BackgroundThere has been a lot of threads about misting up windscreens / windows, non working heater fans and controls etc of late. These issues can be caused by the scuttle drains being blocked. This prompted me to check mine.
The scuttle drains allow water from the roof and windscreen to drain from the enclosed areas under the windscreen. If left to become blocked, water cannot escape and this causes damp air to be drawn into the cabin. Not only this, but if left for long enough the scuttle will rot out. If allowed to accumulate long enough, the electronics that control the heater fan motor will be destroyed. Therefore, it is essential to keep these draining points open not only on the Omega, but any car.
This is an easy thing to prevent, it certainly was on my minifacelift, and I have detailed the process below.
Featured CarMy 1998 2.5 V6 minifacelift. The principles apply to any Omega. Please note that earlier cars have a different arrangement where the near side drain emerges in the wheel arch area. Later cars (from 1998 onwards) drain into the engine bay.
Tools & Items RequiredItemsLength of "ring main twin & earth" electrical cable - about 1 metre
Vacuum cleaner (not the wife’s best one!)
Hose Pipe or jug for water
ToolsNone!
Preparation - you not the car!I recommend that you wear old clothes along with an overall of some kind. If the drain is blocked badly, you will get splashed with dirty and smelly water.
Locating the DrainsThere are two drains which are indicated on the picture below.
Scuttle Drain Points
![](http://images.omegaowners.com/images/guides/scuttle_drain_clean/engine_bay.jpg)
The one on the drivers side is easy to access. The second is located at the bottom of the pollen filter compartment and is not so easy to get to.
Cleaning the pollen filter compartment drainFirstly, remove the rubber seal and lift the pollen filter flap exposing the pollen filter. Ideally, this should be removed. If it is old and clogged, this is an ideal time to change it! There is a plastic clip at the top of the filter on each side. Carefully undo these and remove the filter. If reusing it, keep it somewhere safe away from the working area to avoid damage.
Pollen compartment cover![](http://images.omegaowners.com/images/guides/scuttle_drain_clean/passenger_drain.jpg)
You now have access to the drain point which on my car is right at the bottom of the compartment. I had a few leaves and other debris in there which I removed by hand. I had a vacuum cleaner at the ready, but this was not necessary. I can imagine that in severe cases it would be.
Using a piece of twin and earth cable (you can get a metre of this from a hardware shop or B&Q, Wickes etc. Do not buy lighting cable - go for ring main cable as this is thicker). Feed this into the bottom of the pollen filter compartment and through the black rubber grommet. The cable should emerge the other side of the compartment. On my car, it showed on the chassis leg.
Black Rubber Drain Grommet Location (Arrowed)
Cable through Drain Grommet (Arrowed)![](http://images.omegaowners.com/images/guides/scuttle_drain_clean/Cable_exiting.jpg)
Now that the cable is through the grommet, give it plenty of movement around and around whilst applying water at the same time from, ideally, a hose or a jug. This will ensure that all the dirt is removed. The pictures below above show the cable and grommet process. When clear water comes from the drain point at a nice rate (when the drain is clear, it should pour out) remove the cable.
If you are able, run your fingers along the seal between the bulkhead and the inner wing. I found a lot of crud here and removing this further aids the flow of water to the drain. When all this is done, to reassemble you, as they say, reverse the removal process!
Cleaning the offside drainThis is the easy part. The drain grommet here can be removed without any tools. Firstly, ensure that there is no dirt on the black plastic surrounding the drain. Then, using nothing more than your fingers, you can remove the grommet fairly easily. When done so, use the cable to poke any dirt through rendering the drain grommet clear. Then simply press it back into position. The pictures below show the process.
Drain Grommet Location (round black circle)
Drain Grommet Removed and Cleaned
Replacing Drain Grommet with fingers only![](http://images.omegaowners.com/images/guides/scuttle_drain_clean/drivers_refitted.jpg)