[W126 Coupe] Water on floor behind drivers seat

[Marcus Johnson]

Hi there,

I had a similar problem with my 380 SEC although it was on the  
passenger side rear.

I did the following:

~ Cleaned all the drains in the scuttle at the base of the windscreen.
~ Checked all sunroof tubes and blew air through them to ensure they  
were clear.
~ Checked the aircon drain.
~ Checked every other damn thing I could check.

In the end, the problem 'went away' after I replaced the front  
windscreen.

I think in resealing the windscreen, they did a better job than  
previously. They spent time getting rid of any sharp areas around the  
window frame and that made the difference I believe.

One factor to look out for is water slipping in under the chrome  
surround and gradually penetrating into the car. In my case, I think  
I had a couple of very small tears in the rubber and the water was  
able to make its way in there under pressure, especially when driving  
in the rain. There are a few sharp points on the window moulding that  
can make enough of a hole to allow moisture in.

The seals on a Mercedes need very careful installation and I think  
it's easy to get it wrong. I'm sure an older, experienced W126  
mechanic would be able to relate tales of how many times they took to  
get it right.

I used to have a Volvo and the rubber seals on that were utterly  
impenetrable, either with car washes, high pressure sprayers or any  
type of weather. Probably the only area where they were better  
engineered.

Why the water ends up back there, I have never been able to work out,  
but water has a way of 'wicking' or travelling along surfaces that
is quite odd. There's a term for it but I can't recall.

So it still could be the front window.


Cheers,

marcus



marcus johnson
1989 560 SEC
melbourne, australia


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