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Alright guys, i'm back. My car leaks from not sure where yet and my carpet is soaked. After it rains, the driver and passenger floorboards have standing water. The driver side gets the worst of it. How is the best way to dry it out and stop this madness. I detest the thought of tearing the carpet out and having to put it back in but i'm thinking that's going to be the only way right now. My dad started to take up the carpet on the passenger side and it is of course held down with a type of glue. We are thinking that we should put velcro(sp?) in place of the glue for easy removal should this happen again. Any advice for the removal and replacing of carpet? Also, any ideas of where it might be leaking from? We thought it might be the windscreen seal because that was coming up. So I cleaned it up and resealed it with silicon. I don't think I did the prettiest job so I will probably redo it, but if it was leaking there, I don't think it is anymore. We also checked the drain tube. We unclogged it and still it leaks. We were then thinking that maybe its the windshield washer seals but not sure. Please and thank you!
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Wet Carpet
- Thread starter MGBGirl
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Steve_S
Yoda
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The most common places for water to come in are the fresh air vent and the wiper base seals. The "Tom's Knob" attached to the vent drain can be clear and still not allow water to drain because the rubber gets hard which can prevent the slit at the bottom from letting water out. Try forcing it open to see if water will drain out.
If water is coming in from this location, it will spill out of the fresh air vent behind the center console. Rocking the car hard from side to side will cause more to flow out, and this is the easiest way to spot the problem. Only works right after a rain when the vent shaft is full though. If the carpet behind the center console, by the fresh air vent, is dry then this probably isn't where it's getting in.
The wiper base seals will leak when old and cracked, and this water will drop down directly above your feet. Sometimes it seems to come from elsewhere because the drops may land on a cable or wire, run along it and then drip off to the side somewhere. Pouring water from a hose in these areas should produce a fairly immediate leak and confirm the problem.
Good luck!
If water is coming in from this location, it will spill out of the fresh air vent behind the center console. Rocking the car hard from side to side will cause more to flow out, and this is the easiest way to spot the problem. Only works right after a rain when the vent shaft is full though. If the carpet behind the center console, by the fresh air vent, is dry then this probably isn't where it's getting in.
The wiper base seals will leak when old and cracked, and this water will drop down directly above your feet. Sometimes it seems to come from elsewhere because the drops may land on a cable or wire, run along it and then drip off to the side somewhere. Pouring water from a hose in these areas should produce a fairly immediate leak and confirm the problem.
Good luck!
fogliner
Senior Member
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Hi...you may want to check the windshield post seals also,the rubber pads that go between the windshield posts and the body.They get old and cracked with age .Depends also on how old your top is too,they degrade with years in the sun.I keep a bunch of rags and old towels under my seats for when I go on a trip and get rain but i park it in a carport at home so it doesn't get the direct rain all the time.
You could improvise and lay a 6 ft x 8ft plastic tarp over the top and then put a normal car cover over that when you park it , most of the car covers i've seen up here are not waterproof so the extra layer would stop the penetration and the car cover would hold it in place and hide the ugly tarp color. Just an idea.
The floor carpets are generally held down with snaps,you may be able to see them in differents spots around the car, there is a few on the dash on mine for the toneau cover to snap to,also the tops of the windshield posts for the top to snap to etc...Buy a kit from an upolstery place and its easy to install the snaps,just drill and pop rivet the one side of the snap to the floor where you need them (corners)and lay your piece of carpet down and mark on it where the other side of the snap goes and install with the tool you get in the kit.then you can get the main floor pieces out easy.I glued my carpet onto the wheel arches in back and on the front of the battery compartment.
hope this helps a bit..
Mark
You could improvise and lay a 6 ft x 8ft plastic tarp over the top and then put a normal car cover over that when you park it , most of the car covers i've seen up here are not waterproof so the extra layer would stop the penetration and the car cover would hold it in place and hide the ugly tarp color. Just an idea.
