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Leaking door seals?

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  • #16
    In my car I noticed that the passanger door upper seal (like this : http://www.z3mcoupe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18423 ) was incorrectly installed and caused some leakage.

    The problem was in the front part of the seal in the door hinge area. It is meant that the end part of the lower seal should be sitting below/ become covered by the end of the upper seal. In other words, the top of the lower seal enjoys an umbrella type protection by the bottom end of the upper seal.

    Difficult to explain in my limited english skills :)

    Anyway, when you look at that joint you can see the ends of these two seals overlapping and the upper seal should be on the top so that any water running along the upper seal outer surface will be directed onto the outer surface of the lower seal. If they are overlapping incorrectly (the lower seal being on the top), the water running along the upper seal can get UNDER the lower seal and find its way to the inner floor of the car.

    br, Juha
    Last edited by JuhaV; 13-01-2016, 10:16 AM. Reason: typos
    The older I get, the faster I was ...
    BMW HP2 Sport
    ex- BMW Z3 M Coupe - Cosmosschwartz Metallic

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    • #17
      Originally posted by JuhaV View Post
      In my car I noticed that the passanger door upper seal (like this : http://www.z3mcoupe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18423 ) was incorrectly installed and caused some leakage.

      The problem was in the front part of the seal in the door hinge area. It is meant that the end part of the lower seal should be sitting below/ become covered by the end of the upper seal. In other words, the top of the lower seal enjoys an umbrella type protection by the bottom end of the upper seal.

      Difficult to explain in my limited english skills :)

      Anyway, when you look at that joint you can see the ends of these two seals overlapping and the upper seal should be on the top so that any water running along the upper seal outer surface will be directed onto the outer surface of the lower seal. If they are overlapping incorrectly (the lower seal being on the top), the water running along the upper seal can get UNDER the lower seal and find its way to the inner floor of the car.

      br, Juha
      Yes - I noticed that my upper seal is not overlapping the lower seal but merely butting up to it and given that I found moisture on the underside of the lower seal at the bottom you may well be right.

      However, when you shut the door, that area of the seals (where the but together or should perhaps overlap) is compressed by the front part of the lower door window seal and I considered that that was supposed to be enough to stop water getting into the butted join.

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      • #18
        On even closer inspection, it is not possible for the top seal to overlap the bottom. The bottom seal has a lug/protrusion that sits in a channel in the top seal. Effectively the end faces of top and bottom seal are pressed together and it is not possible to 'insert' the bottom into the top. At least that is how it is on mine.

        On the matter of water running down the screen, past the butyl strip and into the ventilation system, I just cannot see how that could happen. I have read the other posts on the subject and I have taken my scuttle panel off had a good look.

        First, such volume of water that gets past the scuttle panel where it rests on the windscreen and past the butyl strip - even if it is past its best, will surely run along the channel at the base of the windscreen. My channel was slightly muddied up at each end, but this wouldn't explain water getting into the ventilation inlet.

        Second, if water gets into the inlet, it would have to build up considerably before it was deep enough to get over the lip at the base of the fan.

        Third, that lip appears to have its own sealing arrangements.

        Fourth, can BMW surely have made such a simple design error? If it were so 'simple' for water to get into the ventilation, surely the sealing arrangements would be more comprehensive.

        Admittedly, my car had NO signs of water anywhere past the butyl strip - have people actually seen water in the ventilation system or is this all just theory?

        For what it is worth, I am fairly convinced that my carpet is damp because water has got past the dried out seal at the front of the fixed quarter and made its way underneath the lower seal and then behind the vertical section of the carpet under the speaker.

        I have received and applied the seal conditioner that alanw89 recommended - I am really hoping that that solves the problem, although I think it will be while yet before the carpet is dried out.

        Do please tell me what I have wrong!

        FEP

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        • #19
          Originally posted by FEP View Post

          Admittedly, my car had NO signs of water anywhere past the butyl strip - have people actually seen water in the ventilation system or is this all just theory?
          I've actually seen this with my car. I could pour water from a watering can down the screen and by the time I put my head into the car, a small trickle of water would have run down onto the passenger side floor mat.

          I re-sealed and it's been fine since, but admittedly it does need further investigation to see just why at some point.
          2002 '52 S54 - Titanium Silver with 18" BBS LMs, AP Racing BBK, KW V3, H&R anti roll bars & ACS flippers (previously 2000 'X' S50 - Arctic Silver)

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