250C First Rain of the Year

[zamboge]

Well I was renting a garage but had to hand it back at the weekend and lo and behold (here in Sydney) we have had 36 hours of almost constant rain (it hasn't done this in a long time). So I wasn't surprised when I looked inside the 250C to see a pool of water in the right rear passenger footwell (and a little in the left). There was only a little water in the front footwells - but I suspect it may have drained to the back.

So I have taken the very thick (and now heavy) carpets out to dry and have mopped up the water but I have a couple of questions.

In the rear footwells there is what looks like a drain hole - but it's currently filled in with silicon. Could I safely remove the silicon to allow permanent draining or should I just get a couple of rubber bungs so I can remove it occasionally.

I have read many threads here today about locating and fixing leaks but is there any pictorial/very well described (yes I am not that mechanically minded) locator that shows where all the drainage points are?

Thanks for any help.

[Shab]

I had a 72 250C that routinely filled with water in the footwells front & rear, mostly rear. Main culprit was the rear window gasket, followed by the front windshield gasket and lastly the trunk gasket. Once these were replaced, no more water in the car. The rear main window gasket was my biggest offender. California car with dried up shrunken gaskets when I bought it.

I also recall getting under the car near the jacking points and cleaning out all the drain holes with a screw driver that were filled with junk.

Hope this helps.

[zamboge]

Thanks for that Shab - I will have a look around those drain holes near the jacking points. I will have to do all this at the weekend as I'm at work during daylight hours. Yes all the window seals/gaskets will need looking at closely.

[nckmsn]

where can you buy these seals for the older model benzs

[zamboge]

Well I've ripped out that silicon and the water drains out nicely. It keeps the floor nice a clean too, so it's a win win situation. For the Americans here Sydney is the capital city of New South Wales in Australia - a pretty dry continent - where rain is not usually an issue - lots of old MB's with little or no rust.

[Shab]

Similar situation with the So. California cars. Nice rust free bodies due to the dry climate, low humidity but gaskets dry out and shrink, interiors take a beating from the sun and wiring becomes exceptionally brittle. My 250C had a lame attempt at stopping leaks with liberal use of silicon by the previous owner. When I moved back east to rainy NY & New England, it filled with water like a fish tank in the rain. Plus all the drain & weep holes around the car were clogged with debris to aggravate the problem. My MB Tex seats were so dried out they crunched when you sat in them.

[Mike D]

Same thing here in Tucson. If you drive a car with rust on it people will stop you just to look at it. Paint, however, is almost non-existent after 5 years. There are very few home garages here so the cars really get cooked. Rubber seals, convertible tops, MB-tex and leather seats are all toast.

I have had some luck regarding MB-tex seats using a cream base handcleaner. I use Sta-lube but Goop seems to work. Do not use any of the citrus or "flavored" cleaners. They seem to be too acidic and/or leave a residue behind. I use an old wax applicator (the round synthetic sponge type), work the cleaner into the seat material, let it soak for a couple of minutes and wipe it off using a thick towel. I've used it on the dash but it seems to "vaporize" in the sun and leave a film on the windshield.

Works great for cleaning the fender when I forget to use an apron.