Anyone Know Where The Disco 1 'Windscreen Leak' Hole Is?

[Paddy_SP]

I've read about there being a hole somewhere under the windscreen seal that causes rain to leak into the interior. Despite looking for it on several occasions though, I've never found it. For some time I thought it was the sun roof, but after completely sealing it in place with Sikaflex, the leak was still there. I then thought I'd found it this week when doing some MOT welding - there were large pieces of metal missing behind the wing, just in front of the A post. But, after re-panelling the whole area and then seam sealing it, I still have water coming in. So - it's back to looking for this mythical leak-point - any help in locating it would therefore be most appreciated!

Edited July 13, 2019 by Paddy_SP

[ballcock]

If your Discovery is anything like one of mine it could be anywhere, I have removed the windscreen and found numerous places around the edge where it has rusted through. The worst places were along the top on the passenger side and the bottom corner on the drivers side where about three sections meet on the top of the A post bend. This area can be checked by removing the front wings and you can then also see how much of the lower A post is solid.

[Paddy_SP]

Thanks, but this is, apparently, a factory-made hole - I saw it referred to in LRO a couple of years back, but have never managed to find it!

[teabag]

4 hours ago, Paddy_SP said:

Thanks, but this is, apparently, a factory-made hole - I saw it referred to in LRO a couple of years back, but have never managed to find it!

It must have been the April copy of LRO. 😋

 

[ballcock]

The only factory made hole is where they fit the glass. 

[Nonimouse]

A fairly common leak into the foot-wells is from the windscreen wiper plate. The seals are no longer available so remove it then silicone seal it...

[Tetley]

Aye Up,

A bit late to the party and with all the rain we’ve been having since Paddy _SPs original post I hope you’ve solved the issue. But just in case you haven’t and of use to future enquirers I did all this back in August -

D1 footwell water ingress possibilities -

1. Duff windscreen seal/bonding (Depending on year) - if it’s along the top/sides you should see it on inside of screen.                                                                                                                                                                                            If the bottom of the seal/bonding is gone water normally drops into the scuttle trough, not the passenger compartment as the bottom of the screen extends beyond the frame over the trough. 

2. Sun roof -                                                                                                                                                                                   i) roof-to-frame seal leaking;                                                                                                                                                      ii) glass-to-crush seal damaged, sitting uneven;                                                                                                                    iii) glass warped and not crushing the seal;                                                                                                                          iv) cracked drain trough(s) at front corners of sun rooves (beneath headlining(s)                                                                                                           v) drain pipe(s) disconnected/split. 

3. Duff door seal.  If H20 tracks down the front edge of the seal and into the passenger compartment level with the front of the seat it can run forwards into the footwell giving the impression the leak is elsewhere!

PTN! #1. Although not directly responsible for a leak but directing water to the following ingress points, the rubber end pieces on the tops of the front windscreen side finishers need to be correctly located. (I thoroughly sealed mine against the front corners of the roof rain gutter and top corners of the windscreen frame)  

PTN!#2.  Removing the windscreen wipers, the large plastic scuttle cover and the plastic scuttle cover caps each side of the former (take care with the latter, easily cracked, a bit awkward, get someone to raise/lower bonnet for you as you remove them) will give you great access to all of the potential leak points.

4. By 2019....The original bonding/sealant used on D1 panel seams is well past its sell by date and although it might look OK on the surface (often painted over) it might be dried out and letting water beneath/through.             I found this evident in the following places -

i) The point where the A pillar/scuttle/inner wing all come together (it can appear as a small hole!) allows water into the footwell down the driver/passenger footwell side wall (relays!).                                                                         Water can also track down the corner of the footboard making the leak appear to be the bottom edge of the windscreen. 

ii) The seam which runs along the length of the scuttle across the width of the vehicle. As previously stated it might look good but if you dig a little of it out and there is rust on the panels below - water has got through. I even found spot welds beneath the sealants and welded earth fixing points in/on the scuttle which having been soaked for years had given up the ghost. Once through the seam water tracks down the engine compartment side of the bulkhead - and into the cable harnesses, through the large grommet and directly down the footwell footboard(s). This can give the impression of a leaking windscreen. Of note is that those cable harnesses when viewed from the engine side appear much lower than they actually are relative to the footwell - they actually come through way above feet level!

Iii) There is a channel between the inner and outer wings close to the A pillar, water can roll down the A pillar into this channel and then either through seems/self tapper holes through to the engine side of the inner wing and once again onto those cable harnesses.  I blocked it off and made rubber washers for the first few wing self tappers. 

iv) The windscreen wiper motor housing and the ‘fresh’ air-in duct in the scuttle below the windscreen each have gaskets which if they let H20 through will show up mostly towards the transmission tunnel side if the footwell footboard(s).

My remedial actions -

Sealed the rubber sections at the top of each windscreen side finisher;

Dug out the seam sealer the full width of the scuttle, de-rusted, painted, resealed the seam with Sikaflex AND covered the whole scuttle with that really sticky, flat roof bonding tape. 

Sikaflexed the A pillar/inner wing/bulkhead hole.

Sikaflexed the end of the inner/outer wing channel.

Sikaflexed the wiper motor housing gasket and the air intake duct.

Made a hard plastic shroud, sikaflexed to the bulkhead above cable harnesses to deflect any H20 that does get through, away towards the engine/chassis gap. 

Sikaflexed small sections of bicycle inner tube to the bottom of each windscreen side finisher to direct water away from the scuttle and over the wing (not pretty but works!)

Cut out those heavy sections of water-retaining sound deadening beneath the carpet in each footwell and replaced with those non-water retaining, anti vibration mats they put under washing machines.(10mm type).

PTN!#3.  Make sure that the large drain holes at each end of the scuttle in the inner wings are clear of debris and don’t cover them with the aforementioned tape - AND observe PTN!#4. below. 

PTN!#4. If the vehicle isn’t used after rainfall, H20 which always pools in the scuttle until the vehicle is driven around corners, will just sit on that scuttle seam and work it’s way through the seam.

Footnotes - 

If the footwell floors had been better designed with appropriate drain holes/bungs, water could have been prevented from pooling in the wrong places.

Take care where you drill if you decide to make your own - you don’t want to fill your sills with water!

Check if your sills have been replaced- AND that the A pillar/sunroof drain pipes and holes are still in place - if they have been covered the A pillar can fill up and pour water into the footwell. 

I’ve cured 99% of my water ingress - just the sun roof troughs/pipes to do when the weather is dry enough to get the headlining out (easier than it seems, just done one on another, non sun roof Disco to re-cover it).

Hope the above helps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mud and guts]

Thanks for the great summary. I just bought an old 95 Disco and and it's like a paddling pool inside.  It's a rust bucket that has had work done but it works ok where I live with no road access. So far I have resealed the joint in the scuttle, inside the passenger foot well where the cables come through has rusted away completely but seems to have been plated from the outside.  It took a week by the stove to dry the dampening foam.  The water is still coming in through the A panel, where it has rusted its own drain hole into the sill. As far as I can tell the water is coming through the seem behind the wing where the water from the screen and scuttle wash down.  I don't want to have to remove the wing so will scrape and push down some sealant and make sure its draining ok.  I will have to work through each floor well to get it dry, oh well at least summer's coming. 

 JD