Water ingress e89

[Smartbear]

Rob, (may I call you Rob or is it Mr Smartbear),

Did you wire the leds direct into the battery? If so, did you put an inline fuse in?

Strike that. You would have taken it from the boot light, so it's activated by the switch. Sorry I'm being a t*t. I blame lockdown and a lack of cerebral stimuation! (or any kind of stimulation)

Rob to my friends, so you can call me smartbear
Yes, spliced into the existing boot light wiring to the r/h side of the battery. I’m surprised it looks so blue, it’s a white light but must be a “cool white”
Rob

 

[Pondy]

Rob to my friends, so you can call me smartbear
I’m surprised it looks so blue, it’s a white light but must be a “cool white”
Rob

Dunno, Mr Smartbear, it doesn't look that cool!

 

[Pondy]

anyway :hijacked:

 

[Silverstar]

Rob, (may I call you Rob or is it Mr Smartbear),

Did you wire the leds direct into the battery? If so, did you put an inline fuse in?

Strike that. You would have taken it from the boot light, so it's activated by the switch. Sorry I'm being a t*t. I blame lockdown and a lack of cerebral stimuation! (or any kind of stimulation)

Rob to my friends, so you can call me smartbear
Yes, spliced into the existing boot light wiring to the r/h side of the battery. I’m surprised it looks so blue, it’s a white light but must be a “cool white”
Rob

I did the same some time ago, adding the LED strip really does make a huge difference. Thread on it here:

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=119849&hilit=boot+light

 

[Watson]

NP..Let us know when you find the grommet please

Found the grommet
I thought I had dried out the battery void completely so was surprised at amount of water which came out

The grommet is on the nearside ( passenger) next to heat shield for exhaust , I tapped it with the torch and water started pouring out although battery well was dry

I have put the grommet back in but left it at an angle so any further water will leak out while still stopping dirt/ water entering

Sorry about pics not much room under the Z

 

[ric19]

Brill, thanks for that, when the snow has passed i will get under and take a look, I use an Oil Pump to get the excess water out at the mo ..bit like this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/Manual-Syringe-Change-Suction-Liquid/dp/B07Y5C57KK

 

[ric19]

I wonder if it would be possible to make a permanent drain with another grommet with a pipe in the middle to allow water out but not in ?

 

[Watson]

It would be possible but would need doing from underneath as drain plug is not accessible from battery compartment

I may put the plug back in and drill a small hole in centre of grommet , just enough to let water drain out

Wish I had found the grommet yesterday before spending 30 minutes mopping it up with a sponge and wringing it out in -3 temperatures

Took boot seal off today and resealed with silicone so will see how that works next time it rains

 

[ric19]

Nor sure if you saw my comment on FB but the boot vents are also a known leak source..I've bought some new ones as apparently they were redesigned at some point..trouble is the rear bumper has to come off to gain access so it's a job I've lined up for spring..11 quid each from BMW if you need them

 

[Watson]

Hopefully the silicon does the trick on the boot seal , the old stuff had deteriorated and turned to dust

Picked up a new foam roof motor housing today but taking no chances it is placed insides a plastic bag then sealed with cling film around the bottom

Time will tell

 

[ric19]

Yeah I've done the same with mine,although my old one wasn't half as bad as yours but was held together with duct tape so I've put it to one side to let it dry in case I get the new one wet and I can do a swap over..my missus found out I'd been putting it in the tumble dryer and wasn't best pleased

 

[Watson]

lol I thought the same but decided it may melt and it wasn’t worth the earache

I will let silicon dry overnight then get the hosepipe out and see if it’s still leaking , at least now I know it will drain and not damage electrics

 

[flybobbie]

Nor sure if you saw my comment on FB but the boot vents are also a known leak source..I've bought some new ones as apparently they were redesigned at some point..trouble is the rear bumper has to come off to gain access so it's a job I've lined up for spring..11 quid each from BMW if you need them

See if BMW will do them free, because when i bought my car i asked them to read the key, they said the vents were done on call back, back in 2011.

 

[ric19]

YeahI think you've mentioned that before but I've got the vents now and think it should be an easy thing to do so I'll give it a whirl ..but thanks for the heads up

 

[MikeWoods]

Nor sure if you saw my comment on FB but the boot vents are also a known leak source..I've bought some new ones as apparently they were redesigned at some point..trouble is the rear bumper has to come off to gain access so it's a job I've lined up for spring..11 quid each from BMW if you need them

See if BMW will do them free, because when i bought my car i asked them to read the key, they said the vents were done on call back, back in 2011.

I changed mine at the weekend, I removed the lights to make it easier to see and then just unclipped the vents from the inside, turned them slightly and pulled them into the boot.

Took about 15 mins to do both

 

[ric19]

Oh thanks for that I wondered if that was possible but thanks for confirming..it'll be easier than taking the bumper off.. did you notice any difference in the old/new vents ?

 

[MikeWoods]

Oh thanks for that I wondered if that was possible but thanks for confirming..it'll be easier than taking the bumper off.. did you notice any difference in the old/new vents ?

The design seems to be exactly the same but the foam which seals the vent against the body was completely flat on the old ones. The vents could easily be slid up and down whereas the new one is really solid when fitted in place.

 

[ric19]

Oh brill..thanks for the info

 

[ric19]

Oh thanks for that I wondered if that was possible but thanks for confirming..it'll be easier than taking the bumper off.. did you notice any difference in the old/new vents ?

The design seems to be exactly the same but the foam which seals the vent against the body was completely flat on the old ones. The vents could easily be slid up and down whereas the new one is really solid when fitted in place.

Managed to change the vents today. I managed to do it without removing the rear lights either, The foam box on the Drivers side was a bit of a mare ..Thanks for the tip

 

[Stash36]

Battling the same issue here. Think my problem is the nearside light when has water in, and the plastic tool container on the left was full of water. I've removed that container and a small amount was also under that box. The seal that sits as part of the light gasket was completely unseated when I removed it so hopeful that a new light seal will solve this.

Is there a way to take the lense off the light unit, I have mold in the bottom, the indicator section, and can't see how I can get at it?