Omega Owners Forum

Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: robson on 04 April 2023, 19:46:03

Title: water ingress
Post by: robson on 04 April 2023, 19:46:03
Would a water leak at the. bottom corner passenger side of the windscreen end up inside the cockpit.The rubber  seal here is not good and I dont think the water is coming from the pollen filter housing drain. :'(
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 04 April 2023, 20:04:25
Possibly the sunroof drain.

The rubber trim around the screen is purely decorative* as the screen is glued in all the way around and should be 100% weather tight.

The frame the rubber clips into is shaped up the sides to keep rain water off the side windows at speed.

The rubber at the bottom of the screen helps divert water into the scuttle drains but is largely irrelevant. Incidentally, this clips into the bottom edge of the frame that clips all the way around the screen.
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: grifter on 04 April 2023, 22:27:57
The drain at the bottom of the cabin filter was blocked in mine, it caused water to back up in that box section and flood into the passenger floor.
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: robson on 05 April 2023, 09:33:33
Thanks Doc I do not have a sunroof I thought that the screen was bonded but if the bond at that bottom corner was failing would the water come into the scuttle drain or the inside of the car.
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 05 April 2023, 09:45:25
Whilst hypothetically possible, it's extremely unlikely.

If you remove the glove box, passenger air vent assembly and passenger airbag, then you should have a pretty decent view of the area to see where the rust is that's allowing water in as that's the most likely cause given the lack of sunroof.
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 05 April 2023, 09:47:08
As a precursor to the above, is there water (or evidence of) in the footwell air vent?

If yes, then your heater intake drain is blocked.
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: robson on 05 April 2023, 10:05:12
Thanks Doc I will have a look.
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: TheBoy on 05 April 2023, 11:36:23
I would say unlikely to be windscreen, unless incredibly badly fitted.

As others have said, far more likely to be a blocked scuttle drain....

...and given its age, even far, far, far more likely to be corrosion in the scuttle drain, which makes up a blanking plate for the baulkhead.  Remove the upper footwell trim, peel back the carpet, and inspect the blanking plate in the baulkhead from the footwell.  If you can get an assistant to pour a jug of water unto scuttle drain, and leaks will be blindingly obvious.
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: robson on 06 April 2023, 11:35:32
Hello doc cant find any water in air vent but will have to strip out footwell for a good look
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: iansoutham on 06 April 2023, 17:27:17
Check this thread out.

https://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=147555.0
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: addy on 06 April 2023, 20:08:09
Don't know if this will help. It is of my 1995 Omega but may be the later models are the same? I removed the pollen filter housing from the scuttle, to fix a hole in the bottom of the scuttle around the drain hole. This gave access to the panel seams. Also as can be seen in the photos, there was loads of dirt, that was hidden by the housing. The rust was just surface. Cleaned area up. Seam sealed and repainted. The housing is held by nuts, inside the car that can be undone as normal flange type. But you have to do the upside down position, even with the glove box out. I ran a bead of sealant around the housing, before refitting it. The seal on it is like a kind of foam.

(https://i.postimg.cc/prxF95QS/DSC-109.jpg)

(https://i.postimg.cc/LsB60QFJ/DSC-1308.jpg)

Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: TheBoy on 07 April 2023, 08:55:01
The area in the bottom of the last pic, below the fan aperture,  is a common area where it rusts through
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: Field Marshal Dr. Opti on 07 April 2023, 16:40:54
I would say unlikely to be windscreen, unless incredibly badly fitted.

As others have said, far more likely to be a blocked scuttle drain....

...and given its age, even far, far, far more likely to be corrosion in the scuttle drain, which makes up a blanking plate for the baulkhead.  Remove the upper footwell trim, peel back the carpet, and inspect the blanking plate in the baulkhead from the footwell.  If you can get an assistant to pour a jug of water unto scuttle drain, and leaks will be blindingly obvious.

