Drain clearing how-to?
 

Okay.. I've used the search button on this issue, and found pretty helpful stuff in regards to where the leak is, in my car (rainwater). I've pretty much figured that it's coming from the front right corner, under the hood. I confirmed this, the other day, when I felt the top-corner of my passenger carpet, soaking wet. The rest of the carpet was fine, since the water was travelling down the tracking under it, and utterly flooding my rear right floorboard (which has a good deal of rust, now, because of it.. bleh).

My question to you guys? Is there any pictures of where these drains are located? I found the one under the springs for the hood, but that just seems to drain further down, under the battery. Also.. is there any easier way to get that darn battery out, in a 1984 300D Euro? The only way I've been able to get the stupid thing out, is by completely removing the air filter (which I hate doing, since one of the mounts for it is semi-broken, and is a total b*tch to get back on).

Once the battery is out.. is it just a simple "stick a coat hanger in, and flush with a hose" fix? Or, is there more to it than that.. also, uh.. where is it? :P

Thanks for the help.. it'll be nice not having a swimming pool in my car.

get a 10 foot piece of braided steel cable at hone depot....you know the stuff, looks like bicycle brake cable....perfect for all sorts of stuff like clearing fuel lines, tank vents and rainwater drains.

That's what you want, for it to drain down under the battery. It's the two holes ABOVE in in the same cowl where the spring is that you DON'T want to drain. If the one on the bottom gets plugged (the one that drains under the battery or elsewhere on the driver's side cowl), the cowl will fill up until water drains into those two holes at the top, flooding your car's floor.

Pete.

I use weedwacker trim line

That's for wacking your weed...though I guess you could use it for clearing a drain. I had good success from 18 guage steel hanging wire.

Can you clarify a bit? I have a leak coming into the driver's footwell. Are you saying that it is coming from in the cowl under the windshield wipers or from the drain being plugged under the hood hinge?

See, if only people had pictures of this procedure.. we'd have a great how-to, and never have to see these posts ever again! :)

Now, if I can figure out where the things are, and how to clean them (if it works).. I may be able to take some pics of it, and post them. That is, if it isn't another monsoon on Saturday. :D

Shoot, you're right, I've been using the wrong terminology.

It's the area that houses the hood's springs on both sides, not the cowls near the windshield wipers.

Sorry.

However, I don't know if your leak going to the driver's footwell is coming from these. Mine got plugged, and the water flowed along the side of the car body and into the back floor passenger side. I was able to re-enact it successfully with a hose.

Yours might be more related to the front window gasket needing replacement or something someone else can pinpoint.

Pete.