in it that was not visiable until the car was striped out but all fixed not as for the carpet a good wet vac and a dehumidifier did the trick hope this helps