please help a newbie

[Arnz]

Hi i am am new to the e30 scene i have just bought a 325i sport on an 87 plate and have noticed water getting into the passanger side footwell, i have read many posts on here regarding this problem before posting this and i think it is getting in from the main grommet for the wiring loom.

Im not sure if it is getting in through the grommet or there is a hole in the panel underneath,by the looks of things the previous owner has put sealer in the area to stop the problem is this an area i can access from under the bonnet to weld without removing the whole wiring loom? and has anyone attempted to weld this area before?

i apologise if this has been covered before and i have missed it, i appreciate any advice thanks

[Jim320i]

From the sound of it, you have rot behind the glovebox... You'll need to strip out the glovebox plastics and carpet to get a proper look at it. You may be lucky and be able to weld it with the loom in place, but you also might not be so lucky...

If you jack the passenger side up and take the front wheel off, you should see the rust from the other side in the wheel arch right in the top corner to give you an indication of how bad the rust might be.

If its extreme, then your only way to sort is to remove the whole loom as well as strip out the dash etc to get to it for welding.

Best thing would be to get pictures of it with just the glovebox removed and the carpet peeled back, aswell as a picture from inside the engine bay and under the wheel arch area like I mentioned before and someone should be able to tell if you if you are gonna get away with cutting it out with everything in place.

Welcome to the joy of owning a E30!

[Arnz]

Wow quick reply thanks!

Right yes the car has a sunroof.... oooh i have had the glove box out and also the windscreen vent and i had a look round the fuse box area from under the bonnet, the only bit i could see was a little bit of rust under the grommet from inside the car, i wil try and post some pics up.

Sounds like im gonna have fun with this car then

[Duke137]

It could be coming from anywhere to be honest E30's love bulkhead rot sadly. To repair "properly" it's usually dash and/or engine out from my personal experience. Everything else is just a short term fix.

My e30 is relatively clean but it has the same issue coming from an area higher than the bulkhead grommit. I have seen them rot behind the wiper motor and under the windscreen. If you want the truth bulkhead rot usually sees an E30 go to the scales as i takes a brave man with deep pockets as once the car is stripped there are plenty of "while you are there" jobs that should do really

[Arnz]

Thanks for your honesty in this matter lol oh well i will have to see what i can find behing there il do some prodding and see what i come up with!!

might sound like a silly question but in order to pull the carpet back i need to remove the trim that sits on to of the door seal but i cant see any screws in it how does it come off?

[Grrrmachine]

It has clips that are holding it to the metal; these clips slide on to plastic "rails", so the only way to get the trim off is to slide off the rails.

Try pushing the trim forward (towards the A-pillar) but don't lift it. If you push far enough the rear end should slide off its clip; you can then lift the rear and pull the trim backwards to slide it off the rest of the clips. If you're too brutal you'll break the plastic rails and then need a new sill trim.

As for your rust, it's all repairable, you just need to know what you're dealing with. Have a look at other people's restorations for an idea of what you're up against:

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... storations

[Arnz]

Thanks for the advice on the trim il have a go.

Advantage is the car is garaged and not needed every day so i can get it sorted, looks like its only started to go just underneath the main loom grommet i have taken a pic but not sure how to upload it from my iphone

Thsnks for your help people, seems a shame to send it to the scrapyard its a genuine 325i sport there getting rare its got to be worth repairing

[bimanut]

This only needed a wing changing...............
http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... c&t=227118

[Arnz]

Oh dear now your scaring me

[bimanut]

Its all good fun lol

[Arnz]

Il get my tool box out and go rust hunting

[Duke137]

They are well worth saving but in a recession alot of folk bodge the hole with sealant/filler and sell to an unsuspecting victim.... The joys of old cars.

Here is hoping you get stuck in to fxing it as they are straight forward to work on and such a rewarding machine to drive! You are in the right place for advice, where are you based because a local friendly zoner may be able to help advise you 1st hand?

[Arnz]

I am in surrey, near epsom, i appreciate the advice and help i do want to keep the car on the road so will be worth the time and money to repair! Seems like you guys have a good forum here thanks!

[Jim320i]

I forgot to add...

[Arnz]

How do i post pics up? do they need to be hosted on another site and i put up a link or can i post em straight on here?

