[Bartek]

It was raining. I was driving and noticed some water dropping at my feet at clutch pedal. Pulled over and touch this fluid and smell it - ordinary water. I traced this leak been dropping onto inner (let's assume outer is cabin directed surface) side of lower dash, left front side of driver's seat. What could it be and how to trace it correctly?

 

[Matthew]

Leaking windscreen, heater matrix?

Or this:
http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20329

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[Bartek]

Allright! I'll check all this stuff out tonight!

 

[Nick_F]

There's a rubber drain tube from the lower front of the heater intake box - directly below the vent in the bonnet - that opens into the right-hand wheelarch: check it's not blocked at the bottom.

You may even see water sitting in the heater intake: if it gets deep enough it will soak through the cabin filter and drip into your feet.
Nick.

 

[Bartek]

Nick - I have LHD. In this case I have my pollen filter at my right hand side and driver's seat is at the left. Am I right?

 

[Nick_F]

Yes - the pollen filter is in the box below the vents in the bonnet.

In a left-hand-drive car I'd expect you'd get water in the passenger footwell too - if that's bone dry then maybe the problem is something different.

Nick.

 

[ejenner]

Another problem can come up when the large grommet on the drivers side (UK-RHD) where the ECU loom enters the cabin. Sometimes people open this grommet to pass a wire through and don't bother resealing it. Because it's such a large opening it's easy for water to enter here if it has not been correctly sealed.

 

[Bartek]

Water is coming straight at left side of the cabin, exactly on the doorstep (is this right name for this? I removed metal clamps that tigthened mattes to floor and lifted mattes to let it dry. It was raining last night and I saw traces of water that ran exactly from under anti-noise rubber at left upper corner of car. It doesn't look like windscreen seals could leak. If it doesn't leak where should I look for leaks? What are the routes of water running inside cabin?

 

[Jezzadee]

It's worth checking the sunroof drain holes are clear. You should be able to just run some wire down them. There is one in each corner of the sunroof opening. The rear ones go down the C pillars to emerge at the side air vents. The front ones go down the A pillars either side of the windscreen, and I think they emerge in the front wheel arch. The other thing to check if you have an Aero kit is that the drain holes under each panel are clear.

 

[Bartek]

Geee....I should have written this before . No sunroof. Sorry - my fault. And yes - there is Aero kit.

 

[ProfZ]

In cars here in the US (all LHD), rainwater will leak onto the driver's feet even though the heater air intake is on the opposite side of the car.I am sure the problem is a blocked air intake drain tube. Find where it comes out of the RH wheel well, and clean it out with a piece of wire.

 

[Bartek]

That's a point! ProfZ, would you give me some tips how to find it? I don't think Bentley has something like "air intake drain tube" in its index. :roll: It means that air intake (holes) in the hood let the water goes down into intake under the hood. When you have closed air circuit water shouldn't go down, am I right?

 

[ProfZ]

When you have closed air circuit water shouldn't go down, am I right?

The "recirc" flap is not waterproof. Also, it only stays closed when the engine is running, so you have vacuum.

To find the drain tube, turn your steering fully to the left. Look inside the right wheel opening. The tube should be about 1/2 way up.

Also, from above, reach into the bottom of the air intake box and pull out leaves and other debris--this is what blocks the drain.

 

[Bartek]

Thx. I cleared it out, but it seems another problem is in windscreen sealing. I need to have it resealed.

 

[Hu Flung Dung]

I had a water leak all last summer, it drove me NUTS. I looked and repaired everything I could find, and here's what it turned out to be:
The rubber boot around the wiper arm, where they go into the car body, had warped and shrank from the heat. This left a little gap below them, and water was getting in there, running down the firewall somewhere and going into the car frame. It would then end up in the floorboards! I sealed them, and the car has been DRY as a bone ever since...even in 2 tropical storms with torrential rain!