1982 240D - How do i remove this part?
 

I'm trying to track down a leak from the front of my 240D. Can someone please advise me as to how to remove this piece in the picture? I think that the leak may live underneath this piece of the body. Thanks.

V/R,
Kurt

push out the center of the clips and then pull the trim up.

I bet the leak is because of a rust hole back in the hood hinge area.

Leak is probably coming from a plugged drain somewhere. I wouldn't bother removing that until I'd cleaned out the hood hinge area drains.

I vacuumed out the hood hinge area yesterday with a shop vac. Please correct me if I'm wrong; this is the area where the hood hinge/springs retract into? It's a pretty deep crevice and the lines to the windshield washing jets go through part of this area?

Thanks for your help!

V/R,
Kurt

That sounds like the hood hinge area. There is a drain there that tends to get plugged up. Run a piece of string trimmer line down the hole or call out the dwarf rot0-rooter company.

Reach up under under the fender above the front tire. You can feel the plastic gizmo where the drain water "should' come out, this gets plugged over the years.

Is this the hood hinge area? Where would the drain areas be?
 

See attached. Where are the drains in this area? Also, do I need to look underneath the battery tray for drains? THanks for your help.

the drains are the 2 slots and a small hole behind them.

Look all the way in the back of the cavity and see if there is rust.

I found the small hole. It's about half way back in a very low, downward sloping area right? Obviously so that all the water runs to that point (I'm guessing)?

I only have the leak on the passenger side. A couple of weeks ago, I removed the carpets on the passenger side and applied a garden hose with running water to that side of the windshield. Alas, I found that the leak was coming from the front. As my fortune would have, I was having my windshield replaced due to a kicked up stone on the highway.

So I though I'd try and track down the leak at the same time. I vacuumed yesterday (the hood hinge areas) and the windshield was replaced today with new seal. After seeing the windshield out of the car, the metal around the windshield opening is in very good shape. Therefore it must be these drains....

I just want to make sure I get it all fixed so that I don't rot out the bottom of my car.

Oh, and no rust in these hood hinge areas. I just looked. The holes were plugged some though.

It could be rust under the battery tray. Mine had a little hole under the battery that would drip water onto the passenger floor when it rained really hard.

splash shield tube.
 

while you are cleaning things out, look behind the front wheels where the splash shield is, there is a little 3 inch tube, which is part of the shield. It is part of the drain. cut out the bottom of it so it will drain and the debris can fall out.

I did mine a few yrs back, and was amazed how much was back in there.
take the shield out and do a visual, can be some surprises in there :eek:.

Charlie

Pull out your battery and possibly the battery tray, and stand back in amazement at what you will probably find.
Sometimes you can even see this from the front passenger wheel well, looking up towards firewall.