I have a vauxhall combo van and I need to remove the front driver's side carpet so I think I need to remove the runners that the seat is on. Does anybody know what tool I need to do this? It doesn't look like any kind of bolt that I recognise. I need to remove the carpet because I need to dry it out and then try and find out where the damp is getting in because the carpet and floor on that side have been soaking for ages.

 

The bolts are torx bits mate.Has the car got air con?

 

get good quality ones they can be blooy tight tx 4o i think fella

 

Seat yins will be either T40 or T50's

Common on the corsa c's, they leak from the brake servo panel. under the bonnet, look at the black panel, should have sealer round it, but it will prob have cracked.

 

It does have air conditioning . It is a Vauxhall combo van not a Corsa. What is the brake servo panel and do you mean it could be leaking brake fluid rather than water? I'm pretty sure its water although havent tasted it.

 

Combo vans have the same front end as the corsa c bud

And no, i mean water, you'd notice a faulty pedal if it was brake fluid.

open the bonnet, on the left hand side next to the screenwash bottle you will see the black servo unit, it leaks from around the bulhead seal.

 

Tks I did look under the bonnet there is a round black unit is that the brake servo ? Doesnt appear to be leaking but I don't really understand how a brake servo unit could leak water? Surely only the radiator and the heating system can do that?

 

he means it will let rain water in mate

 

yes, it will let rain / screenwash water in around the bulkhead panel. not the servo unit itself

 

Under the bonnet the only black unit on the left hand side that I can see is ROUND in shape and towards the back of the engine. Is this the brake servo unit?

 

Note in bottom pix, underneath the wiper motor, there is a black plastic panel going around the black circular brake servo. The servo goes into this black panel. Its the black panel that is sealed with black sealer round the edges and this cracks and causes leaks.

Pour water over this area and look inside the footwell and see if it runs in. Thats the best pix i can find online so i cant describe it any better than that im afraid.

 

Tks for that mate I think I know what you mean now I will try pouring water over the area.

 

Hi there
I tried pouring water over the black plastic panel and servo but nothing seemed to leak through. I have since taken my van to a garage and they say its leaves in the bulkhead.

 

lol its leaking from the bulkhead then. The leaves are only excentuating the problem as there blocking the water from running away.

 

As said by MJ_RST common prob on them.

 

Why wouldn't the garage tell me that then? It would be more money and work for them if they said the bulkhead was leaking. Why would they say it was just the leaves?

 

Maybe they dont realise its a common problem with them.

i assume they removed the leaves?? and the leak is gone then??

 

Not yet the van is still in garage that's why I'm asking you to clarify. Are you saying that it cannot possibly just be the leaves causing the leak and that it must be the bulkhead itself leaking without a doubt? If it's a common problem with corsas combos etc then the garage should know because its a vauxhall garage, none of the cheaper garages knew what to do about the problem. However I would not be surprised if they were feeding me bullshit so that's why I'd like you to explain why it could not be just the leaves??

 

the bulkhead should be a sealed unit. the leaves will be blocking the channels for water to leave the vehicle, rainwater/screenwash after use.

its highly unlikely that the leaves are the sole prob imo

but if its at vauxhall then im sure they will get to the bottom of it.

like i say thats just one possibility, as its quite common, but it could be other things

 

Tks for that.

I rang them to say what you said and they told me that the bulkhead is designed with holes in it to drain water etc., that's how its made. Therefore the bulkhead is designed to leak water so this is not the problem. Therefore the leaves blocking the holes are what they insist is causing the problem. To be honest, I cannot see where else the water could be getting in, I'm pretty sure the door seals are fine.

 

the bulkhead has channels to let water out, this goes down the side of the inner wings, no where near the inside of the vehicle.

but let them do what they want. if it fixes this particular problem then good stuff

 

Yes and as I understand it it is these channels that are blocked with broken down leaves. Therefore the water is unable to run away and must be seeping back into the footwell. Once the channels are unblocked surely the problem should go away. That's what the garage think anyway. I mean if water could not seep through the bulkhead then what would be the point in putting the channels there for water to escape through? These channels must be designed to stop leakage from the bulkhead.

I'll let you know anyway whether it cures the problem or not.

 

Just to let you know I now have van back and the garage have not sorted the problem. They had the van for 2 weeks, said they stripped it down and the only thing they could find was the leaves. They could not find a leakage anywhere else. I got them to dry it all out so I would know if the problem was cured or not and hey presto just as I suspected as soon as it rained there was damp in there again. I don't understand how it can be getting in there. The only thing I can think is that is must be coming up from underneath. Do you think that is possible? Also how long can you sustain a wet floor like that before the whole thing rusts through? The garage said it is an old van as if it is something I should just put up with, but it's not that old it's 2003. I've had much older vehicles than that before. Do you think there is anything I can do or do I just have to accept defeat. If the vauxhall garage can't find the leak then I doubt if any other garage will be able to. What do you think?

 

ScoobyHilldo, did you ever manage to find the source of this problem? I have exactly the same issue with my Combo van. Leaks water into the drivers side footwell when it rains...
Would appreciate any advice!

 

Hi Zebra

Sorry to hear you got the same problem. Unfortunately I have not solved it. The garage keep telling me they've found the problem but they haven't. My van is damp both in the front on the floor, driver's side and behind the seat on the floor there at the back. I felt into the little compartment at the back there where you can store things and the metal on the top of it (ie underneath the back of the van) felt wet. I have a hole in my back bumper and wonder if it could be coming in through that, but the floor gets wet when I just hose down the front of the van so I don't understand it. It's not an easy problem to solve. I will let you know if I do find out the problem although I'm not holding out much hope at the moment. Let me know if you get any joy.

