Water behind the passenger seat!!!!!

[steve291274]

Just notice a couple of small puddles of water behind the passenger seat. I remember my old Elan had the same problem, but I never got round to fixing it because I sold the car, however the previous owner on my new one has put a small extra asorbing strip on the kick plate but this hasn't seem to have much affect. Is this common, or will I need to replace any of the seals?

[MattDon]

i had the same problem, the best course of action is to find where the water is getting in from. I was told that its worth cutting a small nick out the the door seal (that runs between the door and sill) just back from the bottom of the curve at the front bottom of the door (ie below your speakers), as water can collect down there and the water can flow over the sill, the nick gives it an easier route away from the car. this is just one option in the fight against water ingress. Its worth trying to control the flooding, it cant be good for the car, the speakers and the seat spacers spring to mind, plus the added humidity which will effect everything.

[steve291274]

Cheers Matt, all advice is much appreicated. Hopefully going to Donington where I can pick the brains of the well informed i.e The Experts.....Elan Owners

[TheBard]

I had similar issue when I left my Elan out in heavy rainstorms for prolonged periods. As I don't have a garage my solution was as follows:

Check the window fit to the seal. There is a huge amount of adjustment available in the windows and you can fix most gap/leak issues with a fair amount of swearing and some time with the spanners! See the service manual for window adjustment details

Get a shower-cape for when it rains. I got a bikini-cover/shower cape off WillB as one of my first purchases. It is a custom fit and covers the glass and hood when parked up. It'll keep the rain out in all but the fiercest storms.

Get a car cover - I've just invested in a NOAH car cover, and been very impressed at how it kept everything out in the recent rain/ice/snow storms we've had on the East coast of the US.

Only adjusting the windows will help with water ingress while you are on the move, but the cars shape means that most rain flows over and not in while you're moving, and the covers help the rest of the time!

Seals are tough to find, and a pain to fit so I've heard, so these options might be easier to start with.

Best of luck,

Ian

[paza1]

There is an early and late type sill kick plate. I think the early type doesn't have an integral ridge (to prevent water ingress). They were available on the Aftersales awhile ago. I am not 100% sure but someone else may confirm/deny.
Mark