Tonights chapter (i should write a book on this lol!!)...
Wipers removed, scuttle plastic removed and other than maybe a dozen dry leaves nothing much else to see - drain holes to both front wings clear. So undersealed round the bonnet release cable grommet (looked OK anyway), two screw studs either side of the ecu, and a small 10mm rubber plug to the passenger side of the ecu, plus a large 25mm x 50mm rectangular rubber plug in the florr section of the scuttle area (drivers side of the ecu).
Removed drivers side front mudflap and wheel arch liner - the drain area behind the mudflap was completey filled with damp mud, twigs, leaves etc - about 70mm deep, drain slot therefore completely blocked. Cleared all this out, refitted arch liner and mudflap.
Despite my garden sprinkler exercise last night not showing any signs of leakage at the floorpan i was a little suspicious of the two rubber plugs in the drivers side rear footwell - i'd undersealed over these on Saturday, but the surrounding metal looked a little fragile in places. So cleaned off the underseal, remioved the rubber plugs and found some corrosion around the rubber plugs - prepped area and then glass fibred over the previously plugged area and the surrounding perforated metalwork. Once i've undersealed these repairs the rear footwell will probably be the best bit of the car, so one less area for water to be getting in.
I tried to have a look above the fuse/relay box - i've release the two plastic swing clips holding the fuse and relay holder, but i can't fully release the box from the metal bracket/hook on the passenger side of the box - any ideas how to release the fuse/relay box and therefore move it out of the way
??.
Despite this, i managed to get my hand to the right of the box, followed the bonnet release cable to a point where i think i was touching more sound deadening on the underside of the scuttle. To the right of the cable is another section of sound deadening, the rubberised side resting against the bonnet cable. The felt side of this is wet
(my best description of its location is that the felt side must be touching the metalwork of the A pillar / corner of the passenger cell).
Now i guess there is a possibility that if water was tracking down the bonnet cable it might possibly be 'wiped' by the top edge of this section of sound insulation and then get onto the felt side - right or wrong ??. However the bonnet cable runs on the rubberised side of this sound deadening for the majority of its length so i think this unlikely.
I haven't been able to view the point where the engine cable loom passes through the bulkhead (ie below the brake master cylinder) - this will need the front end on ramps to view from below
A job for tomorrow night !!
One last point (you all still with me lol!!) - the bottom edge of the windscreen is whitening across its entire length (ie some water ingress between the laminates) - at its worst point it extends up to 40mm in from the bottom edge (still within the black coloured surround). Is there any chance the windscreen seal could also be failing in the bottom corner near the drivers side A pillar
?
Await further instructions !!!!
