93 Defender leaking under dash?

[fender22]

Took my 93 Fender down to the coast yesterday, bout a 200k round trip. Was suprised how well she sat on 110+ k's an hour. Very quiet and stable on the road. One thing I did notice that when I went over about 100k's there was water dripping on my foot. Now to be fair, it was literally bucketing down and straight into a head wind. Was wondering if this is normal, perhaps it was forcing it's way into the front vents? Had driven it around town all week in the wet and no dramas.

Are these ok to cruise on 110? Only doing around 3000 revs and motor didn't sound like it was straining?

[abaddonxi]

Normal.

Front end must be in good nick not to get the shimmies at speed.

[LowRanger]

thats not a water leak,that is LandRovers patented foot washer :D

And if it is happy to sit on 110,then no problems

[JDNSW]

The leak is probably fixable, but it may be difficult to find exactly where it is. While the vents tend to get the blame, these are not the most likely point of entry.

Likely places are the hinge/bracket that connects the windscreen to the bulkhead - this is in a very high pressure area and has a very narrow sealing area. Remove it and reseal. Second most likely spot is the seal between the pedal boxes and the footwell. This will only leak in very wet conditions when there is a lot of water getting under the bonnet, and it may also be a symptom of rust holes in the bulkhead in that area.

John

[kenleyfred]

Not limited to your 93. Even our fancy SVX's leak like a sieve. Would love to see if a high up Land Rover executive would like to come for a drive with me, wearing expensive shoes, perhaps a lap top and valuable something or other that can't get wet. Water and dust pours into our vehicle. Be it driving or just parked overnight in the rain.
Teach me to brag about my sunroof that doesn't leak. Now if I brake, water comes through the sunroof almost as quick as if it were open. Have the UHF mounted on cubby below, have to cover it with towel in rainy conditions.
Kenley

[bcj]

at 110km/h with standard wheels your probably only doing round 103km/h anyway, as said if running smooth this is good- I tend to cruise round 90- 95 as I find fuel consumption best at this & roads l drive don't have much traffic & are not fwy's
There is a Water Ingress Manual round somewhere
Leak is probably your vents ,window seal ,hinges-but could be anywhere-start at top & work down
Brett
110 300tdi

[bcj]

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/technical-chatter/5377d1196242159-chasing-leaks-defender-wateringressmanual-defender.pdf

[Bundalene]

Hi, good to hear you are pleased with the Defender performance. I also chased a water leak a while ago and below is an earlier thread which may assist

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/90-110-130-defender-county/105752-defender-water-leaks-2.html

Erich

[Vin Rouge]

Agree with JDNSW. The bracket that connects the windscreen to the bulkhead is a prime suspect. Make a new gasket from a piece of neoprene sheet. Another one to check is the seal between the body and the roof - both over and under the lip. Can be fixed with widescreen seal or silicone. Check especially the corners, although leaks can come from all over the place. I found one in the middle of the car, where the body meets the roof. Still dripped on my right foot though!

[86mud]

I had no idea the Water Ingress Manual existed...thanks for that. But 35 pages!!!!

I recently replaced my vent seals and used sika flex under the brackets between the windscreen and bulkhead. I still get a little bit in very heavy rain so I will look the pedal box next.