front drain hoses

Rob_e (UK) · Post by **Rob_e (UK)** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 9:41 pm

At the weekend I left the back end of the car on ramps while looking at the height corrector, only to find the next morning I had a wet drivers seat and footwell. I have cleared the rear sunroof drain pipes before. But where are the front ones, which I assume are blocked, how do you get to the bottom ends of them to unblock them?

Thanks in advance
Rob

Vanny · Post by **Vanny** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 9:56 pm

they come out into the A-Pillar, i forget where i fished them out from last, but i was sat in the car with the door open to do it, so i guess by the lower hinge of the front door?

Post by **docchevron** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 1:49 am

From inside the car, feel up the A pillar behind the dash, and you'll feel the pipe.
It runs down the outside of the A pillar then disappears through a hole into the A pillar where it drains INTO the A pillar and lets the water out through a fluted edge in the bottom of the pillar.
The N/S drain tube is a bit more of a pesky thing to get at given that the fusebox blocks access a bit.
If you slide the fuseboard off it's runners it'll make access easier.

kermit the frog · Post by **kermit the frog** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 10:08 am

Thanks for that DOC

Because my BX has been on ramps too i have a similar problem but all the water in mine seems to be collecting in the rear footwell behind the drivers seat.
Do you know if this is a blocked front or rear drain tube.
The rear of the car is on axle stands and is sittng reasonable level with the suspension on low.

Help

Regards Kermit

DLM · Post by **DLM** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 10:37 am

Kermit - this sounds to me like rear drain leakage. The classic pattern is for the leak to more or less follow the door seals down, then go wherever gravity takes it.

In most cases this is the hollows under the rear seat bases, overflowing from there onto the floor once full. Have you checked under the rear seat bases yet?

kermit the frog · Post by **kermit the frog** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 12:56 pm

Under the rear seat is bone dry which is confusing me a bit
the roof lining gets wet just above the drivers door where the handle would be.

Regards Kermit

Post by **docchevron** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 2:59 pm

Thats likely to be the front tubes blocked then.
But do bear in mind that the front tubes are quite narrow, and towards the front of the roof (about where the handle would be forward) the channel in the roof molding is quite shallow, when fitted new a large amount of "gloop" was stuck to either side of the guttering, but it can harden and crack over years allowing water to escape over the side and down the roof lining, thus dripping out about where the handle would be.

If it rains REALLY hard and the car is facing downhill, even with clear drains it's not that unusual for water to escape over the gutter.

kermit the frog · Post by **kermit the frog** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 3:02 pm

Thanks Doc
I will investigate that and report back once i have a better idea of the situation

Regards Kermit

Rob_e (UK) · Post by **Rob_e (UK)** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:55 pm

Thanks for the help. I have now unblocked the front drivers side drain hose I think. I think it was particles of rust blocking it from before the sun roof was replaced quite a while back. Normally it is okay as the car is usually sits with the back end much lower than the front when parked.
The passenger side is certainly a lot more arkward to get to, luckily I think that one is probably okay.

Kermit, I have had water in the read footwell before to the extent that the carpet was actually under water after a really heavey rain fall, and it was the rear drain hoses.
The fire time I tried to unblock them I spent ages trying to get it out of one of the holes in the rear panel. But an easier technique I have found is to use a bit or washer hose with insullation tape (well any tape would do) wrapped around it about in inch down the pipe, then you can just push this into the bottom of the drain hose and easily attach a foot pump to clear the hose.

Thanks,
Rob

Brian King · Post by **Brian King** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 12:09 pm

Is there anyone out there? I know it's 6 months since the last post on this, but I have something to add :

1) front drain hoses. Take the A pillar trims off. See the drain hoses Make a vertical slit in each. Using net curtain wire rod them up and down. Apply insulating tape to slits, or if you are a perfectionist, sever the tubes horizontally and push the cut ends into a piece of thicker tubing.

2) I've done all this and ensured that the water is actually going down the front and back tubes, but I still get rain coming in through the headlining where the grab handle is on both sides of the car. Any advice would be welcome.

TizzyD · Post by **TizzyD** » Sat Oct 13, 2012 3:47 pm

Firstly, sorry to bump such an old topic but I didn't want to start a new one for the same issue.

I need to do this job on my car as the rear foot well was soaked after coming back from France a few weeks ago and I had a load of water fall on me the other morning on the way to work. I know that the rear pipes come out behind the rear light clusters so will do those at the same time.

Now I've found the hose on the drivers side just as Doc described it, where it disappears into the A post, but I what I want to know is, can I pull the pipe out the hole, rod it and pop it back into the hole or do I have to find where the pipe exits into the A post and rod from there ? Also, is there anything I can flush the pipe out with other than water to help clean them ?

mds141 · Post by **mds141** » Sat Oct 13, 2012 4:10 pm

I'd just rod it in situ. If you pull the drain tube off the sunroof cassette you'll never get it back on again. Re clearing out the tube, try a cheap can of compressed air. You can buy them from ASDA et al, in the computer accessories aisle.

TizzyD · Post by **TizzyD** » Sat Oct 13, 2012 5:17 pm

I can't find the end of the pipe to rod upwards toward the sunroof that's why I'm wondering if I can lift the pipe up into the footwell and rod upwards from there or would moving it risk pulling it off the cassette ?

Post by **Defender110** » Sat Oct 13, 2012 9:20 pm

I'm sure my front overflows come out in the inner wing behind the front mud flaps?

citronut · Post by **citronut** » Sun Oct 14, 2012 9:45 am

Defender110 wrote:I'm sure my front overflows come out in the inner wing behind the front mud flaps?

all of these i have done over the years the fronts terminate out of sight inside the bottom of the A pillar's above the top of the sill,

if you look at the outside of the A pillar's were the meet the sill there is a raised V which is to let water out,

you access the bottom ends of the front drain tubes from behind the trim at the side of each front foot well's,
pull them out from the inside of the bottom of the A pillars, them blow up them with compressed air,

dont forget to cover the seats with a dust cover

i dont like shuffling anything up them as this can cause damage,

also i think trying to clear them with wire or the likes, all this will do is push the dirt/blokage up into the gully of the sun roof,then as water collects in the gully it will just wash the dirt back to the corners and block them again,

regards malcolm

BX Club Forum