anorakmark
Active Member
Hi all.
I know this is a well documented saga for the L322 regarding water ingress in the boot area & the fright of having all your electrical components damaged, I have recently experienced an issue of water ingress in the boot area and spare wheel well, and after some great help and advice from a popular Landyzone member, may I name you Andy (Holidaychicken) I have found the ingress point which surprised me and dealt with the issue.
Without writing a 10 page dossier on my findings I will try to get to the point.
Last Monday I went into the boot to get a tow rope out of the wheel well, and to my fright upon opening the wheel cover I was greeted with about an inch of water which had pooled around the rear panel, this was due to my rangie being parked on a steep gradient on the drive, Probably a blessing in disguise as otherwise the compressor would have been swimming too.
Upon further investigation I also found the spare wheel cover drenched and the tailgate load cover. I contacted Landyzone member Holidaychicken as I read his previous posts regarding this, he gave me some excellent advice on this matter and where to look.
Firstly I got the hosepipe out and simulated heavy rain on the rear of the vehicle inc roof.side windows, I gave it a good soaking & then checked the interior around the tailgate and the side panels containing the electrical equipment. All was dry with not a single sign of an water getting inside and the tailgate drain channels were all flowing fine. strange?
I then removed the inner wiper motor cover trim firstly to check the wiper washer pipe was all connected and all was fine, but I did notice some dampness around the top of the tailgate where a wiring loom passes through, see pics. the material around the loom was also damp. I then went outside & removed the spoiler on the top of the tailgate to revel a rubber gromet which seals the wires from the high level brake light, this was all in place and not leaking, upon further inspection there was no other place underneath the spoiler where water could ingress. I then started looking at where the top of the upper tailgate screens meets the end of the tailgate and noticed there is a ridge between the glass and the tailgate. I then took my hose and sprayed water along this ridge and then I saw water dripping at a fast rate inside the vehicle, found it at last!! It appears that there was a small point under the off side screen that was taking in water which has now been sealed by a windscreen fitter,a simple fix he cleaned the ridge out and injected sealant along the full length of the screen. The strange thing is in normal raining conditions water would not have entered the car, mine was entering when I washed the car and jetted water from the hose underneath the rear spoiler. I wash my rangie every couple of weeks so I have certainly contributed to the swimming pool in the boot. So for any of you who may have a damp boot area it may be worth you checking the upper tailgate window.
I know this is a well documented saga for the L322 regarding water ingress in the boot area & the fright of having all your electrical components damaged, I have recently experienced an issue of water ingress in the boot area and spare wheel well, and after some great help and advice from a popular Landyzone member, may I name you Andy (Holidaychicken) I have found the ingress point which surprised me and dealt with the issue.
Without writing a 10 page dossier on my findings I will try to get to the point.
Last Monday I went into the boot to get a tow rope out of the wheel well, and to my fright upon opening the wheel cover I was greeted with about an inch of water which had pooled around the rear panel, this was due to my rangie being parked on a steep gradient on the drive, Probably a blessing in disguise as otherwise the compressor would have been swimming too.
Upon further investigation I also found the spare wheel cover drenched and the tailgate load cover. I contacted Landyzone member Holidaychicken as I read his previous posts regarding this, he gave me some excellent advice on this matter and where to look.
Firstly I got the hosepipe out and simulated heavy rain on the rear of the vehicle inc roof.side windows, I gave it a good soaking & then checked the interior around the tailgate and the side panels containing the electrical equipment. All was dry with not a single sign of an water getting inside and the tailgate drain channels were all flowing fine. strange?
I then removed the inner wiper motor cover trim firstly to check the wiper washer pipe was all connected and all was fine, but I did notice some dampness around the top of the tailgate where a wiring loom passes through, see pics. the material around the loom was also damp. I then went outside & removed the spoiler on the top of the tailgate to revel a rubber gromet which seals the wires from the high level brake light, this was all in place and not leaking, upon further inspection there was no other place underneath the spoiler where water could ingress. I then started looking at where the top of the upper tailgate screens meets the end of the tailgate and noticed there is a ridge between the glass and the tailgate. I then took my hose and sprayed water along this ridge and then I saw water dripping at a fast rate inside the vehicle, found it at last!! It appears that there was a small point under the off side screen that was taking in water which has now been sealed by a windscreen fitter,a simple fix he cleaned the ridge out and injected sealant along the full length of the screen. The strange thing is in normal raining conditions water would not have entered the car, mine was entering when I washed the car and jetted water from the hose underneath the rear spoiler. I wash my rangie every couple of weeks so I have certainly contributed to the swimming pool in the boot. So for any of you who may have a damp boot area it may be worth you checking the upper tailgate window.
