I mentioned the FWD 460 thing that is parked on our drive the other day in another thread, not mine......... honest, don't want anything to do with it, other than maybe stealing the rims! Anyway, my Mum doesn't use it that often, but she went to go out in it today, opened the door and found..........


I know 480's are famed for leaking around the boot seal, but this is stupid! It only seems to be on the drivers side, which is slightly lower than the n/s due to where it's parked. I've only had a quick look in the dark tonight. It doesn't seem to have come from the sunroof as the seats are dry, and being in the front and rear footwells makes me think it's come from the vents and holes along the sills maybe? Condensation IMO wouldn't allow that much water in that way as the carpets have soaked a lot up as well. I checked the door seals, they seemed ok. If it was just the front I'd have said it had come in under the windscreen! Any thoughts?

Pete

admit it Pete you just got a bit drunk on new years eve and thought you would show mum how 300 drivers piss all over 400's lol

seriously though ,has the car been standing a while or was it used recently before the seepage ,

cheack windscreen rubber.

could a drivers side window have been left slightly open ( although I would have thought you would have had wet seats )

if sun roof fitted check drain pipes,

check door drainage is clear , look for water stains running down below door trims on that side ,

check grommets in engine bay that lead into cabin and any heater pipes that go into the cabin or indeed the heater matrix as there is so much water.

check grommets under the carpet and the sound deadening felt ( may be able to tell if water is coming up from underneath the car or going down through the carpet.

hope you get it sorted

redline wrote:admit it Pete you just got a bit drunk on new years eve and thought you would show mum how 300 drivers piss all over 400's lol

LOL, well maybe, nah I was well over 25 miles away officer!

Yeah, cheers Mick, that's pretty much what I was gonna check when there's some daylight and some time! I'm a bit puzzled as the rear footwell is so damp, as if it was coming from the sunroof drainage, maybe the pipes are blocked/split, it'd only be in one area. Oh well, FWD rubbish, the interior isn't anything special anyway, it rattles, and seems too cramped anyway!

Pete

Lol, I've been stripping the loom out of the 480 all day, glad I bought the kiting kit back, full wetsuit was required...

Never have I seen rust on connectors before, but was ok, I got them glowing bloody red hot with the blowlamp and covered them in WD40!!!! Was a bit tricky round the ECU's, but I kept a tray underneath to collect molten plastic!

Chris_C wrote: Never have I seen rust on connectors before, but was ok, I got them glowing bloody red hot with the blowlamp and covered them in WD40!!!! Was a bit tricky round the ECU's, but I kept a tray underneath to collect molten plastic!

Haha aimed at no one in particular I suppose

Are the seatbelts wet when you pull them out? That might indicate it's coming via the roof and running down the B/C pillars? That's what my BX did recently - the roof lining acted as a slightly pourous bucket which lead to a soaking roof, seats, seatbelts, C pillars, rear speakers and footwells.

Not sure about how the 460 is built, but the seals round the rear lights are worth a check - that's a 205 trait - it leaks through, across the boot and settles underneath the rear seats where it eventually rots through the galvanised metal.

Another 205 trait is that the sill drains get blocked up and lead to water hanging around in there and sloshing about, and eventually enough builds up to splash up into the footwells.

I assume the water is actually water and not coolant. As Mick says, if it's coolant it'll almost definately be the heater matrix. Oh, and that would be another 205 problem I've experienced which blew up my uber expensive head unit

As you might have guessed, I've become an expert on leaking frog-mobiles over the years. God bless the French!

Just been speaking to Andy, he's reminded me about lights on 480's and cheers Carl too. My Dad replaced the rear cluster on the o/s recently, with one I got for him, genuine Volvo, but maybe it didn't make a good seal. I know the 460's collect water badly, as if it's stood and it's rained, pull away and it pours out for about a minute! I did briefly check the boot when I looke at it, and there was a damp spot, but not near the lights. He said he did have trouble getting to it, so I'll probably investigate that.

Cheers guys, bouncing ideas reminded me of the new light!

Pete

It looks like Snowey when she was left overnight with no roof at all

just found this in the 400 series accsesory booklet dont know if it will help lol

LOL! I think they threw one in as standard actually Mick, it's living in the boot or the glovebox. After talking to my parents about it a bit more, it turns out the boot was always a little damp, and the thing is always full of condensation. So I'm working on the theory a light always leaked, but once it was replaced it leaked even more! This is where the typical stereotype of Volvo drivers with wellies, comes from maybe!? Needed when the 400's came along?
Pete