Back in a 182 after 10 years. After some help

[G4RDC]

Hi all,
Had my inferno 182 a week now and come across two issues.

1 - After putting the car into reverse it doesn’t want to pop out so I have to play around with it for a few minutes before it will disengage and select a normal gear. Any ideas what this could be?

2 - I have been getting pools of water under my seats. After some research I found a lot of cars let in water from the Bungs by the rear lights so I siliconed those in which has stopped that issue. Now I am only getting puddles under my passenger seat. The surrounding areas aren’t wet and I believe the water is coming from and out of what I assume is an air con vent under the seat. Could this be the issue? If so how do I fix it?

 

[G4RDC]

I have read up on cleaning all three scuttles. I will do that and see if that resolves the leak.

Any advice on problem no.1 would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Coops Mk1]

Welcome back

Scuttle blockage is most common issue for damp inside this time of year so yeah sort that and you should be good

Gear issue would check basics first, so check and either top up or replace fluid in the box and realign linkage

 

[G4RDC]

Welcome back

Scuttle blockage is most common issue for damp inside this time of year so yeah sort that and you should be good

Gear issue would check basics first, so check and either top up or replace fluid in the box and realign linkage

Okay thank you 👍🏻

 

[JimF]

I had damp under the passenger seat and the scuttle drains were blocked and after that we were fine.
How are your gearbox mounts looking? I'm not an expert but could be a mount/linkage issue.
For the reverse issue - Could the clutch not be fully disengaging? I had this on a classic mini and the system needed bleeding.

 

[dangerous dave]

get a plastic tube, poke that into the drain and then blast an air line down it all.. you’ll get a nice load of sh1t under the car.

then leave the pipe in and flush it.. clean the scuttle area and blow it out again.. don’t leave anything behind or it’ll happen next week.

you really need to get your seats out and wet vac that carpet or it’ll smell stagnant and rotten.

I pulled the full interior, jet washed the carpet, carpet cleaned it, cleaned cars floor and re installed.

 

[Mr Underhill]

Door cards may also have been off at some point and water is getting through that way.

If all the above fails, check and reseal the door cards with some Butyl Sealant tape.

 

[G4RDC]

Wow okay. I have cleaned behind both front arches I am just waiting for a ball joint removal tool to be delivered so I can get the front wipers off and clear the centre scuttle. I am hoping that will be enough to resolve the issue. If not I will follow your steps @dangerous dave.

I haven’t had a chance to check my gearbox mounts. If I fiddle with the reverse mechanism on the gear stick for a couple of seconds it disengages and works fine but that’s obviously not ideal.

Next job after sorting the water leak will be to check the gear box mounts and flush and replace the gearbox oil.

I know the engine mounts, top mounts, steering rack and lower wishbones have been replaced / upgraded. I assume the gearbox mounts are separate to those? If so is it easier to view them from the engine bay or underneath the car?

 

[G4RDC]

Scuttle is cleared, confirmed by a massive gush of shitty water. Just need to dry everything out now.

 

[Chocice]

Under the carpet you will find some yellow sponge, in all honesty you will need to pull it out the car as drying it out in situ just won’t happen in this climate and you don’t want rust with all that sitting water.

 

[G4RDC]

I only have damp patches under the seats, not in the footwells.

I have pulled the carpet up under the seats and there isn’t any foam so I’m hoping I don’t need to pull all of the carpet up and remove the foam…

 

[Chocice]

That’s odd that your footwell is dry, maybe the leak is coming from the door card as most people don’t realise there is a black sticky seal which needs redoing when the door card is taken off and put back.

 

[G4RDC]

How do I check if the seal is intact without removing the door card and then breaking the seal

 

[Chocice]

You might see some water on the plastic trim leading to the wet carpet if not look at the screws at the bottom of the door card as you pour water on the external weather strip to see if any water is dripping through.

 

[G4RDC]

I did check the plastic trim but I will do a water test to see if any drips through. Thanks for your help.

 

[G4RDC]

Did the water test and nothing coming down through the door cards.

I also checked the foam on both sides and it’s dry.

Weirdly the water is only going under the seats. Not in the front or rear footwells.

My car has been stationery for a week and every time it rains I am still getting a leak.

Has anyone got any other suggestions? 🤷🏼‍♂️

 

[hopgop1]

Did the water test and nothing coming down through the door cards.

I also checked the foam on both sides and it’s dry.

Weirdly the water is only going under the seats. Not in the front or rear footwells.

