Blocked passenger side drain

[SonnyA85]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08ZJKP8V7/ ... S5KKFS3W5Y


Ordered this. 33 cm sections and 3.3m total length.

Should only need 2-4 sections. Once it's cleared I can hopefully when the torch arrives poke the holes from the top downwards that way I don't need to jack the car and remove the wheel and cover in future.

One of the bolts cracked and fell apart probably never been removed in 20 years. Managed to get it back on but it's not going to take a lot of abuse in future. Had to use a rubber mallet to get my socket onto it as it was caked in crud.

[MikeyH]

It might be a daft idea to the more knowledgeable on here but why can’t something be pushed down through the hole from the top to clear out all the crap? Would safe the hassle of removing the wheel etc.

[Smartbear]

It might be a daft idea to the more knowledgeable on here but why can’t something be pushed down through the hole from the top to clear out all the crap? Would safe the hassle of removing the wheel etc.

Because if your roof motor hasn’t been relocated to the boot it’s going to be sitting directly over the drain hole stopping any access from above.
Rob

[DMike]

It might be a daft idea to the more knowledgeable on here but why can’t something be pushed down through the hole from the top to clear out all the crap? Would safe the hassle of removing the wheel etc.

Thought of doing that as well. Looking at images of the drain hose (41117053466), halfway there is a joint that could take damage or disconnect if probed forcefully. Never had the rear quarter panels off, but TIS says about replacing them:
”The water drain hoses for the slide/tilt sunroof are partially permanently integrated in the body and cannot be replaced individually. These water drain hoses can only be completely replaced with extensive body repair work (e. g. after an accident).”

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[SonnyA85]

It might be a daft idea to the more knowledgeable on here but why can’t something be pushed down through the hole from the top to clear out all the crap? Would safe the hassle of removing the wheel etc.

How do you propose I find the hole? When there is a puddle of mud above it? I tried and all i was doing was mixing the muddy water and swirling it around and spraying it upwards.

There's literally litres of water in the way and then all the crap in there too.

Imagine a swimming pool full of mud how would you find the plug/drainage hole? I poked around but it was literally a pointless exercise especially since it's literally trying to find a needle in a haystack. Plus there is so much in the way. Not as if there is lots of space to work with its a tiny gap you are looking through that's about a cm wide and the drainage hole isn't directly underneath.

[enuff_zed]

No access from the boot seems like it was all shored up when the motor was relocated.

I assume this 'shoring up' is something you've discovered after removing the parcel shelf and the left support?
If not then you need to do that first, then you should be able to reach practically to the bottom of the well (assuming you're not a BUFF )

The mechanic has used bubble wrap and couple of other things to secure the roof motor in place. I removed all the bubble wrap. Couldn't see any real gap behind without needing to remove whatever else was behind so I decided to just put the bubble wrap back.

I think going from the bottom is obviously the easiest way obviously 15 inches isn't long enough. Need about a metre. Yet has to be flexible to get enough bend to get in their at an angle but then also not too flexible that it cannot straighten back out when inside.

No, that is just padding for the motor's new location in the boot.
To get to the original location of it you need to remove the parcel shelf and the left side support, then you can see the original location of the motor way up near the front. You can just about reach it at arms length.
Tbh, it sounds like you're a little lost if you expected to find the access point in the boot behind the motor.
Possibly time to splash the cash and go see an expert?

[John M. Alan]

I use the wet and dry shop vac on the exit drain. You can pop off the rubber nozzle if you need more. This is all part of Spring Cleaning or any time you change over to snow tires.

[SonnyA85]

I assume this 'shoring up' is something you've discovered after removing the parcel shelf and the left support?
If not then you need to do that first, then you should be able to reach practically to the bottom of the well (assuming you're not a BUFF )

The mechanic has used bubble wrap and couple of other things to secure the roof motor in place. I removed all the bubble wrap. Couldn't see any real gap behind without needing to remove whatever else was behind so I decided to just put the bubble wrap back.

I think going from the bottom is obviously the easiest way obviously 15 inches isn't long enough. Need about a metre. Yet has to be flexible to get enough bend to get in their at an angle but then also not too flexible that it cannot straighten back out when inside.

No, that is just padding for the motor's new location in the boot.
To get to the original location of it you need to remove the parcel shelf and the left side support, then you can see the original location of the motor way up near the front. You can just about reach it at arms length.
Tbh, it sounds like you're a little lost if you expected to find the access point in the boot behind the motor.
Possibly time to splash the cash and go see an expert?

My mechanic isn't going to be coming until the parts arrive for the wife's motor and I could get him to have a look. But I reckon the sparks tool I bought off Amazon should do the trick from the bottom.

