124 Estate water leak

[Dexter]

Water ingression in heavy rain when car is standing showing as wetness where right hand rear foot of drivers seat joins floor. I am parked on a slight incline which tells me it is not coming from front of car it appears to run forward into drivers footwell soaking foam backs of carpet mats.

No outward signs of wetness anywhere else on carpet near sill or on roof lining so must be wicking into pan from somewhere odd. Hope its not a crack in the body. The door rubbers seem to seal the car soundly making it all the more confusing.

To date I have checked rear fixed window, sunroof drains( I taped it up and still got the leak) floor plan bungs, sill drains, hatchback hinge rubber boots, hole where rear door interior light trigger sits Ive even checked the front end windscreen water ducts and winscreen rubbers even though logic tells me it is coming from back. Can anyone help before I start questioning my sanity ! I have a 94 e280 estate (facelift model) and did not expect a car of this quality to leak is this a common problem ?

All contributions gratefuly recieved.

 

[turnipsock]

I too had/have water getting in that area, but it never rains much in Scotland so it's not a big probelm. It screwed up my central locking pump though.
The main leak I had was from the rear window. I cured this by injecting some sealant between the rubber and the door frame, pretty much like the workshop manual illustrates (except I didn't use the official merc sealant). The main symptom of that leak was a lot of water gathering in the hollow bit of the rear door lock.

 

[Dexter]

Encouraging feedback: 124 estate leak

Sounds familiar I was beggining to fear for my central locking.

Heavy rain overnight on its way to Scotland on southerly airstream ! anxious to get this leak sorted out.

Regret not yet in possesion of a manual does it identify this as a typical problem and cure ?

Did you fold back rubber on outer edge of rear door window frame rubber and inject in there ? indeed, was it necessary to seal entire rubber surrounding door and window - I guess the water works its way in from the top.

Did you cure completely ? Bit of a mystery how water gets into the hollow without wetting the edge of the carpet the first sign being the wetness at the Rh rear foot of the drivers seat.

No substitute for experience it seems my logical mind has long since admitted defeat on this one !

Grateful for more

My first MB, we are in the last days of the honeymoon and the bickering has started !

 

[andy_k]

rear side windows in the load bay/boot area are a favourite for causing leaks

the cure is to remove them and reseal treating any rust you come across in the apertures

HTH

Andy

 

[turnipsock]

I got an aerosol type can of sealant out of Q&B (probably not the best idea as it wasn't very controlable) and stuck it under the rubber and dragged it all the way round.


The result was my leaks were completly cured, the car is now as dry as a bone.

After Andy's comments, I may have a look at the side windows, though I feel that they aren't hit by much water. You would think that the rear door wouldn't have any water seaping in, but it is in a real low pressure area.

The trick is to fold back the rubber and see if there is any sealant there already.

You could try sitting a small child (i'm guessing you don't have any already) in the back seats and then turning a hose on the car to see if that shows anything.

Anyways, you shouldn't have a problem when you are in Scotland as we don't have much rain here. You can drop in for a cup of tea if you are passing.

 

[Ian McB]

What's the best method of removing the rear side windows on the 124 TE? I have a slight leak just above the aeriel on the lower edge of the window frame. The window edge has rusted and I'd like to remove the window to treat it properly. I initially thought it was getting in through the aeriel hole(which is now blanked off)

Thanks
Ian

1991 200TE
1991 300D