Td5 D2 bodywork - Heater Blower Hole (6)

Two weeks plus since I applied some sealer to the blower intake /bulkhead joint and I have to report no rainwater ingress at all!  

The cover that I fashioned from tinplate has still not been fitted. There has been some sustained and torrential downpours that were good candidates for a wet footwell, but not even 'feeling' for any wetness up by the blower motor mounts has produced any signs of water ingress.

I have now even taken away the 'drip-tray' that lived in the passenger footwell to catch any drips when parked up.

If I am to conclude that the leak point was the joint between bolt 3 and 4 and that the applied sealer has now sealed the gap, there still remains the question of how does the rainwater get to run along that joint in the first place??

                        Rusty bolt no4.

I am confident that the bottom edge of the windscreen is sealed, so that leaves very little conventional paths for run-off water to follow.

When using the Borroscope to view the blower intake mounting bolts, I removed the nearby circular plastic blanking plate from the plenum chamber thinking it would give easier access for the borroscope. It popped off easily and was not sealed down in any way.

On reflection, I now think that this could well be the access point for the rainwater to get beneath the plenum cover. Don't forget there are two of these circular covering plugs on the plenum cover and also attention was drawn to the wiper mountings which are rusty and could do with a re-furb.

While the cover plug was removed, it was treated to a black respray as it was very faded.

.. It was more faded then those wheel arches! ..

Here is the same circular plastic 'plug' in place on the plenum cover.  It would probably be prudent to smear some sealant around the joint just to deny water any access to what's below  ie.  the blower intake! 

In the above photo, the windscreen is to the right and the bonnet to the left. On the very edge of the bonnet can be seen the creeping menace of the dreaded lacquer peel.