 

lolololol

Do you think main dealers are special or experts or something ?

Most can barely manage an oil change.

 

No I don't, not in the slightest, but as they deal with just one make of vehicle it would make sense that they should have more knowledge of that type of vehicle than a general garage which deals in all types of vehicle. I had tried another general garage and they could not solve the problem. As it happens the vauxhall garage have now solved it.

 

Not really. Most of the time, they do basic servicing during the warranty period. As once most cars are outside that, people simply dont use dealers as they charge too much. So they dont have a wealth of experience of problems that do occur in older cars.

And you just need to see some cars that have just left the dealer network with full service histories coming in for their next service.

Ive seen loads that have never seen an air filter before, pollen filter. Hell, some you'd be sure the fuel filter has never been touched, or spark plugs etc
Many dealerships, for whatever reason, dont even carry out the basic tasks they are supposed to, but sure as hell charge for them !

 

I would not trust a Vauxhall dealer in Plymouth.

A family member (other halfs brother) lives down there and he brings his Vauxhalls to me for fixing as I work @ a Vauxhall main dealer as well.

They have charged him fortunes before for problems which do not get fixed, even writing off an engine ECU for a bad earth problem.

As said above, have a closer look.

If need be, use some talcum powder on the inside of the bulkhead panel (inside the car) and then repeat the water test. Any water will show up as a stain on the powder.

 

......... after so many people have tried to advise and assist you why dont you share the solution to the problem with other forum users

 

i would if I knew the solution but I don't. All I know is that my van appears to be dry when it rains. The vauxhall garage could find nothing apart from the leaves. Other work they did like seal up a hole where a cable had been run through made no difference. They could find no leak around the brake servo and I had originally tried pouring water over this area and none got through. However they resealed it just in case. However I cannot say for certain if it is permanently cured or if it's just a fluke as hasn't rained that many times since Ive had van back and hosing it down does not cause a leak at the moment, although it did do before. Hope that is enough for you, cannot tell you anything more.

 

I guess this thread is getting a little old now but hoping someone is still keen to help I may also be able to add some info.

My Combo van (57) plate has exactly the same problem as in this thread. What a shambles that Vauxhall cannot put this right!

Anyway I have been trying to track this problem down for months. I have checked bulkhead seals and door seals and just about everything I could fine that may allow water in. The carpets are drenched but only on the o/s front and rear.
I think I have isolated the problem down to the Aircon. We noticed that when we were turning sharply ie roundabouts in the main, the van steams up and there is also the foulest smell of what I can best describe as stale piss. It is as if some trapped stale water was sloshing around in a reservoir and the inertia of us going round a bend was enough to spill it into the heating system.
Over the last week or two, I turned the Aircon Off and turned the heat full up. I drove around with the windows open and dried the system out.
No more smelly water at roundabouts and the Van doesn’t steam up!
It was a catch 22 because the aircon quickly cleared the steamed up windows but it seems was the cause of the wet carpets somehow.
Does anyone know if there are drain holes to let the aircons condensed water out? Also does anyone know if there are pollen filters and where each can be found?
The Van is ex National Rail and was caked with a grey mud underneath so I can’t help thinking this muck has blocked up drains.

It worries me if it is the aircon and stale water as a chap locally became critically ill with Legioaires messing around with vehicle aircon!

Hope someone can help?
Stuart

 

Not sure where the aircon drain is. But there is a pollen filter under the scuttle panel

 

there's a a/c drain piper underneath see if it's blocked up and not letting water out and just filling the heaterbox up with water. but watch if it is blocked and u unblock it as it will gush out

 

I have a XC Holden Combo 2006, which is the same I think. I have the same problem as described. This car had a recall a few years back from a faulty AirCon drain tube which could cause the Airbag to disperse without warning. I had my car checked and it was fine. It is draining fine still.

The car is leaking into the drivers side from the firewall somewhere. The carpets are ruined and the passenger side is starting to flood now. I have to take the carpet out and don't know what tools i need. The bolts look like a star socket.

I cannot find where the leak is coming from cause its going under the carpet. I'm loosing PowerSteer too!

Should I take the carpet out and then run water to see where it is coming from? The dealer wants to charge $195 to diagnose and a further $595 to take the carpet out. This is all before fixing the leak!

Help I don't know anything about cars

 

ive heard of leaks into the passenger side before, but not so much the drivers side. It is quite easy to remove the lower dash panel below the steering, so might be worth doing that to have a look ?

 

For anyone with the dreaded leak on either a Corsa or Combo, go out and buy a tube of silicon/panel bond, SEAL the servo. You wont see where its cracked, pouring water over it wont solve anything, the water doesnt flood through like niagra falls it slowly seeps through the tiny cracks that you cant see in the seal. As already said this is very common on Corsas and Combos, save yourself the money of garage diagnosis and do it yourself.

 

I have had wet carpets for 2 years despite 2 garages "curing the problem". I am now sure it must be the air con as the wet starts on the transmission tunnel under the dash. Have looked under the Combo but cannot see a drain pipe. Any ideas exactly where. Your help would be much appreciated.
John R

 

There are two drain flaps in the engine compartment for the bulkhead space drains. One below the servo, the other below the battery. Although these arent anything to do with the aircon as fr as I am aware. Although saying that...my aircon when in use, does dribble it's condensation on the ground from a similar area on the van. Never actually looked as to where it comes from.

 

Have checked that flap and it is quite clear. Back to the drawing board.
John R