[Jim320i]

Hosted on another site (I find photobucket best) then linked in with on either side of the direct link

[Arnz]

sweet i will get on photo bucket only managed to get two pics earlier with the iphone but it might give you an idea, it looks like its been bodged with sealer/mastick/ any crap the guy could find lol

[Arnz]

http://s559.photobucket.com/albums/ss40 ... G_0053.jpg



not sure why it wont let you click the link?
[/img]

[Arnz]

lol Thanx oh and i had to get a pic of the car in there aswell

i am just wondering if i can sort this little problem out without having to strip the loom and fuse box out to weld it??? any ideas, can i get to this part from behind the wheel arch??

[Jim320i]

That would be engine bay side not the wheel arch side, but it doesn't look bad at all.

[Grrrmachine]

You need to weld that area from the footwell; unless you can remove the engine and do if from the engine bay. No access from the wheel arch.

Better would be just to attack it with a wire brush on a grinder and apply some anti-rust - it doesn't look like it's the "proper" rust that E30s develop here.

However, if you're getting a leak, you need to find the cause of it. Throw some talcum powder at the metal in the footwell, and then SLOWLY pour a cup of water through the plastic vent on the scuttle on that side of the car. The powder should show you if the water is dripping into the footwell from there, and if it is, the rust is a lot more serious than you imagine...



But if you're clever with fire blankets and aluminium sheet, you can repair the area without removing the fuse box or loom

[SGP]

Somebody's been in there before with the sealant for sure but as said earlier it could be worse.
If you clean back the visibly rusty areas you'll find the holes. It would be a good idea to remove the wheel arch liner and have a look in there too, the front wheel throws up a lot of water in the wet.

[SGP]

By the way here's how it looked from the inside ( before it was wire brushed ) , fairly harmless.. but the rust is in exactly the same place.

The grommet wasn't leaking but the area around it was given preventative maintenance. From both sides. You need to remove all the soundproofing around the engine bay side to get at it.
The cables going through the grommet can leak too if not sealed up properly. Hth.
[/i]

[SGP]

The hole was just etch primed and rust proofed out of rattle cans and the grommet was greased before it went back in.

[Arnz]

Right i feel like were getting somewhere now thanks for all the input guys,

Regarding the water getting in: When i found the spot of rust under the glove box, that is where i can see the water coming through. There is a hole in the grommet which looks like it has been made for alarm cables to go through. I have checked all around the fuse box area, had the vent off under the windscreen and i couldn't find any rust in them areas.

Il take it that the best approach is to try and wire brush the patch from inside the car see how bad the rust is underneath all that sealer and go from there?

Are you all in agreement that if the water is not coming through the grommet then it is a serious problem?

[Grrrmachine]

Are you all in agreement that if the water is not coming through the grommet then it is a serious problem?

Exactly. The trouble is that that corner has multiple folds and seams of metal, which rust out over time; the rust you have under the grommet is where the inner wing meets the bulkhead, for example, and this seam rusts through from the wheel arch and is a very tricky repair.

But if it's just your grommet, get it fixed

[Duke137]

You have to be careful, I know this is extreme (below) because the car was in a bad way BUT if you look above it to the left water was getting in up here. It would be a horrible place to attempt to fix this, you can't access very easily because it is a tight corner. There was a hole and water getting in in that upper left corner under the screen.





I started to tackle it, it was good practice to be honest as I had never welded anything previously





But after hours and hours of cutting, grinding, migging, grinding, scrabbling about on my back I did the right thing







This was a bad example but I only paid £230 for it delivered to my house so I wasn't particularly bothered and I learnt a great deal along the way

[Arnz]

But if it's just your grommet, get it fixed [/quote]

on the plus side the car has been out in the rain today and there is no water coming through, i only really noticed it when i washed it the other day so hopefully its just water coming through the grommet from washing, i have since put her back in the garage and i will check it out properly on the weekend using the talc test

thanks for all your advice and help people!!

[SGP]

The water is coming in from the wheel arch...

[Arnz]

Mr sgp i think u are correct as i washed the wheels and sprayed water up there with the hose, that is not to bad of an area to weld???

[SGP]

You really need to remove all the rusty spots to see if there is any steel left. The water will actually come through the rust. If it's not too bad you might be able to use seam sealer.

[Arnz]

i will have a go and keep you posted i hope its not too bad!!