The Mitsubishi Pajero Owners Club®

[Levans]

When I bought my '98 LWB I knew it must have a leak somewhere into the cabin as it stank of damp, the driver's seat brackets and bolts were badly rusted, and there were a few mouldy patches dotted around. Needless to say the first job I've tackled is to get all the interior out to get it dry and clean, then locate and fix the leak.

There's been light but steady rain here all day and it didn't take long for a fairly big puddle to form in the driver's footwell, beneath the accelerator pedal. On closer inspection I can actually see a constant, thin trickle of water coming down the inside of the firewall, behind the accelerator pedal. There's some rubber matting/sound-deadening material stapled behind it though, so before I start ripping that up and/or taking all the dash out,  I thought I'd ask on here in the hope that this is a common problem. I've read about blocked sunroof vents causing water to come inside but I don't think that's the case with this as they both look completely clear.

I've had a look in the engine bay but the firewall around that area is bone dry, so much so in fact that there was a spider living there in its intact web, so it doesn't look like rain water can even get there as it must go down the grilles beneath the windscreen where the wipers are mounted. I haven't yet had chance to look under there though.
One thing I did notice was a milky discolouration all around the bottom of the front windscreen. Is this a sign that the seal has gone on it, and if so, would that be a likely source of the leak into the driver's footwell?

I took a couple of photos, one of where the water is trickling down and pooling (with some rags there to soak it up for now), and one of the windscreen with the milky looking bottom edge and corner.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mmfoc9ltb0bgc6v/20210126_202916.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/aeda1naygbsks0z/20210126_204034.jpg?dl=0

Any advice appreciated.

[Google]

[assassin]

As usual, start with the obvious.

Water tracks, once had a building where the roof was leaking and this was 300m away from where it was leaking into the building.

Have you checked the door seals? dirty door seals seep water as dirt stops the rubbers compressing properly to form an effective seal.

Rovers prone to bulkhead seals deteriorating, so remove the bulkhead insulation and check where any cables, wiring, and indeed anything else comes through the bulkhead into the cabin, some have double skinned sections so may fill cavities with water and it may track through a seal overnight. Borescope useful here if you have access to one.

Get a pot of Drain Stain from plumbers or general builders merchants and put 2 spoonsfull into a 1 litre hand sprayer of water and spray the seals from the outside, this dries and gives a track of the water. Being water soluble means it can be wiped clean with a wet cloth.

Check for corrosion at the bottom of the A posts as these have cavities and corrode from the outside as many trap dirt and contamination and hold it in contact with the steel, any pin holed steel will let moisture in. Also check seals around any wiring going into any doors as these crack and split from a combination of wear and age.

[alanymarce]

Haven't had a problem with water in ours (other than once wading water a metre deep, when we had a few drips via the door seals).

Good advice above.

If I were to guess (which obviously is all I can do) I'd think that the windscreen seal is leaking. Occasionally water gets into the seal area, which then corrodes, leading to a poor seal.

[Levans]

Some great suggestions both, thanks.

I was dreading it being a case of water tracking from somewhere hard to reach, but it turns out that the cause was much simpler. It occurred to me that in that first photo I linked to yesterday, the bit where the water is trickling down is silver rather than blue, so I wondered if it'd been added in an attempt to repair something. On further investigation it turns out that yes, it most certainly had. It was a square piece of lead flashing stuck in place with masses of silicon sealant   hiding this:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/59d5xwmvrof9uh6/20210127_162322.jpg?dl=0

I'm trying to console myself with the fact that it is at least easy to get to, as it's directly behind the front offside tyre about 2/3 of the way up, whereas something like that right up behind the dash would be a nightmare to access. Hopefully I can get it welded or my Shogun dream will have been short-lived...

[alanymarce]

Fixable I think - best to replace the whole area. I'd check other areas in the structure which might also have problems. Good luck!

[Levans]

[emax]

same thing for me.

http://www.pocuk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=169912&highlight=hole

[Levans]