Wet carpet in the passenger footwell W126

[stwat]

While cleaning the inside of the 300 today I noticed that the front passenger side carpet was wet. It was bone dry the other day but we had rain and drizzle yesterday. So I took the carpet out and it was slightly damp under there too but not too bad thankfully.

Are there any drain holes under the panel that covers the heater and wiper motors on the 126 that can get blocked?

Thanks,

Stu

 

[jonnyboy]

look underneath the bonnet hinges Stu. Any wet carpets on 123's or 126's I routinely pull all 4 carpets and check for dryness - front can be rear etc.
If it had been the drivers side i would have suspected the main wiring loom grommet - had a massive problem with one of my 560 sel's.

 

[ianrandom]

Yes, that cover pops off very easily and i would recommend taking it off and checking out the drain holes under there. I discovered a 'wanna be' rust area there too recently which i caught in good time so its well worth looking.
The drain holes are big but it gets very sludgy in there.

 

[stwat]

Thanks for the info chaps

I took the cover off, no blocked drain holes. I noticed that the sunroof seal was a bit wonky on the passenger side so pushed it back onto the lip.

Poured copious amounts of water over the roof and around the screen and not one drop entered the car.

So hopefully it was just the sunroof seal that was leaking.

 

[ianrandom]

Hmm that seal doesnt really do a lot anyway, the water goes past that and is drained out through pipes on the corners of the sunroof assembly i believe. They can leak sometimes, which is a pain in the ****.
Maybe it was just parked at a funny angle and some got in where it wouldnt normally. Now that i think about it i had a few drips while driving about a year ago, and nothing at all since, bone dry.

 

[stwat]

Indeed, I spoke to soon. Went out this morning to find a small pool in the footwell after it had been raining last

 

[Steven Stoole]

Hi Stu, I would have a good look at the Bonnet hinge area. These two models are prone to leaking there. On one of my w123's on the passenger side it alwayse leaked. i looked everywhere. only when i inspected the bonet hinge did i find some small rust holes allowing water to come into the front passenger side. I also pulled off the left front fender and there was so much rust there only to realise the water from the drain hole was going straight into the passenger side of the car. Hope this helps. Steve

 

[stwat]

Il certainly give the hinge area a good check.

Could it also be a blocked or rusted sunroof drain tube? Are the roof drains hidden away behind all the gubbins at the front of the roof?

 

[Steven Stoole]

What you could do is to try and run a long bit of nylon that is thick enough so that it is stiff, to push down the drain holes for the sunroof. This will allow you to see if they are blocked. The other thing to do is to remove the wheel are liner as they clog up with dirt and soil and at the same time give it a good clean behind there.

 

[EDZ649]

I'd put money on it getting in through the bulkhead area where the inner wing joins it.

 

[AlanN]

Hi Stu, I'm new to the forum. I've got a 1991 300SE and I'm having a similar problem. I've got a puddle of water in the Rear Passenger footwell (behind the drivers seat). Wondering if you ever found the source? I removed the plastic cover from the drain (under the windscreen), the passenger side was completely blocked, so unblocked it and ran water through without any entering the cabin. I was smug to say the least, but the next time it rained, same problem. I do park it facing up a hill, so i think it's still getting in somehow from the front area, but haven't checked the sunroof drains yet... Thing is due to the current crisis my lease car is going back when the contract is up and the Merc will be my everyday car, so i'd really like to get it water tight...Any help gratefully received.. Thanks in advance. (when i park it facing down the hill most of the water sits in the drivers foot well).

 

[6avs]

Poke it

 

[loubsxenia]

check underneath the hood pivots, Stu. Any wet covers on 123's or 126's I routinely pull every one of the 4 covers and check for dryness - front can be back and so on. In the event that it had been the driver's side I would have suspected the primary wiring loom grommet. thats what i would say