A leak from the windscreen but not certain

[Skippy'sCal]

Hi, I've got a significant leak which I first noticed with damp in the drivers side footwell. I've followed the recommendations on the forum and removed the trim from the A pillar to check the roof drain and can confirm that is fine. The leak would appear to be coming from the windscreen but my gut feel is that the water is running from somewhere else, as the amount of water on the outside of the window is not consistent with the water dripping into the van. It snowed today and I have moved the van inside so I think the melting snow is the cause of the constant supply of water. The video attached is several hours after moving the van indoors, which is why I think the water is running from somewhere else. As you can see, it's not a great situation so I appreciate any suggestions you may have.

 

[Perfectos]

Sorry to hear about your issue

Have you got water pooling in the front section of the roof channels ? Pop the roof and check ?
whilst the roof is up check the front roof cap is properly sealed ?
could water be tracking under the roof cap to the edge of the screen ?

 

[andyinluton]

I would be looking very closely at the front roof cap. Do you have enough room to jack the van up so its higher at the front & see where the water drips from then

Have you had any roof repairs done at all?

 

[Skippy'sCal]

Thank you for your reply. I do have water pooling in the roof channel. I am not sure what you mean by the 'roof cap', can you describe this to me?

 

[Skippy'sCal]

Thanks also andyinluton. There haven't been any roof repairs. I'll move it onto a slope and see what happens.

 

[Perfectos]

Hi see marked up photo

the cap is the entire front roof section

 

[Perfectos]

Try to dry everything that is currently wet around where you think the water is coming from.
a little water can look like a lot,

take a very close look at where water may be able to track, particularly small cracks / splits etc where the water is pooling.
whilst at it, check the roof drains actually drain the water from the roof channel.

unfortunately, you have some investigating to do to rule out possible causes.

once the whole area ( inside and out) is dry and clean, look for the obvious first,
after checking the roof drains ( both sides)
Clean the whole roof area rails etc.
inspect the whole of the front roof Cap front, back sides etc
Add a small amount of water where it pools and watch what happens to the water over a period of time, does it disappear from one area and reappear elsewhere.

use compressed air to blow into the area where you think the water is coming into the van, does the water appear else where (I.e the source)

as I say it investigation and trial and error

 

[Corradobrit]

I would check all the the drains to make sure they're not blocked with leaf litter, dirt etc. Sounds like the water can't escape and is backing up into the cabin.

Also when do you notice the water ingress. After a drive in rain, when the Cali is parked up, on an incline/decline. I had a car that let water in but only when it was parked on a hill.

Remember the wettest part may not be to the closest area of water ingress, just pooling there.

 

[J & S Saldanha]

Following this post with interest as we have the same problem - but have had the roof work done. We simply cannot figure out where the water is coming through, and my husband has re-sealed where he thought it may have cracked, but it still leaks. We have to park it with the nose of the van uphill slightly! We just wish there was an expert somewhere that we could take it to!

 

[westfalia]

The roof drain doesn't seem to be working as
far as i can see, they will have to be cleaned out
first.
When working okay, the water pours out by the front wheels.

That seems to be a lot of water, so it could have collected behind
the roof cap from the overflow of it not draining correctly.
You'll have to check the seals up there.

Off topic disclaimer-
Just having a chicken and bacon sandwich next to my log burner
whilst monitoring exchange rates.

 

[Skippy'sCal]

Update: Firstly the drain wasn't running free, after blowing some air though, the draining water makes now makes a satisfying sound, drains quickly and pours out of the van by the front wheel.

I noticed last night running a litre or so of water through the newly cleared drain that some water was still coming inside the van. It seemed to be around the drain area. I cleaned up the van and left it to dry over night.

Today: Getting to the inside of the drain hole is near impossible but I stuffed some blue roll in and carefully ran more water through the drain. I made sure that the water level only covered the drain hole. There is evidence of water an the inside of the drain hole/pipe.

It would be useful to know what the 'rubber drain/hydraulic seal' unit looks like but I suspect that either it isn't sealing to the metal work or there is a split on the inside. The former I can try and fix with some silicone seal on the outside. Once it has dried properly, I'll give that a go. Otherwise I suspect it is not an easy fix.

 

[Perfectos]

Hi Skippy,

thanks for the update, hopefully it will assist others in time

Glad to hear you have certainly improved the situation,

please report your fix when you have solved the issue fully

hopefully a less stressful process now you found the main source of the problem?

There is a post somewhere where the Drain tube cover / sealing and attachment/ route has been discussed previously

I think it was @WelshGas who posted an exploded diagram of the Drain system.
use the search function

 

[vwsween]

You might just be lucky and find that you are still removing the remnants of water that found its way inside when the drain was blocked. If it were me I'd stop pouring water through and give it time to dry out. May take a while at this time of year! Also the photo of the water backed up in the roof channel, gives impression of being parked nose down. That just increases the chance of blocking the drain.

 

[andyinluton]

You also need to have a look at the roof seal, if the roof is properly adjusted you shouldn't be getting any water under it to go down the drain channels.

 

[ArunAlec]

Update: Firstly the drain wasn't running free, after blowing some air though, the draining water makes now makes a satisfying sound, drains quickly and pours out of the van by the front wheel.

I noticed last night running a litre or so of water through the newly cleared drain that some water was still coming inside the van. It seemed to be around the drain area. I cleaned up the van and left it to dry over night.

Today: Getting to the inside of the drain hole is near impossible but I stuffed some blue roll in and carefully ran more water through the drain. I made sure that the water level only covered the drain hole. There is evidence of water an the inside of the drain hole/pipe.

It would be useful to know what the 'rubber drain/hydraulic seal' unit looks like but I suspect that either it isn't sealing to the metal work or there is a split on the inside. The former I can try and fix with some silicone seal on the outside. Once it has dried properly, I'll give that a go. Otherwise I suspect it is not an easy fix.View attachment 72032View attachment 72033View attachment 72034View attachment 72035

Did you sort your leak?

 

[Skippy'sCal]

Did you sort your leak?

It’s difficult to say whether it is fixed or whether it was just related to a set of circumstances. The roof channels are now all clean, drain holes running free etc.

I’ve really had very little water in the roof channel since this date, even after jet washing. If it is not fixed, I can only think that the snow melting for several hours with the van at a critical angle along with a blocked drain holes was a collective set of events which caused of the leak. I've not had the roof up in the rain recently.

So in some ways, I'm still monitoring.

 

[ArunAlec]

It’s difficult to say whether it is fixed or whether it was just related to a set of circumstances. The roof channels are now all clean, drain holes running free etc.

I’ve really had very little water in the roof channel since this date, even after jet washing. If it is not fixed, I can only think that the snow melting for several hours with the van at a critical angle along with a blocked drain holes was a collective set of events which caused of the leak. I've not had the roof up in the rain recently.

So in some ways, I'm still monitoring.

Thanks for the update. I’m currently trying to find a leak!
I think I’ve narrowed it down to the rubber grommet that forms the roof drain hole, so a dollop of silicone is in order!