Water coming in through driver window seals

[andyb2000]

Hi folks,

I'm finally getting round to sorting water ingress, and the main area I've found is the front driver window letting water in. I've got the carpets up, door cards off and can see water is coming in from what I think is the lower window seal.
At the moment I've got the window motor removed, could that be causing this by not pushing/holding the window right?
Or more likely the window seals aren't sealing fully and have lost their spring so not sealing the leak?

Any suggestions.



In the image you can see water is coming from the inside of the door, this is whilst I was spraying the window with water, so that's definitely the problem.

Thanks in advance on tips/suggestions as always

Andy

[Espada]

I do not know if this is the same for the 480 but years ago I used to run a 5a Scimitar, being fibreglass they also love to leak. The Scimitar had a similar problem of water leaking through the door panel.

When removing the door card I did not realise the plastic sheet was there to prevent water ingress, this I discovered when it rained. The solution was to reinstate this membrane. In the case of the Scimitar this was sheet of plastic glued to the door, the Volvo has a pre formed panel behind the door card.

Does the plastic panel which is not shown provide the water proofing for the door?

Basically the rain drains through the door and the water photographed is to be expected without this membrane. With the exception of the quarterlight the other seals are 90% decorative.

Just a thought but don't quote me if I am wrong.

Regards

[jamescarruthers]

Espada is 100% correct, the open holes on the door are supposed to be covered with a thin, plastic membrane. Think sticky-back plastic but a bit better. The hole where the speaker goes is supposed to be a sort of vacuum formed thin plastic shape to accommodate the speaker but also be waterproof. Think Tupperware in this case!

Is this missing on your car? If so, reinstate them. If the speaker one is missing though, you are going to have to get imaginative!

Make sure the drain holes are clear at the bottom while you are in there too.

[jifflemon]

Vapour barriers!!! (Or lack thereof)



Bin bags and gaffa tape are your best friend, but hopefully you've got the one near the door speaker

[jifflemon]

If you look carefully, you can actually see the outline of where the membrane was once fitted.

Looks like you're missing the speaker one completely - That could get tricky....

I'd also check the other side too, what usually happens is that they get ripped during a win regulator renewal and left off.
Not only do they stop water getting IN to the car, but water that doesn't drain out through the door drains (front and rear) will stay in the door, creating a moist environment. You know what loves to absorb moisture? Those hardboard door panels. Without vapour barriers, the vinyl will start to peel off, the trims will swell and distort... All good fun.

[andyb2000]

Wow, so simple!
Thank you all so much, that makes a lot of sense, I've not checked passenger side so I'll do that also.

I've not got the box for speaker so I'll have to fabricate one for that, would also explain a few things, I'd guess there should also be a plastic box to contain the electrical connections, etc.

Checking the bottom of the door there are the holes in there to let the water drain out (making sure they're not blocked), BUT to me that's flawed, I guess the potential for water to eat away at the door from the inside, so I guessed I was hoping for something better.

My plan then is to clean the inside of the door, add more undercoat+rustproofing to the door interior metalwork as extra protection then recreate the speaker casing and use the plastic liner part to make my own attached to the door and hopefully that will do the job

Thank you all! Great info.

[jifflemon]

The drain holes are simple, but effective.
Car sits slightly nose down? Water will drain out of the front one.
Car sits slightly nose up? Water will drain out of the back one.

The flaws in the design are firstly, dirt. If it builds up, it can block the drains, or create enough of block in the door bottom to prevent water flow.
Secondly, the door seam. If water can't escape easily, it can sit in the seam, which will lead to rusting.

So, clean the door bottom. I tend to use some foaming degreaser to break the dirt down then drop a kettles worth of hot water in the door cavity to rinse it all away. Then dry it out, and liberally apply some bilt hamber cavity wax to the door bottom.

The speaker plastic isn't actually completely sealed either - another mad design. The rear of the "cup" is open, to allow the speaker to use the air in the door cavity. The rim of the speaker is "sealed" against the plastic. I use that term VERY loosely, as it will normally all have vanished by now. I can pop up some pictures of what they look like if it helps? The early cars used MUCH better plastics than the later cars (penny pinching by volvo)

[jamescarruthers]

I guess you could make the speaker area waterproof membrane into a sort of home made bag design that you tape to the edges of the aperture. This would pretty much achieve what you want, I think.

[andyb2000]

Great info here, thank you!
No plastic container for the speaker so I'll have to get creative. I'm thinking maybe an ice-cream tub type fitting around the speaker should do the job. I'll coat the inside of the door after cleaning it up to help it last. Will get the cavity wax too, sounds a good option to help prevent future issues, good plan jifflemon! Just looking, I found it in aerosol which seemed odd, is this the right stuff "Bilt Hamber Dynax S-50 Extreme Anti-Corrosion Wax - 750ml Aerosol - Cavity Wax"

Thanks!

[jifflemon]

S50 is the stuff - bloody superb it is too. Top tip, before use, stand the can in a tub of boiling water for 20 mins.

I’ll find some pictures of the factory speaker shield to help you shape; remember that the gap is also for the door pocket too. Wonder if our 3D printing army could replicate something?

[andyb2000]

Perfect, will get the wax ordered then, thanks.
Funny you mention 3d printer, I have the creality ender3 pro and wondered, but the size of it looks quite large. Plus I'm terrible at 3d creations from scratch (I more grab other items already created, slice them and print/modify a little as I need).

[jifflemon]

Pics as promised:

[andyb2000]

Ah interesting, much larger area than I expected!
Thanks, will go about crafting something and will send feedback on what I come up with!

[dragonflyjewels]

If you want to replace your seals, you can adapt secondhand hand ones from the early S40 or V40 (sadly no longer available new) Our doors are slightly thinner, so you'd need a strip of duct tape along the edge to make it a firm fit and the length will need trimming as they are a bit longer. Hopefully that means you can remove any bulges of rusting metal.