My car has been stationery for a week and every time it rains I am still getting a leak.

Has anyone got any other suggestions? 🤷🏼‍♂️

I had similar on my first 182 and it was the door switch missing it's rubber cover on one side. Obviously only made one side wet though, plus it should be obvious it's missing.

 

[G4RDC]

Don’t think it’s that mate. Thank you for the suggestion though.

 

[Chocice]

The aerial base was loose on one of mine I had to reseal the aerial base where it meets the roof and that used to pool under the rear seat bench. I think the leak is coming from the middle to rear of your car as you have cleared the scuttle.

 

[G4RDC]

I sealed the rear bungs as water was coming in there. I checked under the rear bench again today and it was completely dry. I can’t see any water strains in the headliner but I will check the aerial base. Thank you.

 

[Chocice]

Have you checked the rubber seal around the door for kinks or gaps, the seal at the top also acts as a gutter which channels water through to a drain at the front of the car I would give this a very thorough clean and check. The rubber seal going around the lower part of the door can get kinked or squished and could lead to water getting in especially if the drain hole at the bottom of the door drains onto a perished part of the rubber seal. I have had a few Clio leaks driving me mad over the years but besides a sunroof leak dealing with the issues above sorted it out.

 

[G4RDC]

I have cleaned them both and pulled them off to check if I could see any wet patches or any signs of water and couldn’t see anything.

I will check again tomorrow along with the aerial seal.

 

[RustyMojo]

I’m not sure you’d necessarily see it coming in through the door cards. Best thing to do is to take them off and replace the butyl tape. It’s literally a tenner from Amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09W5SXFXG/?tag=cliospnet01-21

main places for leaks are the rubber boot bungs, aerial base, door card seal, door seal, front scuttle blockage. If you’ve ruled out the rest and not taken the door cards off, I suspect that’s it. Especially with where the water is pooling (under the seats)

 

[G4RDC]

Okay good point. I will check the seals and aerial base tomorrow. If that doesn’t sort it I will get the door cards off and replace the butyl tape 👍🏻

 

[G4RDC]

@Don’t call me Dave Would one reel be enough do you think?

 

[RustyMojo]

I should think so mate i bought 6x8mmx 8m and have a tonne left! If you are in Gloucestershire or nearby you can have it!!

 

[Chocice]

Yup 8m is more than enough to do both sides.

 

[RustyMojo]

Yup 8m is more than enough to do both sides.

The link I posted is 13ft….I would think it’s about spot on. Given how cheap it is I’d buy a touch more.

 

[G4RDC]

Thanks for the offer but I’ll buy it for the price mate. Thank you both for your help.

 

[Chocice]

I use this brand: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00VZTBW8E/?tag=cliospnet01-21 in 6mmx8m I can vouch for this one being a close match to the original stuff

 

[G4RDC]

Perfect 👍🏻

 

[Mr Underhill]

If the leak is coming from the door cards, water will be sitting on the door seal, which will overflow and enter the car. Ask me how i know.

 

[G4RDC]

Mine is bone dry on both sides. So if it is it’s a little trickle that might be coming through where the door seal joins but like I said I can’t see a trail of water or a clean like or anything.

I am going to check the aerial and door seals again then do t he door cards anyway if that doesn’t solve the problem.

 

[G4RDC]

@Chocice was the base of you aerial noticeably lose? Mine seems to be tightly fitted with a timy bit of movement if I properly try to move it. I would assume it’s fine as I was expecting to find it lose enough for water to be able to get in.

 

[Chocice]

On mine the rubber that seals the aerial base had gone brittle so yes it was noticeably loose I think your main culprit has to be the door card from what your describing, anyhow if you want to tighten the aerial base you need to remove quite a bit of trim it’s a real faff I would do the door first it’s actually easier and most likely the cause of your issue

 

[G4RDC]

By the condition of the aerial I’m confident it’s not that. Butyle tape ordered.

 

[G4RDC]

Feel free to shoot me down but as one of the firsts steps I cleared all the crap out of both front arch liners. Could there be a similar build up behind the side skirts forcing the water in through a seal or something similar?

 

[Chocice]

This is what is behind the side skirt so I can't see how it would

 

[hopgop1]

There is a drain behind the rear door cards, think it would be a lot of water to leak into the interior though?

 

[G4RDC]

I think I can rule that out. If it was to come from the rear door cards I think it would be leaking into the rear footwell but it’s only under the seats.