Wet Boot!Read the FAQ and done a search,just after advice...

Dan the 480 Man · Post by **Dan the 480 Man** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 8:54 pm

I've used the search function, but not found the answer i'm looking for...

Opened my boot to find a nice puddle of water laying in my sub

. I read this on the FAQ...

At the top of the rear-window

Another possible cause is at the top of the rear-window. It seems the water can enter the wiring-harnass and slowly soak inside your car through this harnass both at the place where the cable exits the car and where it enters the rear-window.

But it doesn't give much of an idea to a solution. It doesn't appear to be coming through the harness, it looks like it's coming from the centre of the rubber seal. There aren't any breaks or tears etc, just a bit baffled. The window is dry on the inside, so it must be literally just dripping in.

I don't mind doing a temporary fix, but i'm not sure what to use or how to do it...any ideas? Also, has anybody ever bought a brand new boot seal from Volvo? I would rather just get a new one than try and bodge repair as my stereo is in there, but a bit

of the Â£Â£Â£...anybody done that?

I love water

JohnTurbo · Post by **JohnTurbo** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 10:59 pm

Side windows is possible...my black 480 leaks here.

Roo · Post by **Roo** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 1:37 pm

East Kent Trim

You could try here for a new seal if Volvo ones are expensive. Something tells me they are! Failing that, you could go to the local scrapper and find a more modern car with a similar door/boot seal.
I seem to recall someone on here made a small incision in the seal and filled it with silicone sealant so it wouldn't compress so easily. Mine also leaks at the wiring harness where it passes over the boot seal. I think its just an age thing. Worth checking your rar lights, rear windows, wiper hole, side marker lights and electric aerial hole too!
I also find the boot cover is good at holding water too, provided the leak is above it of course...

Big Brother · Post by **Big Brother** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 1:42 pm

Also try the rear reflectors, the seal has gone on mine and this is leaking

Roo · Post by **Roo** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 1:51 pm

volvo-bigbrother wrote:Also try the rear reflectors, the seal has gone on mine and this is leaking

Aren't they built into the rear lights?

edit: forgot about the rear centre panel which i presume you mean. I'm having a bad day!

dean36014 · Post by **dean36014** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 2:38 pm

Mine leaked from what appeared to be the plastic seal/trim on the tailgate. This was due to the grommet where the wiring harness enters being ripped and generally knackered. Solution was to fill the hole up where the wires entered the tailgate with dum dum, not leaked since. My rear lights leaked as well, sone sorted out with a reseal.

JohnTurbo · Post by **JohnTurbo** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 3:50 pm

Roo wrote:
volvo-bigbrother wrote:Also try the rear reflectors, the seal has gone on mine and this is leaking
Aren't they built into the rear lights?

edit: forgot about the rear centre panel which i presume you mean. I'm having a bad day!

I think he means at the back/sides.

Roo · Post by **Roo** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 3:56 pm

Roo wrote:Worth checking your side marker lights

Big Brother · Post by **Big Brother** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:12 pm

no I mean the side reflectors, the ones I made into day running lights

Brasco · Post by **Brasco** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:27 pm

Get the watering-can out... give it a good soaking and watch for the leak.

Oh, and don't forget to check the side markers. They sometimes leak.

Dan the 480 Man · Post by **Dan the 480 Man** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 6:24 pm

I know that my side markers aren't leaking, they were replaced with new ones and gaskets when i put the clear reflectors on. The rear lights were taken out when i got it (as the stuff the last owner used was literally oozing out of all the gaps), and was re-sealed using the Volvo sealant which i needed about 10 packets of-and they don't leak at all.

It must be coming form the top of the hatch 'cos my sub faces upwards:

It was 'pooling' in the lower half of the sub (just under the Infinity logo). I put my Dad's load cover on the other day, and there was a wet patch on it in the same place the water would have been in the sub. So i think i'll try some silicone sealant round that general area, and get the hose out. Then if i can see where it's dripping in i can address it and see wether it's repairable or just bite the bullet and get a new one (i think they're about Â£50 from Volvo

)

I miss my sub

Brasco · Post by **Brasco** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 7:18 pm

I would have put money on the harness is pressing against the seal when the boot is closed. Sorry mate, I know you said it isn't... don't mean to contradict you, it's just, that's the exact spot it'll leak, right above your sub.

Dan the 480 Man · Post by **Dan the 480 Man** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 10:51 pm

Brasco wrote:I would have put money on the harness is pressing against the seal when the boot is closed. Sorry mate, I know you said it isn't... don't mean to contradict you, it's just, that's the exact spot it'll leak, right above your sub.

No worries! I'm not bothered about being proven wrong-it's either that or never learn! I'll have another look tomorrow night. Grooms nipping down on Thursday night so i'll get him to have a butchers too...

The harness is def. a feasable option, especially as i cant see any real nips/tears in the rubber. I did remove some realy shitty silicone from all around the boot when i first got it. It obvioulsy had leaked and not been treated properly, so i took all the rubber and silicon off, cleaned it all up and put it back together. And that was the first month i had it and no leaks until now.

Is it possible to move the harness to a different position then, or is it just a case of trying to bend it about until it stops pressing against the seal? I'm bloody glad it wasn't the amp there

2127 · Post by **2127** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 9:15 am

Brasco wrote:Get the watering-can out... give it a good soaking and watch for the leak.

Better even to get the hose out to give the car a good spray. Remove inside boot panels etc and get somebody in the car to watch water come in eventually. Labour intensive, I know, but it might reveal more than one leak.

Good luck!

Bramdeman · Post by **Bramdeman** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 10:19 pm

put some chalk or some other powder over the seals where it might leak, close the boot and spray the car with the hose, wait a little while and open the boot to see where the chalk has washed off. Thats probebly where the problem is.

Dan the 480 Man · Post by **Dan the 480 Man** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 7:13 am

Right...

I put me sub back in last night as they gave rain, and low and behold there was a lovely little pond in the sub this morning

. It was wet around the harness, so that must be the place.

So what exactly is happening here then? There don't seem to be any rips in it, and it doesn't look like there are any flat areas on the seal where it's pushing down, or would it expand too quickly for me to be able to see this?

I only looked at it briefly earlier, so forgive my ignorance: does the harness actually enter the seal or does the seal mould around it?

Roo · Post by **Roo** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 7:17 am

I think the seal just moulds around it when the boots shut. If the seal has gone soft over time then it won't make a proper seal around the wiring harness

Brasco · Post by **Brasco** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 11:41 am

What should happen is, it should tuck in behind the seal, on the outside. The connection with the hatch should be flush, so the seal works. If the cable isn't slotting outside the seal, but crossing it, that's how the water is getting in. The space is quite tight, so the harness could be catching on the seal as the hatch is closed. I wouldn't expect this to happen regularly, unless the harness was damaged in some way.

Dan the 480 Man · Post by **Dan the 480 Man** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 5:15 pm

Ok, cheers guys. Time for some further investigation...

The harness doesn't look damaged at first glance, but i'll look at it properly later. What i may do is remove the seal completley and clean it up. I noticed this morning when i poked me finger in the join around the boot lock that it was wet on the inside of the seal. I'll take it off and give it a look, clean aorund the inside, get some silicone sealant around the edge and then re-fit the seal to see if that stops it...

I wish i lived in a country with no rain. I may emigrate... that must be a much cheaper alternative than repairing a 480