Why is water getting into my Fasty heat exchangers?

[James aka fastfugitive]

Late model fasty

Just had a respray - beforehand no problems, but now water is getting into the cooling fan and subsequently being blown into the heat exchangers, evaporating and then condensing when coming out on the windscreen and misting it up - hardly ideal! :rolleyes:

so - my question is - how does the cooling fan get its fresh air?

presumably from the fins/gills on the rear 1/4 panels and rear wings.

However - how/where is rainwater supposed to drain away?

Looking at the pic below - what is the drain tube looking tube just above the boot release cable tube for?

Anyone else had this problem?

What might the respray fitter have re-fitted inorrectly to cause rainwater to get into the air intake for the cooling fan?

Or are there 2 separate air intakes?
1 for the engine air intake
1 for the cooling fan air intake

If so, I guess the engine air intake is from the "gills" in the upper rear 1/4 panel and the engine air intake is from the grills on the wings?

[Air_Cooled_Nut]

Drain for a sunroof (wild-ass guess) or drain from the upper vents. BTW, those vents are for letting air OUT, not IN. It's part of the fresh air system for the cabin. Modern cars have the same thing

As to the water problem, make sure your flexible hoses from the heat exchanger to the body are firmly secured and covered in insulation.
http://www.icbm.org/erkson/ttt/heating_system.html

Also make sure there are no holes in your exchanger that would allow water to get splashed in. Did you replace the seals inside the fenders with new ones? There are a couple drains in the bottom of the fenders so make sure they are cleaned out -- there should be no standing water in the fenders. There is also a drain inside the fresh air plenum just behind the rubber air intake boot and a drain at the bottom of the fan housing. Make sure they aren't blocked.

I highly doubt the issue is water coming in the engine cooling fresh air system. Water entering the car from leaks, typically from the front of the rockers (I'm assuming this won't be the case in your repaired & painted car), and steaming up (rapidly evaporating) is the cause. Also, when the weather gets wet and cold and the heater is used it's not uncommon to get steam inside a modern car (happens in my Jetta and g/f's Passat). This is due to bringing water in via wet shoes and clothes plus normal respiration (breathing) inside a closed up car. Carpeting can hold quite a bit of water, making the situation worse and last longer -- no where for the moisture to go Keeping the car garaged (or under a car port) and cracking the windows after a drive will help relieve some of the moisture. An open container filled with baking soda (Arm & Hammer) or kitty litter can help attract some of the moisture and lock it in. Low heat in an oven can be used to 'release' the moisture so you can use it again.

[Tom Notch]

I'm not too familiar with the late body style but the earlier bodies had a drain path with one way flappers that worked as a water seperator. This was (is?) located in the airbox common to the body and was located in the engine compart side just about below the vent channel from the fender. This is where the air moves down just before turning across the back of the body.

Hope this helps.

[James aka fastfugitive]

Thanks guys...

This problem only occurs when the car has been standing (parked) in the rain - so its not from splashing, also not from inside the car as it is all stripped out at the mo still whilst I sort out all the leaks etc. before refitting.

The water is definitely gettingin to the engine fresh air system.

Why?

Because, javing checked this afternoon after rain all day, the fan housing is full of water which has come in through the bellows.

I will have to find these drain holes you mention.

The flappy drains at bottom of inner wing in front of bumber mounts are OK.

Inner wing rubbers were indeed replaced...

However, i cannot guarantee that sanding/filler dust hasn't settled over a drain hole and then been covered in paint, thus blocking the drain hole...

Could be time for a bit of investigation with the garden hose and an airline to try and unblock any drains...