i need some help on this one. when i acquired this car 82 240d, leaves were blocking the drain holes in the engine bay. i cleared that out. however, when it rains, water somehow still enters the cabin. it is a small drip that is in the vicinity of the parking brake pedal. all the drain holes are clear.
has anyone out there experienced this? any tips on how to find or solve this nagging problem? thanks in advance

__________________
$500 1982 240d owner "Gunter"
125k miles,4 speed manual
crank windows, MB Tex, all original
no a/c, daily driver
Scorecard so far....
$230 Maaco paint job
$27 dimmer switch, $40 shutoff valve, $45 brake MC, $260 calipers, $40 brake hoses, $40 side fender trim, $20 balancing, $109 lifetime alignment, $10 fuel return lines, $115 oil&fuel filters for next 30k miles

rodsob , did you clean the drain holes that are under the hood spring? if so you may have a blocked drain line from the air intake vents at the bottom of the windshield wipers down inside , under the black plastic grills.......

__________________
Gretchen 1981 240D 4-spd 213,000 mi
1979 240D 4-spd 298,000 mi parts car

1994 BMW 325is
1991 Dodge turbo diesel
1997 ford expedition

BILL

Your windsheld gasket may be shot. They pull up in the lower corners as they age and collect water which then can make it's way past the glass and into the cabin.

A short term fix is to seal it with 3M 08606 polysulfide sealer.

First, clean out all the dirt and crud that has accumulated in these openings. I used "Simple Green™" and a rag wrapped around a flat-tipped screwdriver to scoop out the 20 year accumulation of guk.

Then, use 3M blue tape to mask off all the glass where the rubber gasket meets the glass, and where the painted body meets the gasket. Next, cut the tip of the sealer tube so that it has absolutely the smallest opening possible. Pry up the rubber where it meets the glass, insert the tip of the sealer tube and carefully move the tip along the gasket/glass joint while applying a small bead of sealer along the opening you've created with the tip.

Don't put too much sealer in there; you should be putting just enough sealer in the gap so that when the gasket returns to it's original position a tiny bead of sealer is pushed out from underneath the gasket.

Take it easy. It's easier to come back and apply more sealer than it is to clean up the excess.

Do the same thing for the gasket /body side of the joint.

Clean up any excess sealer that you've gotten on the masking tape and, if you can, let the whole thing sit overnight. Then, remove the tape and go.

This should work for back glass as well. But, I'd imagine that the wide trim on the sedans will make this a little more problematic. On my wagon, it was even easier too do on the back glass.

Before this, my wagon's windshield had a niggling drip that appeared right behind the mirror and there was evidence of water coming into the cabin at the lower front corners of the windshield and the back glass would leak like a sieve in even the lightest rain. Now, a month and a couple of rains later, it's still nice and dry in both the front and back.

Good luck.

__________________
Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.