W116 Cabin water entry

[Oversize]

Deteriorated, or missing firewall grommets can be the source of water in the cabin and premature rust elsewhere. This is particularly annoying when you want to steam clean the engine bay. Unfortunately they can also allow noise and emissions into the cabin and aren't easy to replace....

Accelerator linkage:



A/C hose:



Vacuum hoses:

 

[Styria]

Hi Mark, really frustrating, isn't it ? Why should it be so impossible to replace even just the items you have illustrated ? Just no easy way, and you're right about ingress of water, heat and noise. One of the real shortcomings of our 116s from a design of maintenance point of view. Don't worry, there are a few others as well. Regards Styria....rubber grommets, that is.

.............oh, and then add all the other possible water leaks and what do you get ?

 

[Helmet]

Don't forget the wiper motor cable grommet under the windscreen grill. The culprit for a lot of water leaks.

 

[Tony66_au]

I have in the past used expansion foam to close hard to get at plugs and grommets and Sikkaflex screen sealant to patch existing gromments.

Worth checking access from inside and if its a single cable Ive been known to cut a slot from the edge in to fit the cable and then rubber glue or contact adhesive to repair the cut just before popping it in place.

Not always pretty but usually effective and the use of rubber lube can also help.

Tony

 

[BenzBoy]

I have in the past used expansion foam to close hard to get at plugs and grommets and Sikkaflex screen sealant to patch existing gromments.

Worth checking access from inside and if its a single cable Ive been known to cut a slot from the edge in to fit the cable and then rubber glue or contact adhesive to repair the cut just before popping it in place.

Not always pretty but usually effective and the use of rubber lube can also help.

Tony

Cutting the grommet and re-gluing can be very effective in a tight space - I always put mastic around a grommet in the body just to keep it sealed, regardless of having cut it or not.
I've just been to Clark Rubber(www.clarkrubber.com.au ) to get rubber matting and saw they have literally hundreds of different sized grommets, rubber seals, strips etc that would be very handy for sealing a car. Most are so cheap you could buy a variety of sizes just to make sure you get a really snug fit.
Regards,
Brian