Yep...I had this. Completely blocked with leaves, twigs, and assorted crap.
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: robson on 09 April 2023, 08:19:41
Has anybody tried sealing the seams at the base or the scuttle water drain from the inside,Mastic roof sealer etc. That from inside the pollen filter side not inside the car.
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: robson on 09 April 2023, 08:21:21
Sorry  bad type "that Is"
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: addy on 09 April 2023, 12:22:25
Behind the glove box area, there is lots of stuff hiding the scuttle wall area.  That is one of the reasons, I removed the pollen filter housing. It is awkward getting to the nuts, but they aren't overly tight. For the time taken, trying to fight around the area inside, taking off the housing meant, I could get to the whole scuttle area, inside the engine bay. Allowing the cleaning and sorting of any rust problems. Then seam sealed and repainting of the area.
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: johnnydog on 09 April 2023, 16:58:01
It was suggested when this subject was discussed in a previous topic, that the housing couldn't be removed without excessive dismantling from inside the car as the housing was installed on the bodyshell before the majority of trim was added.
addy  - you didn't happen to take any photos of your removal of the housing? Or can you post where these mounting bolts are located as I may need to address this issue on one of my cars.
Any pointers gratefully recieved! :y
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: addy on 09 April 2023, 18:44:42
Hi Johnnydog

Sorry I only have ones where the housing is removed.  This was on a 1995 Omega, but I cannot see it being any different on the later models. 

There are three small flange nuts, inside the car. As looking at the housing behind the glove box, you should be able to see them once the glovebox is removed. I also took the piece of trim out under the glove box, for more access. It fits into some plastic clips fitted to the bulkhead. I didn't have to remove anything else. The nuts are a flange type and a size 10 spanner if I remember correctly, I used a small ring spanner for ease of access. Then a long socket to finish them by hand. One of the bolts that is molded into the housing, was just turning on mine. So once I got the other two nuts undone, I gently prised the housing off the bolt. When refitting, I used some seam sealer around the, foam gasket on the housing and pushed some into, the hole where the bolt that had come out went. The nuts were done up to where they felt tight, then just a little bit more. I didn't overtighten incase the other bolts decided to start turning. Once it was all tightened back up it has not leaked. Hope this helps.

If you use this photo looking in the engine bay side of the scuttle, where the housing has been removed as a reference. You should be able to see roughly where the nuts are inside the car. It wasn't a hard job, just a bit fiddly especially the top one.

(https://i.postimg.cc/LsB60QFJ/DSC-1308.jpg)

The housing off the car, showing the captured bolts. And the hole where the other one, that was turning was meant to be.
(https://i.postimg.cc/xdNBXg6R/DSC-1307.jpg)
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: TheBoy on 10 April 2023, 08:46:56
In my case, which I knew didn't have to last another 20yrs, I cleaned up the area, fabricated a bit of thin aluminium sheet to the right size and shape, put a m6 nut and bolt through the middle, silaflexed it all, and attached it to the pollen filter side, using the m6 stud to pull it in place from footwell side.

That was 2 or 3 years ago, AFAIK its still water tight.
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: robson on 10 April 2023, 10:58:35
Thanks The Boy Excuse my ignorance but could you give me a bit more info like what needs to be dismantled to achieve your repair method.Shame to get rid of a car for such a small but important problem.
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: TheBoy on 10 April 2023, 11:23:41
Thanks The Boy Excuse my ignorance but could you give me a bit more info like what needs to be dismantled to achieve your repair method.Shame to get rid of a car for such a small but important problem.
Firstly, have you proven that's were the water leak is?

My method just involved the card bit above passenger footwell, the plastic kick panels, and peeling carpet back.

If you have a lot of water in the car, peeling back to the wiring loom across the bottom of footwell is needed to use a wet and dry hoover to suck the water up - it can hold quite a lot!
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: robson on 10 April 2023, 12:41:15
No I am not sure that the water is from here but knowing how far you went with stripping gives me an idea where to start. I did have the problem of a blocked pollen filter area some years ago so am very careful to make sure that it is not blocked in any way.I therefore know that a lot of water can be present under the carpet etc.My coolant level is not reducing so I can only  think that it is corrosion at the base of the scuttle drain area.
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 10 April 2023, 12:56:31
And the only way to verify that is to strip it down to check.
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: johnnydog on 10 April 2023, 22:17:49
Thanks addy - very helpful reply and much appreciated :y
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: Rangie on 11 April 2023, 09:23:23
Awful problem water ingress never had it in any of my Vauxhall's, but every Ford I've owned leaked badly would never buy another, hope you get it sorted successfully.
Title: Re: water ingress
Post by: cam.in.head on 13 April 2023, 20:29:06
they can leak around the windscreen if the seal between it has started to lift or wasnt done 100% if it has ever had a windscreen replacement.by this i mean the glue not the trim. mine had a small gap down one side which was visible with a hosepipe and the pillar trim removed.
there can also be rust issues which can hapoen mainly along the lower edge .this strip is known to rust due to the route the water takes over it especially if the lower trim/seal is displaced.
when i had my new windscreen fitted they said some of the glue was unbonded doen the side and across the bottom.not saying this is yours but it can leak there.