The floor carpets are generally held down with snaps,you may be able to see them in differents spots around the car, there is a few on the dash on mine for the toneau cover to snap to,also the tops of the windshield posts for the top to snap to etc...Buy a kit from an upolstery place and its easy to install the snaps,just drill and pop rivet the one side of the snap to the floor where you need them (corners)and lay your piece of carpet down and mark on it where the other side of the snap goes and install with the tool you get in the kit.then you can get the main floor pieces out easy.I glued my carpet onto the wheel arches in back and on the front of the battery compartment.
hope this helps a bit..
Mark
Thanks guys. To repair the windshield pads, can you just put silicon around them or can you actually buy the pads and replace them. I'm thinking this is the spot and going to test it out soon. Hopefully that will solve my problems.
I started to pull the carpet up and I did see snaps on the floor. I was wondering what those were for. The carpet was definately replaced before I bought it. They did an excellant job on laying the carpet down and not having it come back up. I give them kudos for that.
Today, the passenger side seems more wet. I don't know which side is worse now, but I only need to dry up the passenger side.
Out comes the wet/dry vac and fans!
I started to pull the carpet up and I did see snaps on the floor. I was wondering what those were for. The carpet was definately replaced before I bought it. They did an excellant job on laying the carpet down and not having it come back up. I give them kudos for that.
Today, the passenger side seems more wet. I don't know which side is worse now, but I only need to dry up the passenger side.
Out comes the wet/dry vac and fans!
Steve_S said:The most common places for water to come in are the fresh air vent and the wiper base seals. The "Tom's Knob" attached to the vent drain can be clear and still not allow water to drain because the rubber gets hard which can prevent the slit at the bottom from letting water out. Try forcing it open to see if water will drain out.
Water is indeed coming out of the drain. We spent a good few hours on this thinking this was the problem to begin with. It probably helped a lot in the situation but didn't solve it.
Thanks
fogliner
Senior Member
Offline
Hi.you can get all the rubber bits from Victoria british or moss motors i'm sure.If you don't have catalogue's from them you should go to the websites and order one(FREE).They are a great source for looking at how things go together as well.
I've also seen some bits on ebay once in a while and there are some actual british companies that have mg stuff available through ebay stores.
A temporary fix for the pads if they are in rough shape is to just lift the edges and pump some silicone in and around the windshield posts.
Just browsing ebay and came across these.
https://cgi.ebay.ca/MG-MGB-MIDGET-SPRITE-...=item2c4be394f0
Good luck
Mark
I've also seen some bits on ebay once in a while and there are some actual british companies that have mg stuff available through ebay stores.
A temporary fix for the pads if they are in rough shape is to just lift the edges and pump some silicone in and around the windshield posts.
Just browsing ebay and came across these.
https://cgi.ebay.ca/MG-MGB-MIDGET-SPRITE-...=item2c4be394f0
Good luck
Mark
V
vagt6
Guest
Guest
Offline
MG Girl, I might suggest that you can eliminate the problem by investing in a quality car cover that will keep the water out of your car.
"Noah" and others make waterproof car covers that are custom-fit for your MGB. Cost is less than $150.
Water/rust is the enemy. Keep him out by using a good car cover (or a garage, if you're lucky enough to have one).
Let us know . . .
"Noah" and others make waterproof car covers that are custom-fit for your MGB. Cost is less than $150.
Water/rust is the enemy. Keep him out by using a good car cover (or a garage, if you're lucky enough to have one).
Let us know . . .
Lynn Kirkpatrick
Jedi Hopeful
Offline
Steve mentioned that the vent drain gets hard over time and won't let water out. The previous owner of my GT ran a screw up through the bottom opening so that it is wedged open and water drains. Good luck.
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One thing I don't think was mentioned is, the bottom of the vent box will rust out over time if the drain was plugged for a long time before you got the car. Dirt will collect down there and hold moisture. Just another thought. PJ
Oh yes, I forgot. I also removed the duck tail from the drain hose. As far as I'm concerned, it's of no value but to collect dirt and water hardly dribbles out with it on.
Oh yes, I forgot. I also removed the duck tail from the drain hose. As far as I'm concerned, it's of no value but to collect dirt and water hardly dribbles out with it on.