Plus it gives me an excuse to use the brand new jack, axles and wheel chocks I bought again.

Plus I need to swap the wheels over and get the new tyres fitted. Kill 2 birds with 1 stone tomorrow.

If this second attempt doesn't work then it's use silicone pipe and wet vac. To see if I can get access from the top but impossible currently with the pool of water blocking all view of where the hole could be.

My mechanic is just a general mechanic though not clued up on Z4 specifically so I'm better off doing the obscure things myself.

[SonnyA85]

Amazon failed to deliver same day as promised. So won't be until next weekend now until I get a crack at this using the tool. The silicone pipe arrived. But I need to Jerry rig it to the vac. May be more hassle than it's worth if I can prod from underneath next week.

Hopefully it doesn't rain too much over the next 7 days.

[MikeyH]

Lucky you’re not in sunny Devon mate, it’s pi**ing down here now.

[SonnyA85]

Drain cleared using the cable rods.

I tried from underneath and they were too firm. Couldn't Bend them at the angle required to get them in and up. They got in but would get stuck.

Decided to poke from the top and then I got a gush of water. I managed to get enough crap out. Was bits of mud/debris and then found the actual hole itself.

Bung was removed last time around.

Now I just need to rinse the area out every so often to keep the area clear.

Regular washes should hopefully do the trick.

[colb]

If you take the rear wheels off and take the arch liner out you can see the drain ends and the rubber valve caps quite clearly and allow you to get in there with something to rod the drain. As mentioned earlier net curtain wire is flexible enough to get up and into the drain to unblock it. Once clear clean water can be poured down from the top with a watering can to flush the cavity out and dilute any built up muck thats lying in there. Leave the rubber valves off so they dont get blocked again. The amount of dust and grit that gets washed into the wells from around the roof to body seal really builds up over time, I make a point of partially opening the hood and cleaning all around the body seal when I wash the car and make a point of ensuring the drains are clear at least once a year.

[SonnyA85]

If you take the rear wheels off and take the arch liner out you can see the drain ends and the rubber valve caps quite clearly and allow you to get in there with something to rod the drain. As mentioned earlier net curtain wire is flexible enough to get up and into the drain to unblock it. Once clear clean water can be poured down from the top with a watering can to flush the cavity out and dilute any built up muck thats lying in there. Leave the rubber valves off so they dont get blocked again. The amount of dust and grit that gets washed into the wells from around the roof to body seal really builds up over time, I make a point of partially opening the hood and cleaning all around the body seal when I wash the car and make a point of ensuring the drains are clear at least once a year.

Yeah I took the rear wheel off last time. This time I went through the hole at the bottom right. The cable rods however were far too stiff. My small bottle brush got in but wasn't long enough. The bigger longer bottle brush got in but got stuck. I am assuming too flexible and it bent in on itself.

Cable rod from the top worked a treat though.

I will be next weekend partially opening the top and giving the edges a good scrub with rag top cleaner. I bought 3 different types. Going to use each one and give the full soft top a proper detail with soft top brush from vikan. Then once I know it's spotless (already cleaned it a few weeks back with miltons sterilising fluid) i'll be using renovo soft top re-colouring to make it jet black again. It's already looking brilliant but want it looking perfect. Then after that has dried I'll be painting fabsil onto it. Some people have suggested liquid shoe polish mixed into the fabsil will also do the trick but I'm not too sure about that because fabsil will wear off and then the show polish will be getting soaked. I would rather do it properly using the correct stuff.

I gave the roof a wash after clearing the drain but I never had enough time to do the edges properly with a partial open I know there is a lot of crap still in there. Thorough rinsing of the drains is definitely required, you should have seen what came out of them. I have removed the bung on the left side even though it wasn't the bung causing my issues. Thought it best just in case.

I am still trying to think of what could be used as a rinse for the drains every so often that could help break up the dirt better than just plain water. Might try baking soda and sterilising fluid mixed together.

[Zedebee]

Is Milton a sensible thing to use for drain clearing, since it is corrosive to metal? I get the drain tube is rubber, but it’s discharging directly onto the sill.

[enuff_zed]

Is Milton a sensible thing to use for drain clearing, since it is corrosive to metal? I get the drain tube is rubber, but it’s discharging directly onto the sill.

Once it's clear and the bung is removed there shouldn't be any future issues really.
Although this depends on regular washing so fresh water can run through to remove dust. A ten minute job once a month may not be enough, but if you are diligent and keep your car cleaned regularly there is no reason why you should ever encounter problems again.